Apple analyst delivers exciting camera upgrade news for future Pro and Pro Max iPhones

The iPhone 17 series is almost a year away from being released. Nonetheless, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already diverted his attention to what may be in store for the iPhones that Apple plans to unveil in 2026. Specifically, Kuo has discussed the prospect of Apple introducing substantial camera changes with what he describes as 'the 2026 high-end iPhone 18'.

Although Kuo does not acknowledge their names directly, we suspect he means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. For reference, Apple is expected to introduce a new 48 MP-backed periscope telephoto camera with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, details of which we discussed over the summer. Even bigger upgrades could be afoot for its successor.

According to Kuo, Apple is currently working towards integrating a variable aperture for the primary cameras of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. While specifics are scant for now, Kuo anticipates using Sunny Optical Technology and Luxshare as its primary and secondary suppliers.

Theoretically, a variable aperture would help the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max deliver a greater depth of field than existing rivals like the Pixel 9 Pro XL or Galaxy S24 Ultra (curr. $945 on Amazon). With that being said, it remains to be seen whether Apple will go as far as Huawei or Xiaomi, which have managed to deliver flagships with f/1.6-4.0 and f/1.4-4.0 variable apertures, respectively.