Can Ternary Bonsai 4B run on iPhone 16 Pro Max?
YES — Runs great
Grade S · 100/100 · formula estimate
What this means
Our estimate says Ternary Bonsai 4B should fit comfortably on your iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Download the PQ2_0 version, which is about 1.1 GB. We expect it to use about 2 GB of the roughly 5.2 GB available to a model on this phone.
At the estimated speed, a roughly 300-word answer may take about 16 seconds to finish.
This result is calculated from the phone and model specifications. It has not been measured on this exact phone and setup.
24.5tokens/s
estimated · instant
2GB
needed at PQ2_0
PQ2_0
quant checked
S
grade · 100/100
needs 2 GBusable 5.2 GB
Apple A18 Pro8 GB RAMMetal
See how fast it feels
Estimated at 24.5 tokens/s — instant. A ~300-word reply takes about 16 seconds on this phone.
Where the memory goes
| Component | Detail | GB |
|---|---|---|
| Model weights | PQ2_0 GGUF (1.1 GB) + mmap overhead | 1.2 |
| KV cache | 4K context window | 0.3 |
| Runtime | llama.cpp + app overhead | 0.6 |
| Total needed | at PQ2_0, 4K context | 2 |
| Usable on iPhone 16 Pro Max | 8 GB RAM − iOS reserve (jetsam limit) | 5.2 |
| Headroom | left for the OS and your other apps | 3.2 |
Pick your quant
| Quant | Download | Verdict | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PQ2_0 BEST HERE | 1.1 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~24.5 tokens/s |
| Q2_0 | 1.1 GB | ✓ Runs great | ~24.5 tokens/s |
Get it running in 3 steps
1
Install PocketPal from the App Store — free, no account needed.
2
Download "Ternary Bonsai 4B PQ2_0" in the in-app model hub — 1.1 GB, use Wi-Fi. Search Hugging Face for
prism-ml/Ternary-Bonsai-4B-gguf and pick the PQ2_0 file.3
Set context to 4K and enable Metal — expect ~24.5 tokens/s on this phone.
Related checks
MORE ON IPHONE 16 PRO MAX
TERNARY BONSAI 4B ON OTHER PHONES