iPhone 18 Pro main camera to follow 2018's Galaxy S9 as transparent back and other hardware details leak
Less than two months into the launch of the Apple iPhone 17 smartphones, rumors about next year’s iPhone 18 series are already swirling around. This time, Digital Chat Station has revealed some interesting details about the front and rear cameras, as well as the battery of the iPhone 18 Pro/18 Pro Max.
According to DCS, Apple is evaluating a Hole-In-Active-Area (HIAA) punch hole design for the front-facing camera on the iPhone 18 Pro. If the idea makes it into the final design, the iPhone Dynamic Island will likely be replaced with a much smaller, punch-hole style solution. It remains to be seen what changes and improvements Apple makes to Face ID’s underlying tech to fit the system inside a small punch-hole, as the current implementation requires the large Dynamic Island notch.
Appe is also reportedly testing the main iPhone 18 Pro rear shooter with a variable aperture. Aside from a select few devices, most smartphone cameras currently feature a fixed aperture. A variable aperture allows precise control over how much light reaches the camera sensor, which helps manage exposure and depth of field.
With the Galaxy S9 in 2018, Samsung was the first company to experiment with a variable aperture on the main camera. Today, Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, and Nubia are the only ones that have phones with main shooters that use this technology.
Interestingly, we heard a similar rumor regarding the Galaxy S26 Ultra back in March 2025. Since then, the rumor mill has moved on from the topic, as the latest Galaxy S26 Ultra camera leaks lack any mention of a variable aperture.
Additionally, DCS claims that Apple is retaining the large, horizontal camera island on the back of the iPhone 18 Pro. So, we can assume that the camera housing redesign of the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max could make a return next year. What’s more interesting, however, is that Cupertino is also allegedly considering a transparent design for the back panel of the iPhone 18 Pro.
Aside from Nothing, no other smartphone OEM is putting effort into transparent designs. Since Android OEMs love to follow Apple, we can expect to see the rise of transparent backs or other elements next year if the iPhone 18 Pro indeed features a transparent back panel.
Finally, DCS also shares that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a steel-cased battery for the first time. As pointed out by AppleInsider, DCS’s post could very well be referring to a vapor chamber, like the one found inside the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
While all these proposed iPhone 18 Pro hardware features sound exciting, it is still too early to say with certainty exactly what Apple is and isn’t cooking for the 2026 iPhones. So, take the information with a giant grain of salt.
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