Report points to an Apple iPhone 7 with 3GB RAM; could be hinting at 7 Pro model

Citing “credible” industry sources, Digitimes  reports that the memory chip industry is set for an upturn in Q3 2016 thanks to inventories getting exhausted and a rising demand for more memory in different types of devices.

The publication also hinted that “new iPhone devices, will further ramp up demand for memory products in the third quarter, said sources, noting that the mobile DRAM capacity of the next-generation iPhone is expected to increase to 3GB from 2GB previously, while those for new Android phones are expected to raise to 6GB from 4GB.”

In short, thanks to the growing need for RAM in mobile phones (more Android, less iOS) has forced the industry to ramp up operations and prepare for the upward trend headed their way.

Industry talks aside, the report hints that iPhone 7 will come with 3GB RAM which is up by 1GB from the previous 2GB standard.

While it isn’t clear which iPhone model will be getting the RAM upgrade, Apple has always stuck to similar chipset and RAM combinations across iPhones in the past. We would like to believe that the company will launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models with the same chipset however there’s the iPhone 7 Pro that is also expected to make an appearance this year, and this could change things a bit.

There is a possibility that iPhone 7 could arrive with the same 2GB of RAM while the 7 Pro could get a bump up to 3GB thanks to the “Pro” features that are expected to arrive with it. With iOS 10 already out in previews, we can only really speculate on the difference 3GB RAM would make to the iPhone. The 6S manages just fine with 2GB of RAM and unlike Android, iOS is far more efficient when it comes to RAM management. For the sake of future-proofing and, maybe, more memory intensive tasks, a bump in RAM will be nice.

For now there is no news on whether all three iPhones will even arrive this year. Apple could launch just the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus or the iPhone 7 and the 7 Pro. A leaked price comparison also hints at all three models being launched; with the iPhone 7 Pro being priced even higher than the iPhone 7 Plus models. There are also rumours of a newer SE model.

Then there’s another dilemma that iPhone upgraders are expected to face, with 32GB model being the base model and the possible phasing out of the 64GB option. While adopters would be happy to purchase their first iPhone with 32GB of internal storage, those looking to upgrade from a 64GB iPhone 6s or 6 to an iPhone 7 will  find it pricey. This is because Apple is expected to skip on the 64GB model and introduce 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models instead. Apple being Apple will hike the price of the 128GB units which 64GB upgraders will have to switch too as 32GB would seem to little. In short, more memory may lead to more problems. But this is Apple we’re talking about. People are going to be queuing outside Apple Stores regardless.