iPhone 18 Camera Upgrade May Include A Variable Aperture For The Primary Unit, With Apple Reportedly Obtaining These Parts From A Different Supplier

Apple finally included a telephoto lens in its iPhone 15 Pro Max last year, with the upgrade extended to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This is just one of the many examples of how the Cupertino firm adopts various standards much later than the competition, likely because it wants to offer the best configuration to customers. One other technology that the company is said to bring for the iPhone 18 that rivals like Samsung introduced years ago is variable aperture for the main camera, and according to one analyst, another supplier will provide these parts.

Sunny Optical is said to be Apple’s primary supplier for the variable aperture lens found in the iPhone 18’s main camera

Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone, launched its variable aperture technology for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus in 2018, but the optical upgrade did not give it a major edge in the competition, which could be the reason why the Korean giant abandoned this lens for future models. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, in his latest Medium blog post, Apple will bring variable aperture technology to the iPhone 18 in 2026, with Sunny Optical being the primary supplier thanks to its vast experience designing and manufacturing the same parts for Android smartphones.

“One major upgrade for the 2026 high-end iPhone 18 is the wide-camera lens upgrading to a variable aperture camera, significantly enhancing the user photography experience. My latest industry survey indicates Sunny Optical will be the primary shutter supplier (with Luxshare as secondary) and the second variable aperture lens supplier (after Largan Precision). Sunny Optical’s advantages include experience designing and manufacturing variable aperture cameras for Android clients, while their strong position in shutter orders supports their lens order prospects.”

The California-based titan took years to finally bring the telephoto upgrade and that too remains exclusive to the ‘Pro’ models, meaning that while Apple is behind the other players in this regard, its reason for delaying these upgrades could be because it wishes to adopt the best possible parts to deliver the best possible experience. The report does not mention which iPhone 18 model will feature the variable aperture lens, but the 2026 lineup is rumored to debut with other new technologies.

Previously, Kuo stated that 2nm chipsets will be found in the 2026 models, but not every iPhone 18 will be treated to these due to high costs. Additionally, we might see Apple bring Samsung into its camera sensor supply chain, breaking Sony’s monopoly. Then again, Kuo’s predictions have been proven wrong in the past, so we recommend treating this report with a pinch of salt for now.

News Source: Ming-Chi Kuo