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text model · Gemma · iOS

Can I run Gemma 4 E4B on iPhone Air?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
Yes, it runs slow on this hardware ~8 tok/s est.

Yes. Gemma 4 E4B runs on iPhone Air at Q4_K_M (~6.5 GB of ~8 GB usable).

Needs ~6.5 GB Device usable ~8 GB

Runs at Q4_K_M using ~6.5 GB of ~8 GB usable.

That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes. iPhone Air leaves ~1.5 GB of headroom.

Q4_K_M needed
~6.5 GB
Usable on device
~8 GB
Device memory
12 GB
Best quant
Q4_K_M
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Which quant fits

Quant ladder vs ~8 GB usable
Q2_K
~4.9 GB
Q3_K_M
~5.4 GB
Q4_K_M
~6.5 GB
Q5_K_M
~7.2 GB
Q6_K
~8.1 GB
Q8_0
~9.7 GB
FP16
~16.6 GB
The line marks iPhone Air's ~8 GB budget; rungs past it are too large.

How to run it

On iOS use Apple Foundation Models (Built into iOS 26, ~3B on-device model, zero download, fully private.).

Model Gemma
Parameters
8B
Q4_K_M size
4.98 GB
Q8_0 size
8.19 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
gemma4:e4b
Full Gemma 4 E4B requirements →
Device iOS
Memory
12 GB unified
Usable for weights
~8 GB
Best runtime
llama.cpp + Metal (via PocketPal or Off Grid app)
Best models for iPhone Air →

You could also run

Run Gemma 4 E4B on other hardware

FAQ

Can iPhone Air run Gemma 4 E4B?

Yes. Gemma 4 E4B runs on iPhone Air at Q4_K_M (~6.5 GB of ~8 GB usable).

How much memory does Gemma 4 E4B need?

iPhone Air has room to spare. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~4.98 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~6.5 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Gemma 4 E4B on iOS?

On iPhone and iPad, Apple Foundation Models (Built into iOS 26, ~3B on-device model, zero download, fully private.) is the standard choice. Phones realistically run 1B-4B class models. Anything larger thermally throttles or OOMs.

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Gemma 4 E4B on iPhone Air compatibility badge A live badge for your model card or README, updated as the data is.
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$ [![Gemma 4 E4B on iPhone Air](https://localmodel.run/badge/gemma-4-e4b/iphone-air.svg)](https://localmodel.run/can-i-run/gemma-4-e4b/iphone-air)

Sources

Weights are measured from GGUF files; KV cache and overhead are computed, so totals can vary ~15% with context and runtime. Any tok/s is a bandwidth estimate. See methodology.