iPhone 18 Pro's physically moving 48MP camera lens: Fresh leak reveals Apple is paying a fortune for the upgrade

We just saw our first iPhone 18 Pro design models, which revealed what colors to expect from Apple’s upcoming flagships. However, a fresh new leak talks about the variable aperture camera expected in the iPhone 18 Pro series, and as it turns out, this is a hardware leap that significantly alters Apple's bill of materials.

According to the latest supply chain info, this new moving optics carry an Average Selling Price (ASP) 50% higher than the high-end 7P primary camera lens currently found in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup. Sunny Optical is reportedly securing a substantial 40-50% supply share for these complex components.

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.

iPhone 18 Pro leak suggests new variable aperture will make the camera far more expensive; Apple to absorb the costs as Android and Samsung keep increasing prices?

All in all, in a departure from its usual premium-pricing playbook, Cupertino appears willing to cut its profit margins on the iPhone 18 Pro to aggressively capture market share from high-end Android competitors, which have been increasing the prices of phones (even retroactively). In fact, it is expected that Samsung will increase the prices of the Galaxy S26 series in Europe soon (the flagships were released in March).

The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to retain the camera system of the iPhone 17 Pro series, with the exception of the 48MP variable aperture lens. If the leaks are accurate, we should expect another triple 48MP camera from Apple, with potential image quality improvements likely coming from the new A20 Pro chip and its ISP (Image Signal Processor).

In related news, we just got our first look at what’s said to be the revamped camera app for the iPhone 18 Pro and iOS 27. Apple is said to give users more choice to arrange the camera app’s toggles, while Siri might become a permanent option within the app, in order to allow for the use of Visual Intelligence directly from the camera.