Variable Aperture Camera Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro Max Only
If true, the variable aperture would be the first camera feature exclusive to the Pro Max since the 5x telephoto lens in 2023, forcing camera-focused buyers to choose the larger model.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
A well-known leaker claims the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the first iPhone with a variable aperture camera, a feature that will not appear on the smaller iPhone 18 Pro. The leak, posted on Weibo by Ice Universe on August 18, says the Pro Max exclusively features the variable aperture and suggests Apple cannot escape the weight of a brick for the highest camera experience.
The rumor about a variable aperture camera in the iPhone 18 Pro Max surfaced on Weibo on August 18, courtesy of leaker Ice Universe. The post states the Pro Max exclusively features a variable aperture, leaving the smaller iPhone 18 Pro out.
This contradicts earlier expectations. US media MacRumors reported rumors of a variable aperture in the entire iPhone 18 Pro series had circulated since 2024, with both models understood to have it. A June leak of internal files from Apple supplier Tata Electronics mentioned Sony's new variable aperture-compatible sensor IMX905 for the Pro Max, but made no mention of the smaller Pro, leaving the question open until now.
Apple last differentiated the Pro and Pro Max beyond size and battery in 2023, when only the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 5x telephoto lens. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is said to release next month.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- ASCII.jp アップル初の“可変絞りカメラ”、iPhone 18 Pro Maxのみ？