9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPhone SE Both Have 2GB RAM - MacRumors
Skip to Content

9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPhone SE Both Have 2GB RAM

Apple never announces the RAM in its iOS devices, so that metric often remains a mystery until a device teardown or benchmarking tests. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino has an iPhone SE and a new iPad Pro on hand, and was able to use a memory checking app to determine the RAM in both devices.

Based on his testing, it appears that both the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro include 2GB of RAM.

ipadproiphoneseram
2GB RAM puts the iPhone SE on par with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, both of which also include 2GB of RAM. As for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 2GB RAM means its performance isn't going to measure up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is equipped with 4GB RAM.

As was recently discovered, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro also features a slightly underclocked A9X processor, another factor that will impact its performance compared to the larger tablet.

Geekbench testing by Panzarino suggests the iPhone SE is not underlocked compared to the iPhone 6s, with the A9 in the device running at 1.85GHz. On the test, the iPhone SE received a single-core score of 2538 and a multi-core score of 4421, on par with or slightly better than tests conducted on the iPhone 6s.

iphonesegeekbench
Given that it includes the same processor and the same RAM, the iPhone SE is as powerful as the iPhone 6s despite its much smaller form factor and lower price. The new iPad Pro, while less powerful than its larger sibling, has its own unique features, including a 12 megapixel camera with rear flash and a unique True Tone display.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

131 months ago
2GB RAM on the SE. Wow, I've been waiting for the shoe to drop on that phone somehow, but it didn't - its going to get OS updates for as long as a 6s (if it was 1GB it could potentially get cut off in the future, but not at 2GB).

Apple is going to sell a ton of these. Great job Cook and Co..
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xavier Avatar
131 months ago
iPhone SE keeps looking more and more like my next iPhone!
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
131 months ago
This is a shameful moneygrab by Apple.The device is nothing more than a Air 3.TC just gave it a "Pro" label and jacked up the price.2 GB of ram and an underclocked A9X prove this is NO pro device in the slightest.Even Surface 3 provides 4 gigs of RAM for sub 500 bucks
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oblivious.Robot Avatar
131 months ago
So it's really just an iPad Air 3?
Edit - Okay, SE is sounding like a really good deal now. Better battery, better performance and didn't cheap out on RAM.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alphazoid Avatar
131 months ago
More incentive to hold on to my IPA2
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrismail627 Avatar
131 months ago
That's good for the iPhone, makes the iPad Pro 9.7 a little less attractive though....
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)