Variable Aperture Rumored to Bring Major Camera Upgrade to iPhone 18 Pro

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models will feature an upgraded main rear camera with a variable aperture for the first time, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple has gradually expanded new camera technologies, such as sensor-shift stabilization, 48-megapixel sensors, and the tetraprism 5x telephoto camera, across its ‌iPhone‌ models in recent years. It now appears that after completing the rear camera array's transition to 48-megapixel sensors by bringing one to the telephoto camera on next year's iPhone 17 Pro models, the next significant camera upgrade will be the introduction of a variable aperture.

The information comes from Kuo's latest post on Medium, where he outlined how upcoming products such as the ‌iPhone 17‌ "Slim," M5 MacBook Pro, and ‌iPhone‌ 18 will affect Apple supplier Sunny Optical. Kuo believes that Sunny Optical and Luxshare will be the primary and secondary shutter suppliers for the ‌iPhone‌ 18 Pro's new main camera, while the variable aperture lens will be supplied by Sunny Optical and Largan Precision.

The iPhone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 16 Pro's main cameras feature a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78. A variable aperture on future ‌iPhone‌ models would allow the main camera to control the amount of light entering the lens, allowing it to adjust to different lighting conditions. It also would provide more control over depth of field, enabling sharper focus on subjects or smoother background blur. The ‌iPhone‌ 18 is expected to launch in 2026.