Why Apple Added An Aperture On The iPhone 18 Pro Camera

Key technological concept: Why a variable (physical) aperture matters

The video explains that camera exposure is controlled by three main factors:

1. Shutter speed (how long light hits the sensor)
2. ISO (signal amplification; raising ISO increases noise/grain in dark scenes)
3. Aperture (f-stop) (how much light passes through the lens opening)

Aperture’s main photographic purpose is described as controlling depth of field—how much of the scene is in focus.

It also clarifies a common misconception: f-stop is primarily about exposure, not directly about depth of field by itself.

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Why depth of field differs between iPhone and professional cameras

The speaker argues that sensor sizes differ:

• An iPhone sensor (especially “wide”) is far smaller than a full-frame 35mm sensor.

As a result, even if you use identical exposure settings (shutter/ISO/f-stop), you can still get very different depth-of-field outcomes.

This context is used to question whether a variable aperture is truly needed for typical phone-style “everyone in focus” shots.

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iPhone 18 Pro aperture details (as claimed in the subtitles)

The subtitles claim that the iPhone 18 Pro main (wide) camera adds a physical variable aperture.

Aperture range stated:

• Wide open: approximately f/1.48
• Stopped down: up to about 2.9 stops, reaching approximately f/4

Lighting implication mentioned:

• The speaker states that f/1.48 vs f/4 lets in about 7.3× more light (because the opening is bigger).

To address confusion about keynote claims on “light gathering,” the speaker compares to the prior year:

• iPhone 17 Pro (fixed aperture): f/1.78
• Speaker’s interpretation: that number is the baseline comparison, not earlier assumptions.

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Tutorial/analysis: depth-of-field calculations vs “group photo” arguments

The speaker challenges online claims that variable aperture is necessary so that front people are sharp while people in back are blurred appropriately.

Instead, they argue you can predict depth-of-field outcomes using depth-of-field calculators (based on sensor size + focal length + aperture).

Example numbers given (iPhone 18 Pro wide camera):

• At f/1.48, focusing at ~12 ft: depth of field from ~6 ft to infinity
• At f/4: depth of field from ~3.3 ft to infinity

Conclusion from this section:

• The “variable aperture needed for groups” argument is described as not true, because depth of field can remain large depending on focus distance and settings.

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Review/market research and examples used to justify the theory

The speaker says they researched prior phones with variable apertures, focusing on:

• Huawei P60 Pro (about 3 years earlier)

They reference a “detailed review” with example images across the f-stop range. Their claim:

• Wide-open apertures produce horrendous/poor sharpness in those examples.
• Even expensive lenses may struggle to be perfectly sharp at very wide openings.

They use this to motivate their explanation of Apple’s trade-off strategy.

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Speaker’s theory/prediction: the aperture is mostly for low-light image quality trade-offs

Main hypothesis

• Sensor improvements may be limited by now (for most users, Apple may be using similar sensors as the previous generation).
• Apple therefore needs another annual camera improvement even without major sensor breakthroughs.

Speaker’s theory

Apple makes the main lens “faster” for low-light, but that can harm image sharpness. The physical aperture would allow Apple to:

• Stop down to reduce harsh wide-open optical issues in normal/most-light conditions
• Open up in dark/night conditions to gather more light

Expected real-world outcome (prediction)

• ~90% of the time: similar images to iPhone 17 Pro
• ~10% of the time: slight improvement in extremely dark environments
• Estimated benefit: about 0.45 stops better ISO performance (described as likely not huge)

The speaker says they plan to test this after receiving the phone.

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Key additional promotional/tutorial content (non-Apple-related)

The speaker promotes a Mac app:

• “betterdocapp.com”
  • A customizable dock replacement with more features than the native macOS dock
  • Beta testers claimed: over 1,300
  • Free tier available
  • A paid “pro account,” with special offers for beta testers

This is noted as not directly related to the iPhone camera topic, but included in the video.

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Main speakers/sources

• Main speaker: A professional photographer (self-described) and YouTube narrator

  • Claims 20 years of pro photography experience
  • Performs the research/analysis presented in the video

• Referenced source: A detailed review website covering Huawei P60 Pro camera performance across f-stops

  • Exact site name is not provided in the subtitles

• Primary product under discussion: Apple iPhone 18 Pro

  • Compared against iPhone 17 Pro aperture specifications