Apple's next iPhone could leave millions missing these powerful AI features — here's why!

Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 lineup could introduce a surprising divide between premium and standard models, with reports suggesting that buyers of the regular iPhone 18 may miss out on two of Apple's most advanced Siri AI features.

According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its long-rumored foldable iPhone later this year. The standard iPhone 18 and the more affordable iPhone 18e are reportedly scheduled to arrive in spring 2027.

While the base models are expected to receive a RAM upgrade from 8GB to 9GB, that increase may not be enough to support Apple's new AFM Core Advanced AI model, which reportedly requires at least 12GB of RAM to run directly on the device.

The advanced AI model powers two major Siri enhancements in the iOS 27 beta: Advanced Dictation Preview, which improves voice typing by automatically handling punctuation and capitalization, and Apple's new Expressive Siri Voices, designed to make the virtual assistant sound more natural and conversational.

Currently, these features are available only on devices with 12GB of RAM, including the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. Even the iPhone 16 Pro and the standard iPhone 17, both equipped with 8GB of RAM, are unable to support them.

If Apple keeps the same hardware requirements, the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are also expected to miss out on these AI capabilities, leaving the Pro models with a significant advantage.

Although Apple has not officially confirmed the specifications of the iPhone 18 series, Kuo believes the Pro variants—and the company's anticipated foldable iPhone—will continue to feature 12GB of RAM, ensuring compatibility with the latest on-device AI tools.

The difference in features may appear to be a strategy to encourage customers to purchase higher-end models, but industry observers say rising memory costs are also playing a role. Apple has already increased prices across parts of its iPad and Mac lineup due to higher RAM costs, and the iPhone 18 Pro models are reportedly expected to cost around $200 more than their predecessors.

Reports also suggest Apple is seeking approval to source memory chips from Chinese manufacturer CXMT in an effort to ease supply constraints, as the growing demands of artificial intelligence continue to drive up hardware requirements for future smartphones.