When Apple releases the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, almost certainly this September, it’s thought that it will have a radically different camera system compared to the iPhone 17 Pro — but the price could be a sting in the tail.
“One of the biggest changes to the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera system will be the debut of a variable-aperture Main camera, in contrast to the current fixed-aperture design,” 9to5Mac reported.
Analyst Reports Advanced Lens Orders For iPhone
The trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities has now posted on X about the cost that will come from such a change. Referring to the supply chain and a company called Sunny Optical, Kuo talked about “positive trends in Apple orders.”
“Securing high-unit-price variable aperture lenses for the 2H26 new iPhone model,” he explained, was one of these trends. The 2H26 model, of course, is the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, since the iPhone 18 is expected to be released in spring 2027.
How Variable Aperture Changes iPhone Photography
Variable-aperture lenses change the size of the lens opening, which has major implications in terms of length of exposure and, therefore, the depth of field of an image. Shallow depth of field means only a small part of an image is in tight focus while the greatest depth of field shows every part in pin-sharp detail.
Such a change would offer greater photographic versatility and make the iPhone camera that bit closer to a standalone SLR.
Apple Faces Margin Pressure From Surging Component Costs
“The variable aperture lens for the 2H26 new iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max has a 50% higher unit price (vs. high-end 7P lens), with Sunny’s supply proportion reaching 40-50%,” Kuo went on.
Ouch. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the price of the phone will go up by half as much again, but coming at a time when memory costs and RAM components are high will make it harder for Apple to absorb the price change entirely.