iPhone 18 will have a variable aperture
The iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera will feature (translated source) a variable aperture. Naturally, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will also come with this feature.
There are very few smartphones on the market today that come with variable apertures. Samsung once introduced this feature for the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S10 phones, but removed it with the Galaxy S20, most likely due to increased production costs.
Why a variable aperture changes the game
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a variable aperture camera. | Image credit — PhoneArena
A variable aperture camera will let you control how much light is hitting the sensor, giving a lot more creative and professional control over your photography. In addition to better capturing scenes despite differing lighting conditions, a variable aperture will also allow iPhone 18 users to experiment with different styles of photography.
Pictures taken in darker environments will highly benefit from a wider aperture, while a narrower aperture can improve the depth of field (and hence, the focus) during the day. Speaking of which, playing around with depth of field can be fun, and Apple will likely advertise different camera modes next year for the iPhone 18 series.
How does this one-up the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Aside from the obvious improvement in the quality of the pictures being taken, a variable aperture on the iPhone 18 is a direct upgrade to the camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.Samsung is introducing a wider aperture for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which will allow for better photos. However, a variable aperture goes a step further, as it gives the user a lot more control over exactly how these photos turn out.
I would not be surprised in the slightest if Samsung brings in a variable aperture in 2027 to compete with the iPhone 18 and its successors.
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