iPhone 18 Pro may get a variable aperture, like in professional cameras

According to rumours, the iPhone 18 Pro may receive a significant camera upgrade that will make it look like a professional camera with interchangeable lenses.

Here's What We Know

Although the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still almost two years away from being announced, rumours have already surfaced about the new features of these models.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the main camera of the iPhone 18 Pro will be equipped with an interchangeable aperture. This will be the first such innovation for the iPhone. We are talking about a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, which was also the main or wide-angle camera on previous models.

The variable aperture allows users to control the amount of light that enters the lens and reaches the sensor. For comparison, the current iPhone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 16 Pro models have a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, and the lens always works at maximum opening. With the iPhone 18 Pro, users will be able to manually adjust the aperture, giving them more control over the image.

This technology is often found in professional mirrorless and DSLR cameras from manufacturers such as Sony and Canon.

According to Kuo, the Dutch company BE Semiconductor will supply the hardware for the variable aperture mechanism in the iPhone 18 Pro.

Variable aperture can allow better control of the depth of field, which will affect the sharpness of the object in the foreground compared to the background. However, due to the smaller size of the sensor in smartphones, it is difficult to say how big this improvement will be.

The iPhone 18 Pro is due out in September 2026, and this information remains unofficial.

Source: Medium