How Much RAM Does The iPhone 13 Have? Answered!

When upgrading to a new phone, some users find knowing some hardware specifications important. For the Apple iPhone 13, how much RAM does it have?

Table of Contents

• How much RAM does the iPhone 13 have?
• How much RAM do iPhones have?
• What is RAM?
• Why do Apples have less RAM than Android?
• Are the different kinds of RAM?
• How much RAM do I need in my Apple?
• When is more RAM more useful?
• Can I upgrade the RAM in my iPhone?
• When was the iPhone 13 released?
• What will future iPhone models have for RAM?
• Key Takeaways

How much RAM does the iPhone 13 have?

The Apple iPhone 13 has 4GB of RAM.  Apple doesn’t tend to immediately offer specifications, so we understand why this might be hard to find! Also, note that the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max both offer 6GB of RAM.

We’ve done plenty of electronics research in our efforts to inform others, and admittedly as buyers as well. We know iPhones and the people who use them well. We’ll help you understand RAM and why it matters to an iPhone.

How much RAM do iPhones have?

In the most recent editions of the iPhone, we have the base iPhone with 4GB of RAM. The two larger, faster, and more expensive iPhones in the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max offer more RAM with a total of 6GB of RAM.

The iPhone 13 has the same amount of RAM as previous generations of iPhone, including the 12. You’ll reach back to the iPhone 11 to find an iPhone with just 4GB of RAM across the board. 

What is RAM?

RAM stands for random access memory. The other kind of storage within a phone or computer is a hard drive that has significantly more memory that is also often much slower. 

RAM helps your iPhone show you the “here and now” with the apps and features you are currently using. The hardware is rather fast, and you don’t need as much of it as you would a storage hard drive.

RAM is also highly flexible. When you open a new app, it enters RAM. It can then be removed from RAM rather quickly in favor of another app. This is unlike the more permanent storage on an iPhone that moves a bit slower, but has a lot more space.

Today, RAM is critical because apps can be big, and people switch between them quickly. While hard drive capacities are near maxed out and nearly unnecessary with Internet based storage, RAM is still very important!

Why do Apples have less RAM than Android?

You might have noticed while researching phones that Android phones tend to have more RAM than Apple. While this sounds more attractive, reality can be a little different.

Android is more open ended, and uses some of the RAM to translate the Apps into Android language. 

For example, a Pixel 4 with 6GB of RAM is by no means faster than the equivalent Apple iPhone 13 with 4GB of RAM. Apple instead uses direct code that doesn’t need translating. 

Think about this a bit like talking to someone in a different language. There will be a brief delay while your translator understands what was said, and relays wording in a new language.

Are the different kinds of RAM?

Yes, there are definitely different clock speed and generations of RAM. Without going into a lot ot technical detail, RAM does have varying speeds just like a computer or cell phone processor. 

The speed of your iPhone is up to a few factors though, including RAM amounts/speed, the processor, and internal storage. 

Building a good iPhone or Android is a complicated piece of engineering, especially considering how many of them they make and sell.

How much RAM do I need in my Apple?

4GB is usually pretty sufficient for everyday users and is part of the reason why Apple chose 4GB. If you want more power and speed, 6GB is a great option too. You will notice a little bit of a difference, especially if you frequently multitask on your iPhone.

You probably won’t have an issue with serious slowdowns or apps not running properly for a few years.

Part of the reason why phones eventually slow down is that the applications they run get updated and become more demanding of your phone’s battery and RAM. 

Apple users have previously complained to Apple that new apps and operating system releases have taken serious chunks out of the battery life or speed, and they wanted more choices in slowing their phone down or letting the battery drain faster. It’s a tough decision!

When considering a phone, the amount of RAM generally isn’t a big concern unless you want to buy an old, used Apple iPhone.

I think that Apple doesn’t disclose the amount of RAM in their phones or the “clock speed” of their RAM because the information would only confuse users who would otherwise focus on the design and usefulness of the Apple OS. Admittedly, they do tend to talk about their processors because those are important too!

When is more RAM more useful?

The iPhone 13, amongst other Apple iPhone models, has a split screen mode that enables you to use two apps at the same time. 

For apps that support this function, this means you have the potential to work on email while completing a task in another app. Using multiple apps at the same time can slow down the speed of either app, so having 4GB or more of RAM can definitely help here. 

You might also like to know that you can multi-task within FaceTime, so you can look up information while talking to someone without slowing down the video as much.

Not everyone multi-tasks quite like that, though – or knows how. In most iPhone models, you can go into Settings, then Home Screen & Dock to enable multi-tasking screens.

Can I upgrade the RAM in my iPhone?

No, you can’t. Apple solders (in other words, uses liquid metal to bond) their RAM to their circuits.

I also honestly can’t think of a phone where you wouldn’t need to be more than an expert to add hardware to a phone. 

In most cases, the battery is not removable either, so Apple isn’t exactly alone with its inability to manually upgrade hardware.

When was the iPhone 13 released?

At the moment, the iPhone 13 is the latest and greatest. The phone was released in September of 2021. iPhones tend to get new models every few years.

What will future iPhone models have for RAM?

Apple plans to develop the iPhone 14 with 6GB of RAM across all models. Given the growth in app use and streaming video, this is probably expected and necessary over the next several years.

Key Takeaways

• The iPhone 13 standard model has 4GB of RAM. The upgraded Pro and Pro Max model include 6GB of RAM
• Future iPhone models will have 6GB of RAM across all.
• The amount of RAM in the iPhone does affect speed, but there are other factors
• Like most phones, the iPhone’s RAM is not upgradeable.