Tech
Apple iPhone 18 Pro To Debut Camera Upgrade That Costs 50% More To Make, Analyst Claims
Apple iPhone 17 Pro — will the iPhone 18 Pro’s cameras push up the price of the next phone?
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May 31 update. This post, first published on May 30, was updated on May 31 with commentary on what is expected and further details on the predicted camera in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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.
It’s possible the same camera could be in the first folding iPhone, rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra. However, as that phone is designed for every component to be as slim as possible, it is far from certain it would be in the first foldable.
When the key upgrade is to make each half of a folding phone so thin that it’s manageable when shut, some components just won’t fit.
It’s not thought that the new camera will come to the iPhone 18, 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.
That said, there are already reports that the cost may not be passed on. “To win market share from Android, Apple is reportedly absorbing these expenses rather than raising consumer prices, which is somewhat unusual for Cupertino,” Notebook Check said.
“Traditionally, such a sharp increase in component costs would inevitably trickle down to the consumer in the form of higher retail prices. However, insiders have suggested that Apple intends to absorb these costs, a strategy also reportedly applied to rising memory component prices,” it went on.