iPhone 18 Pro's Camera Upgrade Will Cost Apple 50% More

[MacRumors]

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max's all-new variable aperture lens will cost Apple 50% more than the camera unit used in current models, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Variable aperture has been one of the most persistent iPhone camera rumors of the past few years. Kuo first flagged the feature in late 2024, and it has since been corroborated by multiple reports and apparently entered production earlier this year.

Unlike the fixed f/1.78 aperture found on every iPhone Pro from the 14 Pro through to the 17 Pro, a variable aperture will physically adjust the size of the lens opening to control how much light reaches the sensor, offering better exposure control and greater flexibility over depth of field.

Kuo said that the component has an average selling price roughly 50% higher than the seven-element plastic lens Apple currently uses in the iPhone 17 Pro's main camera. Sunny Optical set to supply Apple between 40 and 50% of orders

Sunny Optical has also become a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for Apple, initially producing the camera for the MacBook Neo. MacBook Neo shipments have come in significantly better than expected, with Kuo doubling his 2026 forecast from 5 million to 10 million units, a notable upward revision as the entry-level Mac has materially exceeded early expectations.

Looking further ahead, the 2028 iPhone's ultra wide camera module is expected to move away from flip-chip packaging in favor of an improved COB (chip-on-board) design, with Sunny Optical well positioned to become a supplier at that point. A COB ultra-wide module could be thinner or smaller, leaving more room for other components, or simply deliver better image quality from the same physical footprint.

Beyond Apple, Kuo says Sunny Optical has secured component orders for two OpenAI devices, including a smartphone and a pocket or mobile device.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch in the fall alongside the first foldable iPhone.

Article Link: iPhone 18 Pro's Camera Upgrade Will Cost Apple 50% More

 

[Kottu]

Maybe it’s time for Apple to focus on making better use of its hardware instead of relying on software gimmicks without fully utilising the capabilities of its components.

 

[Steve Adams]

Sounds like price increase incoming.

 

[wanha]

quoting a percentage increase without naming what the component actually costs is seriously lazy journalism, but that's why we love this site 😂

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edit: did some research and according to this article, the 17 Pro Max camera module costs $80, which means that the new module would cost - assuming the rumors are true, and they often aren't - $120. That $40 increase actually increases the iPhone Pro Max's BOM (bill of materials) by about 10%, which is... a lot.

For comparison's sake, RAM (which we keep reading is getting more expensive by the day) for the 17 Pro Max is estimated to cost just $21.80

 

[IIGS User]

A better camera experience is a big deal to a lot of people. I for one like to be able to take the best pictures I can with my phone. Most people don't move beyond being amateur level photographers. I have a passing interest in it but it never took hold. Like most people, I like to take snapshots on vacation and of nice things I see. My phone is choked full of vacation pictures, baby pictures, and more than anything else. Cat pictures. So many cat pictures.

Anyway, to be blunt. Camera improvements drive upgrades. More than processor improvements, more than RAM, more than wacky colors or brighter screens.

You can pick up a new iPhone in the Apple store, take some pictures with it, or have the salesperson take some pictures and show you on the spot how much better it is. Tech sites like Tom's Guide and C NET run side by side camera comparisons of smart phones constantly.

For people who aren't tech savvy, it's a quick comparison or deal maker/breaker. You don't have to know anything about 2 nanometers or gigs of ram or nits to see something takes a better picture.

And the secret to life is better cat pictures, as we all know.

 

[winxmac]

Apple improves the hardware only to completely negate it with computational photography. The Apple Camera app needs to have an option for natural processing [or no processing] just like other camera apps in the App Store.

Apple can improve the hardware all they want, but unless they provide an option for minimal to no photo/video processing, the end result will still look like taken from a smartphone and not in the levels of dedicated cameras that professional photographers look for.

 

[daemondust]

Coming from Kuo, you can pretty much guarantee this is completely wrong.

 

[7zeichen]

A very long article, only missing some very specific information. Are we talking about 1$ vs. 2$, or 10$ vs. 20$ here? What does that increase in price actually mean?

 

[L92]

Literally noone needs this, which is why no other manufacturer does this. Variable aperture on a phone sensor, so you can recreate the same garbage photo of your iPhone 6. Remember Samsung already did this like 8 years ago. This is just a spec sheet line item so Apple can show a slow-mo shot of tiny blades moving in a keynote, like they did something.
We.Need.Larger.Sensors.And.Brighter.Lenses.
Chinese brands have left Apple in the dust years ago (camera hardware-wise).

 

[Crispy Duck]

A better camera experience is a big deal to a lot of people. I for one like to be able to take the best pictures I can with my phone. Most people don't move beyond being amateur level photographers. I have a passing interest in it but it never took hold. Like most people, I like to take snapshots on vacation and of nice things I see. My phone is choked full of vacation pictures, baby pictures, and more than anything else. Cat pictures. So many cat pictures.

Anyway, to be blunt. Camera improvements drive upgrades. More than processor improvements, more than RAM, more than wacky colors or brighter screens.

You can pick up a new iPhone in the Apple store, take some pictures with it, or have the salesperson take some pictures and show you on the spot how much better it is. Tech sites like Tom's Guide and C NET run side by side camera comparisons of smart phones constantly.

For people who aren't tech savvy, it's a quick comparison or deal maker/breaker. You don't have to know anything about 2 nanometers or gigs of ram or nits to see something takes a better picture.

And the secret to life is better cat pictures, as we all know.

Change the word Cat for Dog and I agree with literally everything you said. 😉.

I have used professional SLR cameras for work in the past and dabbled on a hobby basis. But at the end of the day, a lot of people just want decent looking pics on demand (for holiday snaps, prints for framing, memories, social media use, sharing with friends and family... etc. etc...).

The turning point for me was when my iPhone could finally take better pictures than my pocket-sized Canon point and shoot. And from here on out, adding better optical zooms and incrementally improving the image quality... it just gets better each year.

 

[adrianlondon]

As well as better camera hardware, better software processing (including the simple ability to dial it right down to zero even for jpegs) would be useful.

The turning point for me was when my iPhone could finally take better pictures than my pocket-sized Canon point and shoot. And from here on out, adding better optical zooms and incrementally improving the image quality... it just gets better each year.

Same - for me the driver was knowing each photo was automatically uploaded to the cloud so that if my camera (Canon Powershot S95) was stolen/dropped/damaged or the SD card got corrupted, I wouldn't lose all my photos.

 

[120FPS]

Well, by the sound of the fold rumours about high prices, it seems like it's a good opportunity for Apple to increase prices across the board anyway.

 

[iMac The Knife]

Poor Apple...how will they ever swing this! 😂

 

[theorist9]

If they really wanted to distinguish themselves, then they should also add an option to display the expected shutter speed along with the the option to manually adjust it.

And for that matter, they need basic user flash control. Right now, you only have the option of automatic or no flash. There's no option to force the flash.

Both of these could be implmented in the software, and thus at no increase to the phone's BoM.

 

[tridley68]

Title should have read apples camera will cost users more.

 

[Nyx1]

Apple found reason to increase price for the next iPhone

 

[lanceuppercut47]

Apple can improve the hardware all they want, but unless they provide an option for minimal to no photo/video processing, the end result will still look like taken from a smartphone and not in the levels of dedicated cameras that professional photographers look for.

This would get me to upgrade from my 17 Pro, but that should be a software thing really, just don't apply all the garbage that is being applied, job done?

I know there's Halide 3 now but it's not quite as polished yet, for example it doesn't work as well when using Camera Control from a sleeping state and it always saves a RAW when using it from locked state even when you tell it not to. If I was going to get a replacement camera, I would want it to work as my main camera and for that, it needs to be reliable for quick shots etc.

 

[Grimace]

50% more than what? If the component in bulk pricing is $34, I don't think Apple is going to pass along the extra $17 to the consumer

 

[shadyman]

Poor them. 😢

 

[ELman]

Sounds like price increase incoming.

Or an excuse for one.

 

[theorist9]

50% more than what? If the component in bulk pricing is $34, I don't think Apple is going to pass along the extra $17 to the consumer

Note that to translate component pricing to retail pricing you need to multiple by the ratio of retail cost:BoM cost. According to this it's 2.5x for the base iPhone 16: https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...cost-a-little-more-to-make-than-the-iphone-15

[That multiplier is likely higher for the higher-end models, since those generate more profit.]

Using that 2.5x multiplier, the additional retail cost, if passed onto the consumer, would be about $17 x 2.5 = $43.

 

[uacd]

This would get me to upgrade from my 17 Pro, but that should be a software thing really, just don't apply all the garbage that is being applied, job done?

I know there's Halide 3 now but it's not quite as polished yet, for example it doesn't work as well when using Camera Control from a sleeping state and it always saves a RAW when using it from locked state even when you tell it not to. If I was going to get a replacement camera, I would want it to work as my main camera and for that, it needs to be reliable for quick shots etc.

The main issue of Halide and such is that Apple doesn't allow them access to deep camera hardware and API. I.e. they cannot change demosaicing algorithm, so all the photos made with Halide are 12MP, which essentially gives you same results as iPhone 13 (and many people on these forums report it to make BETTER images than 17 Pro).

Also another issue is that image preview is not image from sensor, it goes thru Apple's computational pipeline first, you never get to see what changes to exposure do, before you end up with underexposed or overexposed mess, thats why trying to use tap to AE/AF doesn't work anymore.

Today I took a photo with old iPhone 11 Pro and 17 Pro with Halide. I sent them to my computer and cropped to same size. Virtually no difference, minus that 17 Pro photo looks somewhat more blurry. Virtually same poor details. I don't know what they talk about all this Quad Bayer stuff and "4 small pixes=1 large", it is fun that phone with much larger sensor has same details as one with smaller sensor

 

[Steve Adams]

Or an excuse for one.

Basically what I said. ha ha ha!

 

[SidricTheViking]

And for that matter, they need basic user flash control. Right now, you only have the option of automatic or no flash. There's no option to force the flash.

You can, in fact, set it manually. Long press the Flash symbol and you’ll see three options: ‘Auto’, ‘On’ and ‘Off’ (plus similar options when taking Night shots and Live ones, too).

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

And therefore it will cost you 120% more 🫶🏻