Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro series, expected to be launched this fall, may usher in one of the few truly significant camera upgrades: the introduction of a variable aperture lens. However, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, this upgrade will significantly drive up costs. The price of the variable aperture lens is expected to be at least 50% higher than the lens currently used on the iPhone 17 Pro. This also paves the way for another increase in the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro series.
The report pointed out that the current iPhone 17 Pro series uses a seven-piece plastic lens module, and if it switches to a variable aperture system, the average selling price of the entire camera module will increase significantly. In addition, optical manufacturer Sunny Optical is expected to take about 40% to 50% of related orders and play a key role in the iPhone 18 Pro variable aperture lens supply chain.
Judging from the renderings and spy photos currently exposed, the iPhone 18 Pro series may only bring a few new colors in appearance, as well as regular performance upgrades, such as faster processors. In this context, the variable aperture lens is regarded as one of the few core selling points of this year’s high-end iPhones that has real potential experience differences.
However, this seemingly low-key camera upgrade is likely to be reflected in the terminal price. Analysts believe that when the average selling price of variable aperture lenses increases by 50%, Apple has the motivation to increase the retail price of the iPhone 18 Pro series in order to hedge against higher production costs.
Looking back last year, Apple has raised the starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro to $1,099 from the $999 of the iPhone 16 Pro. One of the ostensible reasons is to increase the base storage from 128GB to 256GB. Once prices are adjusted due to rising camera module costs this year, consumers may face an increase in the starting price of Pro models for the second consecutive year.
Rumors about Apple equipping the iPhone 18 Pro with a variable aperture lens can be traced back to 2024, also based on Ming-Chi Kuo’s predictions. Earlier this year, Korean media ETNews reported that Sunny Optical has begun mass production of variable aperture lenses for the iPhone 18 Pro series, which is also seen as important evidence that this feature is about to be implemented.
As usual, the iPhone 18 series is expected to officially debut in September. If the supply chain news is true, Apple will not only emphasize the imaging improvements brought by the variable aperture at the press conference, but the market will also pay close attention to the extent to which this technological upgrade will translate into an adjustment in the final selling price.