An analyst has suggested that Apple will rethink its entire phone release cycle. The Cupertino-based tech giant usually releases everything at once, but it might now showcase only the Pro models in September. This would push the standard versions to March of the following year. Every new iPhone 18e leak signals these basic models will hit store shelves in the first half of 2027.
How the A20 Chip Changes Daily Performance
This latest iPhone 18e leak reveals significant changes to the silicon inside. The upcoming base iPhone 18 and the non-flagship iPhone 18e will use Apple’s new A20 SoC. Apple plans to build this chip using TSMC’s 2nm Gate-All-Around process. For the average buyer, this specific manufacturing method means noticeable gains in performance and better battery efficiency during heavy tasks.
How the New 9GB RAM Affects Performance
Memory is getting a slight bump, which is an important iPhone 18e feature for heavy multitaskers. Both new models will feature 9GB of DRAM configured as six 1.5GB dies. We can compare this directly to the current A19 models, like the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e. Those older phones only have 8GB of RAM spread across four 2GB dies.
You might wonder why Apple changed this memory layout in the new iPhone 18e specs. The goal is to keep the system running smoothly under heavy AI tasks. However, a major iPhone 18e indicates these phones might still struggle with top-tier artificial intelligence. Apple’s most powerful on-device AI model currently needs a full 12GB of memory to run properly.
Despite the modest increase in RAM, the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could still fall short of that 12GB memory requirement. This raises questions about the actual iPhone 18e launch and what software it will truly support. Another iPhone 18e might clarify this soon, but the hardware limitations seem established.
As a buyer, you need to decide if this minor memory increase is worth waiting until 2027. This iPhone 18e leak outlines a very modest, incremental upgrade rather than a major step forward. Unless you absolutely need the slight battery efficiency of the 2nm A20 chip, the current A19 models are perfectly fine. You shouldn’t wait for this delayed March release just for one extra gigabyte of RAM.
