We've been hearing multiple leaks about next year's iPhone 17 series, with reports suggesting that Apple may ditch the iPhone 17 Plus for the iPhone 17 Slim/Air model. While speculation around the iPhone 17 is getting crazier, we now have a tip about the 2026 iPhone 18 series.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is behind the latest information, indicating that a "high-end" model of the iPhone 18 series, possibly the iPhone 18 Pro Max, could include a feature that was introduced first by Samsung. Notably, the iPhone 18 could come with a variable aperture main camera. Samsung introduced the variable camera aperture technology with the Galaxy S9 series in 2018; then later, it was adopted by Huawei, OPPO, Xiaomi, etc.
In fact, Huawei's latest flagships and the new HONOR Magic 7 series also feature variable aperture cameras. So, this isn't a new tech by any means, but surely a new one for Apple iPhones. Kuo notes, "One major upgrade for the 2026 high-end iPhone 18 is the wide-camera lens upgrading to a variable aperture camera, significantly enhancing the user photography experience."
Most smartphones have fixed apertures, which is why they perform better in one situation while having more room to get better in the other. Variable aperture will allow the phone to fix the aperture, an opening that lets light into the camera, making it more adaptable during different lighting conditions.
Additionally, Kuo claims that Sunny Optical will be the primary shutter supplier, with Luxshare as the secondary supplier and also the second provider of variable aperture lenses after Largan Precision. Sunny Opticals has decades of experience designing and manufacturing variable aperture cameras for Android OEMs.
For now, it is a rumor that we may be getting the first iPhone with variable aperture. It is now just a matter of time and depends on Apple whether it wants to bring this camera tech in next year's iPhones or we will have to wait till 2026.
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