According to a new leak, Apple may increase the RAM in its next affordable iPhone, the iPhone 18e, to 9GB, up from the 8GB found on its predecessor, to better handle Apple Intelligence features. GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo have both made this prediction, and they also expect the standard iPhone 18 to receive the same memory configuration. The reported upgrade comes as smartphone memory prices rise, with suppliers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron dedicating more manufacturing capacity to High Bandwidth Memory chips for AI servers. Apple currently requires at least 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence, while some advanced features are said to need 12GB. Other specifications are expected to remain unchanged, including a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera, and storage options of 256GB and 512GB. The handset is also expected to adopt Apple's A20 chip built on TSMC's 2nm process. The iPhone 18e is currently expected to arrive in early 2027 alongside the standard iPhone 18, with the second-generation iPhone Air potentially unveiled during the same launch period.