AI Models for iPhone 18 Pro Max — What runs on 12GB

47 great · 5 slow · 57 won't fit

Chip

Apple A20 Pro

Memory bandwidth

115.2 GB/s

NPU

—

RAM options

12 GB

Usable for models

~7.8 GB

Year

2026

Specs checked against manufacturer and public documentation on 2026-10-08.

What runs on the iPhone 18 Pro Max

All 109 models at their recommended quant, on the 12GB configuration. Select any row for the full report.

Model	Params	Quant	Needs	Speed	Verdict
Qwen3 0.6B	0.6B	Q8_0	1.3 GB	~86.4 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen3 1.7B	1.7B	Q8_0	2.6 GB	~28.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen3 4B	4B	Q4_K_M	3.5 GB	~20.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Llama 3.2 1B	1.2B	Q4_K_M	1.5 GB	~64.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Llama 3.2 3B	3.2B	Q4_K_M	2.9 GB	~25.9 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Gemma 3 1B	1B	Q4_K_M	1.5 GB	~64.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Gemma 3 4B	4.3B	Q4_K_M	3.5 GB	~20.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Phi-4 Mini 3.8B	3.8B	Q4_K_M	3.5 GB	~20.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
DeepSeek R1 Distill 1.5B	1.8B	Q4_K_M	1.9 GB	~47.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
SmolLM2 1.7B	1.7B	Q4_K_M	1.9 GB	~47.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
SmolLM3 3B	3.1B	Q4_K_M	2.8 GB	~27.3 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen 3.5 2B	2B	Q4_K_M	2.1 GB	~39.9 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen 3.5 4B	4B	Q4_K_M	3.7 GB	~19.2 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Gemma 4 E2B	2B	Q4_K_M	4 GB	~16.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ternary Bonsai 8B	8B	Q2_0	3.5 GB	~23.6 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ternary Bonsai 4B	4B	Q2_0	2 GB	~47.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ternary Bonsai 1.7B	1.7B	Q2_0	1.2 GB	~103.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Nemotron 3 Nano 4B	4B	Q4_K_M	3.8 GB	~18.5 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ministral 3 3B	3B	Q4_K_M	3 GB	~24.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
LFM2.5 2.6B	2.7B	Q4_K_M	2.6 GB	~30.5 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
LFM2.5-VL 3B	3.1B	Q4_K_M	2.6 GB	~30.5 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
MiniCPM5-2B	2.52B	Q4_K_M	2.5 GB	~32.4 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
OvisOCR2 0.8B	0.8B	Q4_K_M	1.3 GB	~86.4 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Agents-A1 4B	4B	Q4_K_M	3.7 GB	~19.2 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
G9v3 3B	3B	Q4_K_M	2.8 GB	~27.3 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Nanbeige 4.2 3B	4.2B	Q4_K_M	3.7 GB	~19.2 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
AREX Turbo 4B	4.5B	Q4_K_M	4 GB	~17.9 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
OneJev 0.8B	0.8B	Q4_K_M	1.4 GB	~74.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
OneJev 4B	4B	Q4_K_M	4.1 GB	~16.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Fara 1.5 4B	4.5B	Q4_K_M	4 GB	~17.9 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Granite 4.2 3B	3B	Q4_K_M	3.1 GB	~23.6 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Bonsai 27B (1-bit)	27B	Q1_0	4.8 GB	~13.6 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ling 3.0 Tiny	7.9B	Q4_K_M	6.3 GB	~59.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
LFM2.5 8B-A1B	8B	Q4_K_M	6.6 GB	~79.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Mistral 7B v0.3	7.2B	Q4_K_M	5.7 GB	~11.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Tini Cybersec 8B-A1B	8.5B	Q4_K_M	6.7 GB	~84.7 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
DeepSeek R1 Distill 7B	7.6B	Q4_K_M	6.1 GB	~11 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Gemma 4 E4B	4B	Q4_K_M	6.1 GB	~10.4 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Llama 3.1 8B	8B	Q4_K_M	6.3 GB	~10.6 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ministral 8B	8B	Q4_K_M	6.3 GB	~10.6 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen3 8B	8.2B	Q4_K_M	6.4 GB	~10.4 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ministral 3 8B	8B	Q4_K_M	6.6 GB	~10 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Granite 4.2 8B	8B	Q4_K_M	6.7 GB	~9.8 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Ornith 1.0 9B	9B	Q4_K_M	7.1 GB	~9.3 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
OneJev 9B	9B	Q4_K_M	7.1 GB	~9.3 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwen 3.5 9B	9B	Q4_K_M	7.2 GB	~9.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
Qwythos 9B v2	9B	Q4_K_M	7.2 GB	~9.1 tokens/s	✓ Runs great
LensVLM 9B	9.4B	Q4_K_M	7.3 GB	~8.9 tokens/s	! Runs, barely
GRM 3.2 Cliff 9B	9.4B	Q4_K_M	7.5 GB	~8.8 tokens/s	! Runs, barely
grug 9B (ProCreations)	9.4B	Q4_K_M	7.5 GB	~8.8 tokens/s	! Runs, barely
Fara 1.5 9B	9.4B	Q4_K_M	7.5 GB	~8.8 tokens/s	! Runs, barely
UI-Mate 9B	9B	Q4_K_M	7.4 GB	~8.8 tokens/s	! Runs, barely
Ternary Bonsai 27B	27B	Q2_0	8.4 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Gemma 4 12B	12B	Q4_0	8.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Gemma 3 12B	12.2B	Q4_K_M	9.1 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Grug 12B	12B	Q4_K_M	9.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ministral 3 14B	14B	Q4_K_M	10.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3 14B	14.8B	Q4_K_M	11.1 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Phi-4 14B	14.7B	Q4_K_M	11.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
MiMo V2.6 Distill Qwen 9B	9.4B	Q8_0	11.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
GPT-OSS 20B	21B	MXFP4	14.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3 30B A3B	30.5B	Q4_K_M	22.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
MiMo V2.6 Flash MOPD	309B	Q2_K	154.7 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen 3.5 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	20 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B	35B	Q4_K_M	26.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen 3.6 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	18.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen 3.6 35B-A3B	35B	Q4_K_M	23.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Gemma 4 26B-A4B	26B	Q4_0	17.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Nemotron 3 Nano 30B-A3B	30B	Q4_K_M	28.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Nemotron 3 Nano Omni 30B-A3B	31B	Q4_K_M	26.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B-A3B	30B	Q8_0	35.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ornith 1.0 35B-A3B	35B	Q4_K_M	25.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
XYZ-Aquila mini 35B-A3B	35B	Q4_K_M	25.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Holo4 35B-A3B	35B	Q4_K_M	25.4 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
OneJev 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	19.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
AREX-2 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	20.6 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Salience 1.5 Flash	30B	Q4_K_M	22.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Fara 1.5 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	20.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
KAT-Coder V2.5 Dev	35B	Q4_K_M	25.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
BigBang V1 36B-A3B	36B	Q4_K_M	26.1 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Muse Glimmer 30B	29.6B	K_QUANT_17GB	20.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3.8 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	20.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3.8 2.4T-A95B	2400B	IQ4_XS	1377.4 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
UI-Mate 27B	27B	Q4_K_M	20.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
GLM-4.5V	106B	Q4_K_M	74.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
GLM-4.5-Air	106B	Q4_K_M	74.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Granite 4.2 30B	30B	Q4_K_M	21.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Apodex 1.1 Mini	35B	Q4_K_M	26 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ling 3.0 Flash	124B	Q4_K_M	82.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ling 3.0 Flash Fin	124B	Q4_K_M	91 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ling 3.0 Flash VL	124.85B	Q4_K_M	92 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3.8-27B-pi	27.8B	Q4_K_M	19.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Swift 1.5 Qwen3.8 27B	27.8B	Q4_K_M	20.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Swift 1.5 Qwen3.8 Flash Next	125B	Q2_0	79.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3.8-Flash-Next	125B	IQ4_XS	107.7 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
GLM-5.3	744B	Q4_K_XL	543.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
GLM-5.3-Flash	320B	Q4_K_XL	232.7 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Llama 3.3 70B	70B	Q4_K_M	50.1 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Qwen3 32B	32.8B	Q4_K_M	23.7 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Ornith 1.0 397B	397B	Q4_K_M	285.6 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Gemma 4 31B	31B	Q4_K_M	22 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Hunyuan 3 (Hy3)	298.8B	Q4_K_M	212.8 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731	284B	Q4_K_XL	163.6 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp	284B	Q4_K_XL	183.3 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Inkling	952.4B	Q8_0	966.9 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Inkling Small	276B	Q4_K_M	190.5 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
LongCat Flash Chat	561.9B	IQ1_S	159.6 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Laguna XS 2.1	33B	Q4_K_M	24.2 GB	—	✕ Won't fit
Laguna S 2.1	118B	Q4_K_M	109.7 GB	—	✕ Won't fit

~ = bandwidth-based estimate · ✓ = measured on real hardware

Best model by use case

Best for Chat

Qwen3 0.6B

Top everyday assistant & writing pick here — ~86.4 tokens/s at Q8_0, using 1.3 of ~7.8GB.

Best for Coding

Qwen3 4B

Top code completion & explain-this pick here — ~20.7 tokens/s at Q4_K_M, using 3.5 of ~7.8GB.

Best for Reasoning

Phi-4 Mini 3.8B

Top math & step-by-step thinking pick here — ~20.7 tokens/s at Q4_K_M, using 3.5 of ~7.8GB.

FAQ

What is the biggest AI model the iPhone 18 Pro Max can run?

Bonsai 27B (1-bit) (27B parameters) at Q1_0 — it needs 4.8GB of the ~7.8GB usable on the 12GB iPhone 18 Pro Max and runs at ~13.6 tokens/s.

How much of the iPhone 18 Pro Max's 12GB RAM can AI models actually use?

About 7.8GB. iOS caps a single app at roughly 65% of total RAM, so of the 12GB about 7.8GB is actually available to a model.

Can the iPhone 18 Pro Max run Llama 3.1 8B?

Yes — at Q4_K_M it needs 6.3GB of the ~7.8GB usable and runs at ~10.6 tokens/s.

How fast is local AI on the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

The Apple A20 Pro has 115.2GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is what decode speed scales with. Small models like Ternary Bonsai 1.7B reach ~103.7 tokens/s; larger 7–14B models land in the single digits. Anything above ~8 tokens/s feels smooth for chat.

Which quantization should I use on the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Q4_K_M is the size/quality sweet spot for most models. For example, Qwen3 0.6B at Q8_0 takes 1.3GB of memory here. Only drop to Q3 or IQ4 if a model just misses fitting; Q8 rarely pays off on 12GB of RAM.

Is 12GB of RAM enough for local AI?

52 of the 109 models we track fit on the iPhone 18 Pro Max — 47 run great and 5 run with compromises. 57 models (mostly 12B+) don't fit at their recommended quant.

Other Apple phones

iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 iPhone 14 iPhone 17 iPhone Air iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone 16e iPhone 17e iPhone 18 Pro iPhone Duo