iPhone 18 Pro is step one in Apple's massive camera improvement plan — here's what's coming

What's coming to the iPhone 18 Pro remains largely a mystery, as we're still several months away from Apple's next big reveal. With a new CEO stepping in right before Apple announces its next iPhone, the company will almost certainly want to make a splash, and dropping massive camera upgrades is one way to do that.

Rumors from the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station in China suggest that Apple has a four-part plan to upgrade iPhone cameras.

Step 1 — iPhone 18 Pro variable aperture

The company plans to start with a variable aperture on the iPhone 18 Pro, allowing smartphone photographers to ditch the fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture and control how much light reaches the camera's sensor.

So, if you're taking photos in low light, the lens will open wider to let in more light. On the other hand, it closes in bright scenes to avoid overexposure. This should allow the iPhone 18 Pro to snag better pictures in all kinds of scenarios and even further close the gap between smartphones and DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

And that depth-of-field everyone loves when capturing photos in portrait mode? You'll have even greater flexibility and control over it, allowing for more artistic feeling images.

The next iPhone camera evolution(s)

This is just step one of Apple's camera upgrade plan, and the other parts will apply to later iPhone models (iPhone 19 and beyond).

The other three parts, according to the Digital Chat Station leak, are as follows:

• 1/1.12-inch "ultra-large" main camera sensor (iPhone 17 Pro currently has a 1/1.28-inch main sensor)
• Enhanced optical image stabilization for ultra-wide lens
• 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens (likely for 2028's iPhone)

While these upgrades are exciting, the variable aperture feels like the biggest step forward for iPhone photography, which means the iPhone 18 Pro might be the model to get if you're thinking about upgrading your iPhone in the relatively near future. Of course, the iPhone 17 Pro takes incredible photos if you need a new phone before the iPhone 18 Pro comes out. But you might want to wait at this point.

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