Apple · A18 Pro · Phone
Best AI Models for iPhone 16 Pro Max (8 GB)
Runs 1B models well; dense 3–4B fits but is slow at 13 tok/s, and 8–9B doesn't fit.
| # | Model | Speed | llmrun Score | Quant · Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.5 4BAlibabaHow to run → Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB · 12.9 t/s | 12.9 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB | |
| 2 | MiniCPM5 2BOpenBMB Q4_K_M · 2.5 GB · 22.1 t/s | 22.1 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 2.5 GB | |
| 3 | Qwen3.5 2BAlibaba Q4_K_M · 1.9 GB · 23.7 t/s | 23.7 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 1.9 GB | |
| 4 | LFM3 1.7BLiquid AI Q4_K_M · 2.1 GB · 29.2 t/s | 29.2 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 2.1 GB | |
| 5 | MiniCPM V 4.7 1BOpenBMB Q4_K_M · 1.6 GB · 32.8 t/s | 32.8 tok/s | Q4_K_M · 1.6 GB |
The iPhone 16 Pro Max suits smaller models: it runs 1B models well. iOS lets one app use about 4.5 GB of the 8 GB. Prompt reading is its weak spot: a 4K-token prompt waits 44 s before the first word on Qwen3.5 4B. A18 Pro chip, released 2024.
iPhone 16 Pro Max strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Runs 1B models: Llama 3.2 1B Instruct at 51.2 tok/s in 2.3 GB
Weaknesses
- 8–9B models don't fit: Qwen3.5 9B needs 6.6 GB at Q4 vs 4.5 GB usable here
- Little room for context: Qwen3.5 4B uses 3.4 of 4.5 GB usable, 1.1 GB left
- Slow prompt reading: A 32K-token prompt on Qwen3.5 4B waits 5.9 min for the first token
Memory for models
4.5 GB of 8 GB8–9B models need 6.6 GB at Q4, more than the 4.5 GB available.
How much memory iOS lets one app use decides what phone works for local AI, not the camera or the screen.
Phones run small models. Output speed follows memory bandwidth (60 GB/s); grey rows need more than the 4.5 GB iOS gives one app.
- 1BLlama 3.2 1B Instruct · Q4_K_M · 2.3 GB51.2tok/s
- 3–4BQwen3.5 4B · Q4_K_M · 3.4 GB12.9tok/s
- 8–9BQwen3.5 9B · not at 4-bitneeds 6.6 GB
- 14BQwen3 14B · not at 4-bitneeds 11.9 GB
Estimated speeds: Q4_K_M, 4K context, one user. How we estimate
iPhone generations: memory one app can use
A17 Pro → A19 Pro- iPhone 15 ProA17 Pro · 20234.5 GBup to 4B
- iPhone 16 Pro MaxA18 Pro · 20244.5 GBup to 4B
- iPhone 17A19 · 20255 GBup to 4B
- iPhone 17 Pro MaxA19 Pro · 20257 GBup to 9B (tight)
Every phone here has 8 GB or more, but iOS caps one app well below that. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the first to fit an 8–9B model.
All 586 models on the iPhone 16 Pro Max
Featured onlyBest quant that fits in 4.5 GB, ordered by llmrun Score. Fit grades how well it runs here, S best. How ranking works
| Model | Quant | VRAM | Speed | Context | Score | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LFM2.5 2.6BChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 2.3 GB | 20.6 t/s | 131K | B60, Decent | |
| Q4_K_M | 0.4 GB | 97.7 t/s | 2K | S91, Runs great | ||
PicoMistral 23MChat | Q4_K_M | 0.3 GB | 131.3 t/s | 1K | S95, Runs great | |
Sweep Next Edit 1.5BChatCode | Q4_K_M | 1.6 GB | 35.3 t/s | 33K | A73, Runs well | |
SmolVLM 256M InstructVision | Q4_K_M | 0.6 GB | 84.0 t/s | 8K | S88, Runs great | |
Llama 3.2 1B InstructChatFunctions | Q4_K_M | 2.3 GB | 51.2 t/s | 131K | A80, Runs well | |
SmolVLM 500M InstructVision | Q4_K_M | 0.9 GB | 60.9 t/s | 8K | A84, Runs well | |
| Q4_K_M | 1.3 GB | 42.4 t/s | 131K | A76, Runs well | ||
LFM2.5 VL 450MVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 0.8 GB | 65.6 t/s | 128K | S85, Runs great | |
Quark 135MChat | Q4_K_M | 0.4 GB | 97.7 t/s | 2K | S91, Runs great | |
| BF16 | 0.9 GB | 70.0 t/s | 33K | S86, Runs great | ||
| BF16 | 1.6 GB | 71.2 t/s | — | S86, Runs great | ||
| Q4_K_M | 1.2 GB | 39.3 t/s | 128K | A75, Runs well | ||
| Q4_K_M | 2.6 GB | 19.4 t/s | 262K | B59, Decent | ||
Nanowhale 100MChat | BF16 | 0.5 GB | 78.5 t/s | 2K | S87, Runs great |
Specs
- Chip
- A18 Pro
- CPU cores
- 6
- GPU cores
- 6
- Unified memory
- 8 GB
- For models
- 4.5 GB (iOS keeps 3.5 GB)
- Memory bandwidth
- 60 GB/s
- FP16 (dense)
- 4.3 TFLOPS
- Released
- 2024-09-20
iPhone 16 Pro Max FAQ
Can the iPhone 16 Pro Max run an LLM offline?
Yes, small ones. Qwen3.5 4B runs at about 12.9 tok/s, and 1B models run around 51 tok/s. iOS lets one app use about 4.5 GB of the 8 GB, so larger models don't fit.
How much memory is available for AI on the iPhone 16 Pro Max?
About 4.5 GB of the 8 GB. iOS keeps roughly 3.5 GB for itself and other apps.
What is the largest model the iPhone 16 Pro Max can run?
Qwen3.5 4B (4.7B) is the largest at 4-bit or better: at Q4_K_M it uses 3.4 GB, 76% of the available memory, and runs at about 12.9 tok/s.
How long does the iPhone 16 Pro Max take to read a long prompt?
On Qwen3.5 4B, about 44 s for a 4K-token prompt and 5.9 min for a 32K-token document before the first word appears.