Apple is reportedly preparing a major camera upgrade for the iPhone's camera system. A new report now suggests that next year's iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max could debut with a variable-aperture lens for the primary rear camera.
iPhone 18 Pro Variable Aperture Lens could be a game-changer
According to South Korean publication ETNews, Apple is looking to push its imaging hardware beyond mere incremental improvements. As per the report, Apple has finalised the design of a mechanically adjustable aperture system that can dynamically change how much light passes through the primary wide-angle lens.
Currently, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max come with a fixed aperture of f/1.78. With a variable aperture, the aperture will open wider in low light conditions, which is similar to how conventional DSLRs work. This shift is expected to enhance both low-light performance and control over depth-of-field.
However, as expected, Apple will reportedly keep the feature exclusive to the Pro models. Moreover, it will only be applied to the main cameras of the iPhone 18 Pro models and not the ultrawide or telephoto lenses. Apple is said to be sourcing camera modules from LG Innotek and Foxconn. Meanwhile, Luxshare ICT and Sunny Optical will handle production of the component that's responsible for adjusting the aperture blades.
Variable aperture in smartphones isn't exactly new and Samsung experimented with it on the Galaxy S9 and S10 years ago. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra also came with a variable aperture in the main camera.
It's good to see Apple not rely on computational photography entirely and take to other hardware-level improvements like a variable aperture for the iPhone 18 Pro. Execution could be challenging with waterproofing all those moving parts, with the possibility of the phone's thickness increasing as well.
However, if done right, this could come in as a big camera upgrade for Apple and we're all for it. The iPhone 18 Pro lineup is expected to land in late 2026, following Apple's usual launch schedule.
