Is iPhone 18 getting variable aperture camera?

The Camera Innovation

Multiple reports claim Apple plans to introduce variable aperture lenses on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models in 2026, allowing manual adjustment of light reaching the sensor.

What This Means

Manual control: Photographers can adjust depth of field and exposure, offering more creative control than current computational photography.

First major hardware innovation: This represents Apple's first significant camera hardware change since computational photography became dominant.

The Competition

Samsung has included dual-aperture designs since the Galaxy S9 in 2018, but small sensor sizes limited effectiveness. Apple's implementation with larger sensors and more aperture flexibility could leapfrog Samsung's current capabilities and redefine smartphone photography in 2026.