Samsung Galaxy S27 Series Might Miss Out On Variable Aperture Cameras

Samsung's next flagship phones could miss out on a key camera upgrade, much to the disappointment of fans. A new supply chain leak suggests that the upcoming Galaxy S27 series will reportedly not offer a variable aperture main camera.

Samsung Galaxy S27 Series' Biggest Camera Upgrade May Not Happen

According to a report from Korean outlet ETNews, Samsung has decided against a variable aperture main camera upgrade for the Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27 Pro, Galaxy S27+ and the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

For those unaware, a variable aperture is a mechanical component that adjusts how much light reaches the camera sensor. It narrows during bright daylight to reduce exposure and opens up at night to let in more light, giving users control over both brightness and depth of field. This results in sharper and better-balanced image quality across multiple lighting situations.

Galaxy S26 Ultra close-up shot of cameras — Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

The report states that before scrapping the plan, Samsung was actively developing a new variable aperture module with multiple camera partners, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics and MCNEX. This was a strong hint that the next flagship Samsung phones will incorporate a variable aperture mechanism. However, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

As for why this decision was taken, ET News suggests cost pressure is the primary driving factor. The adoption of a variable aperture main camera reportedly drove manufacturing costs beyond permissible limits.

Also, the brand seemingly didn't want to add bulk to the camera module, especially since previous reports indicated a Galaxy S27 series camera module redesign. Hence, for Samsung, the actual benefit of a variable aperture camera wasn't reportedly justifiable for these trade-offs.

Galaxy S26 close-up shot of cameras — Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

Moreover, we already know how bad the RAM crisis situation is, and it has already increased smartphone manufacturing costs exponentially. Hence, given the current market conditions, the exclusion doesn't appear to be unreasonable.

However, Samsung fans will definitely be disappointed since Apple is likely to debut a variable aperture camera on the iPhone 18 Pro models this year. The component has already entered mass production at LG Innotek, and it is highly likely that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a variable aperture main camera.

That said, Samsung has not officially commented on this development. The Galaxy S27 series is still expected to bring meaningful camera changes, with earlier leaks pointing to new sensors on the Galaxy S27 Pro and a long-awaited selfie-camera upgrade on the S27 series. So, there is still much to look forward to in 2027. So, stay tuned.