The variable aperture rumor has been chasing the iPhone 18 Pro since Ming-Chi Kuo first floated it back in December 2024. It just stopped being a rumor.
Notebookcheck has dug up an ISP diagnostics log inside the pile of internal Tata Electronics files that the World Leaks ransomware group dumped online in June, and the log settles the question. The main camera on the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max reads actuator data for an aperture mechanism straight from the sensor’s memory. That’s physical hardware, not a software trick. Every iPhone to date has shipped with a fixed aperture, currently f/1.78 on the Pro models, so this would be a genuine first for Apple – though Xiaomi and Huawei owners have had the feature for years.
The sensor itself is new too: Sony’s IMX905, replacing the IMX903 from the 17 Pro Max. Pixel size hasn’t moved from 1.22μm, so the swap looks like it exists purely to carry the aperture mechanism rather than to grow the sensor.
Everything else stays put:
- Telephoto keeps the Sony IMX973.
- Ultrawide keeps the IMX972.
- LiDAR receiver (IMX591) and the IMX914 selfie camera carry over unchanged.
The upgrade won’t come cheap. Kuo’s supply chain note from May put the variable aperture lens at roughly 50% more per unit than a high-end fixed lens, and with memory prices climbing at the same time, the 18 Pro pair is tipped for price hikes of up to $200. Launch is expected in September, alongside the iPhone Ultra.
