Apple investigating variable aperture for next gen iPhone cameras

According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is investigating bringing variable aperture to the iPhone, making them even more potent rivals to the established camera market.

One of the key drawbacks of using a smartphone to take images is that they have a fixed aperture, dramatically limiting the flexibility of the devices. The main camera on the latest iPhone models has a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78. You can post process and fiddle with the images as much as you like, but the lens is always wide open and shooting at this widest aperture. 

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons all that is going to change soon. As reported in MacRumors, in a blog post he says that not only is a variable aperture component in development, but has identified the companies that are being tapped to produce it. He reckons that Shunyu Optical and Lixun Precision will be the primary and secondary shutter suppliers for the ‌iPhone‌ 18 Pro's main camera; the variable aperture lens will be supplied by Shunyu Optical and Largan Precision; and even that the Netherlands’ BE Semiconductor will supply the assembly equipment for the aperture blades.

The detail there is fairly esoteric. But being able to identify the suppliers gives greater confidence that the rumours regarding what Apple’s reportedly working on will come true. Just not for a bit. While Ming-Chi Kuo initially said the variable aperture would be slated for the iPhone 17 Pro, he now says that it won’t appear until the iPhone 18, which means we won’t see it until the tail end of 2026 if Cupertino maintains its current release schedule.

It’s an interesting development though, and being able to play around with depth of field in iPhone images would definitely be a welcome boost. So much focus (ahem) of recent development in smartphone camera technology has been on the processing side, that actually inserting a physical, moving apparatus into the iPhone’s carcass seems positively retrograde. But if Apple can somehow cram in a slightly larger image sensor in there too, then we could see another step change in iPhone image quality even larger than the jump from 12MP in 2021's iPhones to the current Pro lineup of 48MP cameras.

TL;DR

• Apple is exploring the integration of variable aperture technology in future iPhone models, which could enhance its competitiveness against mainstream cameras.
• Currently, the latest iPhone models feature a fixed aperture of ƒ/1.78, limiting creative flexibility in photography.
• Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to incorporate this technology, with identified suppliers including Shunyu Optical and Largan Precision for the variable aperture components.
• The introduction of variable aperture is anticipated for the iPhone 18, potentially improving image quality and depth of field effects, marking a significant advancement in smartphone camera capabilities.