According to Korean media citing supply chain sources, key components of the variable aperture camera system prepared by Apple for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have officially entered the production stage, and the overall progress is consistent with the mass production pace of the entire set of camera modules. The industry believes that variable aperture will become one of the most important upgrades to the iPhone camera system in recent years, bringing functions that originally appeared mainly on independent cameras to the mobile phone.
Reports indicate that Chinese company Sunny Optical has begun producing actuators in variable aperture systems. This component is responsible for driving the movement of the lens assembly to increase or decrease the amount of light entering the sensor. Industry insiders revealed that the actuator manufacturer "has recently started parts manufacturing," while LG Innotech has introduced special equipment at its Gumi factory in South Korea to prepare for the subsequent large-scale mass production of variable aperture cameras.
Apple has previously selected LG Innotech as the supplier of the four-prism telephoto camera used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and now the company is accused of continuing to participate in the research and development of variable aperture actuators. The Gumi area has long been responsible for the production of various Apple parts, including display panels and other products, further strengthening LG Innotech's role in Apple's imaging link. In addition, the report also mentioned that Luxshare ICT, a subsidiary of Luxshare Precision, will also participate in actuator foundry, but it is unclear whether it has actually been put into production.
From a user experience perspective, variable aperture will bring more flexible depth of field control, help reduce overexposure in bright light scenes, and improve imaging performance in dark light environments. In terms of depth of field, changes in hardware aperture can directly create a more natural background blur effect, which can complement Apple's existing portrait mode blur that relies on computational photography, and even directly replace pure algorithm solutions with "in-camera blur" in some scenes.
According to current reports, Apple is expected to release iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September 2026. The variable aperture system is regarded as one of the core new features of this generation of high-end models. Regarding the appearance and front-facing system, there are rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro series may also reduce the size of the Dynamic Island opening. However, there are also an equal number of reports that believe that such adjustments to the front-facing and Face ID solutions will not be implemented until after 2027.