The camera of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will receive a major upgrade in 2026, making a completely new camera function possible.
This camera feature comes to the iPhone 18 Pro (Max)
The rumor about the upgrade of the camera system of the iPhone 18 Pro (Max) comes from the Korean website ETNews. According to the rumor, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a camera with a variable aperture. This camera will replace the main wide-angle camera and will be placed next to the ultra-wide-angle and telephoto cameras.
Thanks to a variable aperture, you can manually adjust the amount of light that reaches the sensor. This way you can open the aperture in dark environments to let in more light. Conversely, in bright environments you can close the aperture to prevent overexposure. It also gives you more control over the depth of field. This has to do with how sharply a subject in the foreground is depicted compared to the background.
Apple wants to integrate this technology and new camera function into the iPhone 18 Pro models. The company is currently already in discussions with suppliers about the components. The variable camera is probably produced by LG Innotech and Foxconn, the adjusting motor by the Chinese companies Luxshare ICT and Sunny Optical.
The first variable aperture in an iPhone camera
Apple has never used variable aperture in an iPhone camera before. The main cameras on all models from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro all have a fixed aperture of f/1.78. The lens is always fully open and you always photograph with this aperture. Samsung introduced a variable aperture camera in the Galaxy S9 in 2018 and 2019 and Galaxy S10. Due to the thickness of the device and the high price, this function has already been removed in 2020.
The ETNews report certainly confirms one rumor from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last December. We expect the iPhone 18 Pro (Max) with the new camera function in the autumn of 2026. Probably at the same time as the iPhone Air 2 and the very first foldable iPhone. If you don’t want to miss anything about the development of the new iPhones, sign up for our newsletter!
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