Apple initially planned to equip the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and iPhone Duo with 16GB of RAM, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital."
The brief Weibo post does not say when Apple considered that capacity. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max feature 12GB of RAM, as confirmed through Xcode 27, matching the iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone Duo is also expected to have 12GB, but the Xcode data used to verify the Pro models did not yet include the foldable.
Rumors had pointed to 12GB for the iPhone 18 Pro well before launch. In April 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the iPhone 18 lineup would have 12GB of RAM. Analyst Jeff Pu projected the same capacity for the Pro models and Apple's first foldable iPhone in January. A March report from The Bell said Samsung would supply 12GB memory modules for the iPhone Duo.
The global memory shortage is the likely explanation for the apparent change. The March report described sharply rising prices for the 12GB modules, while Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that memory costs led Apple to discuss a higher starting price for the foldable. Kuo also said DRAM shortages were forcing Apple to scale back its 2026 hardware shipment plans.
iPhone Duo pre-orders begin October 16, ahead of availability on October 23.
