GoKawiilOne of the biggest camera rumors for the iPhone 18 Pro announcement at Apple’s fall event on Sept. 9 is the addition of a variable-aperture lens on the main camera. But just what is a variable aperture, and why do photographers rhapsodize about it?
We’re already expecting price increases for the iPhone 18 Pro models (and a costly leap to the rumored foldable iPhone 18 Ultra), so can improvements to the cameras help justify the expected jump? Let’s dig into the possibility of a variable aperture and a couple of other rumored improvements.
Introducing a camera with a variable aperture
When determining which settings to use on a traditional camera, photographers refer to the “exposure triangle”: shutter speed, or how fast an image is recorded; ISO, or the sensor’s amount of light sensitivity; and aperture, the amount a physical mechanism opens to let in light.
On the iPhone, and most smartphones, shutter speed and ISO are determined automatically, unless you’re using an app that gives you manual controls.
On the iPhone 17 Pro, none of the cameras include a shutter mechanism. Celso Bulgatti/CNET
Aperture, however, gets cut out of that equation on smartphone cameras because they feature fixed apertures – there isn’t a physical mechanism that opens and closes. For instance, every image captured with the iPhone 17 Pro’s main camera is shot at f/1.78. When you take a picture, the sensor starts and stops recording the light hitting it.
Offering more than a single aperture isn’t new in the smartphone world. The Samsung Galaxy S9 in 2018 and Galaxy S10 in 2019 had dual-aperture lenses that switched between wide open (the entire lens) and a narrow opening (about half the diameter). The Xiaomi 14 Ultra in 2024 also had a variable-aperture lens that ranged from f/1.6 to f/4. Both companies ended up abandoning the feature in successive models.
What can a variable aperture lens add to your iPhone photography?
Typically, photographers will shell out more money for their standalone cameras to buy lenses that have wider or faster apertures. For example, a 50mm f/1.8 lens is a standard “kit lens” that will do well in low light and is relatively affordable (often under $250). Moving up to a 50mm f/1.4 lens, which lets in two-thirds more light, is usually a significant jump in size, weight and cost (between $500 and $1,500 or more). But it collects more light in dark scenes, and gives a softer bokeh background when shot wide open at f/1.4.
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