Apple could upgrade the primary camera on the iPhone 18 with a variable aperture. The iOS smartphone, expected to launch in 2026 would be the first one to feature this technology on the main rear camera.
Apple iPhone 18 primary camera to have variable aperture, claims analyst
Smartphone manufacturers have made some serious progress in the mobile camera department. Camera lenses have not only shrunk in size but they have extended zoom capabilities.
The telephoto lens is one of the biggest innovations, which allows users to take close-up shots without sacrificing image quality. Apple included a telephoto lens in its iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. Apple also upgraded the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with the same imaging tech, but the entry-level iPhone 16 didn’t get the upgrade.
Samsung launched its variable aperture technology for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus in 2018. However, the South Korean tech giant didn’t use this technology in its subsequent releases.
Apple, on the other hand, could bring variable aperture technology to the iPhone 18 in 2026, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed. Kuo even named the primary and the secondary supplier for the imaging hardware.
Recently, Kuo claimed TSMC’s enhanced 2nm chip will power the iPhone 18. Additionally, Apple could also start embedding at least 12GB RAM in every iPhone to ensure Apple Intelligence runs reliably and smoothly.
Sunny Optical variable aperture camera lenses for iPhones and Android smartphones
Kuo does not mention which iPhone 18 models will have the variable aperture tech. However, Apple has traditionally reserved new or cutting-edge tech for its iPhone Pro and Pro Max variants. The telephoto upgrade is currently exclusive to the ‘Pro’ models. Hence, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models could get this tech.
Kuo claims that Sunny Optical will be the primary shutter supplier with Luxshare as the secondary supplier. Sunny Optical is already an established lens supplier for Android smartphones. This means the company can reliably design and mass-produce variable aperture cameras.
2024-11-08 15:05:13