hello. This is Technologytodaynow. On the iPhone 17 Pro, all lenses are reportedly planned to be upgraded to 48MP sensors. Apple has been steadily improving camera performance every year, and the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to launch in 2026, is expected to make an innovative change to the camera.
The iPhone 18 Pro is equipped with a variable aperture camera.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 18 Pro will have a variable aperture. This feature is the first to be introduced on the iPhone, and if it is installed on the iPhone 18 for the first time, it is expected to perform favorably in a variety of lighting conditions when taking photos.
What is a variable aperture?
The variable aperture is a function that adjusts the amount of incoming light by adjusting the aperture size mounted on the camera lens. Therefore, it has the advantage of being easy in a variety of shooting environments. For example, in low light environments, the aperture can be widened to accommodate more light, and in bright environments, the aperture can be narrowed to control the amount of light.
This will allow users to take clearer and more lively photos. If a variable aperture is applied to the iPhone 18 Pro, the aperture can be automatically adjusted according to the lighting environment, allowing users to take higher quality photos. In particular, it is very advantageous for achieving a smooth bokeh effect as the depth of field can be easily adjusted.
Comparison with Galaxy series
The variable aperture function was also introduced in previous Galaxy devices. From the Galaxy S9 series to the Galaxy S10 series, a variable aperture function was installed, but from the Galaxy S20 series onwards, a fixed aperture was adopted again due to issues with sensor size and securing internal space. However, if Apple adopts variable aperture in the iPhone 18 Pro, I think the variable aperture function will become a trend again in Android smartphones.
Comparison with traditional iPhones
Currently, iPhone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 16 Pro models are all equipped with a F/1.78 fixed aperture. The fixed aperture has the disadvantage of being fixed in size, so it can be limited depending on the filming environment. If the iPhone 18 Pro is equipped with a variable aperture, this limitation is likely to be overcome.
Suppliers of iPhone 18 Pro Camera Parts
In addition, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, Sunny Optical and Luxshare plan to supply key camera modules for the iPhone 18 Pro. Specifically, Sunny Optical and Largen Precision will reportedly be in charge of the variable aperture lens. Since Sunny Optical already has experience supplying variable aperture camera modules to Android smartphones, it is expected to play an important role in the iPhone 18 Pro as well.
iPhone 18 Pro’s Expectation Points
So far, we’ve brought you the iPhone 18 Pro camera news. If a variable aperture is introduced, the quality of the photo is expected to improve significantly. It’s about two years before it’s released, so please keep that in mind and we’ll let you know if there’s any additional news.