We’ve heard a number of times now that every iPhone 14 model – including the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max – might have 6GB of RAM, and the latest leak again suggests as much, but this RAM apparently won’t all be equal.
According to a report in DigiTimes (opens in new tab) – spotted by MacRumors (opens in new tab) – the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will have 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, while the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
In all cases – other than the iPhone 14 Max, since that phone has no predecessor – this would be an upgrade. The iPhone 13 had 4GB of RAM, so the new model would be getting 2GB more. In the case of the Pro models, we saw 6GB in both the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but they had LPDDR4X RAM.
LPDDR5 RAM is faster and more energy-efficient, so we could see improvements to both performance and battery life from the Pro models, even if they have the same amount of RAM as their predecessors.
This would also mean that despite all four iPhone 14 models apparently having the same amount of RAM, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max would offer better performance than the standard and Max models – and that’s before you get to the rumored use of a new A16 Bionic chipset in the Pro models, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will apparently be stuck with last year’s A15 Bionic.
In a sense then this news is good regardless of which iPhone 14 model you’re considering, since they should all be an upgrade on the RAM front – but the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max should retain an edge.
Analysis: Apple’s late to the party with LPDDR5
While the move to LPDDR5 RAM is a positive step, it’s one that some rivals took a while back. Samsung has been using it from the Galaxy S20 series onwards in its flagship line, and hasn’t reserved it for the very top models, as even the likes of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G got LPDDR5 RAM.
Samsung isn’t alone either, as a number of other Android phone manufacturers have made the move already.
It’s not entirely surprising that Apple is behind here. After all, the company has never been one to chase specs for the sake of it, but this slow progress was likely a cost-cutting move, which is a bit disappointing when iPhones are already so expensive. If Android manufacturers can deliver this faster RAM, then Apple should be able to in its premium phones.
It’s also a shame that this move is apparently limited to the Pro models, given that you can get mid-range Android phones with LPDDR5 RAM. It’s just one more example of how – more than in most years – the Pro iPhones look set to be the ones to buy, and could end up being the only new entries in our best iPhones guide.