- The high-end iPhone 18 could feature a variable aperture main camera, which is currently found on several Android smartphones.
- Variable aperture would give users more control over the exposure.
- Sunny Optical would be the primary supplier for the iPhone 18 variable aperture lens.
It’s been just two months since Apple launched its iPhone 16 series, and iPhone 17 rumors and leaks are already in full swing. Slated to arrive in 2026, the iPhone 18 isn’t behind in the rumor game. Apple puts a lot of effort and time into camera details to level up the photography game from one model to the next. Now, we have an idea of what the next two generations of iPhone camera upgrades may look like.
Numerous leaks suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will boast 48MP ultrawide cameras, and we’ll finally get to see an upgraded 24MP selfie camera across the entire lineup. For the iPhone 18 series, Apple might pay more attention to aperture, rather than megapixels. A trusted source has now revealed a jaw-dropping camera upgrade for the iPhone 18 series.
Variable Aperture Lens on iPhone 18
According to the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the high-end iPhone 18 will feature a variable aperture main camera. By high-end iPhone, we expect the iPhone 18 Pro Max and likely also the iPhone 18 Pro, but Kuo hasn’t mentioned the phones by name. Initially, Apple was reported to use variable aperture on the iPhone 17 series, but it looks like the giant has pushed this feature one year later.
Kuo says that variable aperture is already present on several Android smartphones and will level up the photography experience on upcoming iPhones. An aperture is the size of the lens opening that lets light into the camera. The vast majority of smartphones have fixed apertures. A variable aperture lets you control how much light reaches the sensor, giving you more control over exposure. For instance, you can set the aperture to its widest setting while capturing low-light shots.
The reports mention that Sunny Optical would be the primary supplier for the iPhone 18 variable aperture lens. They have vast experience designing and manufacturing the same parts for Android smartphones.
iPhone 18 Won’t be the First-ever Variable-Aperture Phone
Even if Kuo’s reporting turns out to be true, the iPhone 18 Pro models won’t be the first to arrive variable-aperture lens. Back in 2018, Samsung launched its variable aperture technology for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. Also, the company used the same feature for its Galaxy S10 lineup. However, the optical upgrade did not give it a major edge in sales, probably that’s why Samsung didn’t offer this feature beyond the S10 line.
More recently, the variable aperture lens has been used by some other brands like Vivo and Xiaomi. That said, this feature hasn’t really caught up on smartphones. That said, depending on Apple’s execution, the variable main camera aperture might bring some photography advantages to the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
While Kuo has a nice track record for Apple information, this is a very early leak so we’ll take it with a pinch of salt for now.
