iPhone 18 Camera Upgrade: Variable Aperture and New Supplier

Apple is also known to be slow to adopt particular smartphone features, adopting them when the company believes that the tech is really ready for optimum user experience. An excellent case of that is the one for telephoto, which debuted last year on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and eventually scalped for usage in iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Such a feature has been present in competing smartphones for years and it shows how Apple likes to wait until it can provide the best possible configuration.

iPhone 18 May Feature Variable Aperture for Primary Camera, New Supplier Reported

Variable aperture for the main camera is another feature Apple is said to be preparing for a 2026 debut with the iPhone 18. Samsung first started using the technology with its Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus in 2018, but it didn’t offer a considerable advantage over the competition to warrant keeping up, it hasn’t featured it since. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his insights on Apple and its supply chain, recently stated that Apple will implement this tech in the iPhone 18, which will come with Sunny Optical as the main supplier.

Sunny Optical has a long-standing history of making variable aperture lenses for Android, which makes them a natural fit to partner with Apple. Even if some features tend to get adopted later by Apple than the competition, the company tends to have a better experience with the most simple and new parts. It remains to be seen which specific iPhone 18 model will feature the variable aperture lens, but the 2026 iPhone lineup is expected to debut with other new technologies as well.

Kuo has also suggested that Apple could introduce 2nm chipsets in the iPhone 18 models, though not all models may feature them due to high costs. Additionally, Apple might turn to Samsung for camera sensor supply, potentially ending Sony’s dominance. However, given Kuo’s history of inaccurate predictions, these developments should be taken with caution.

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