Report: At least one iPhone 17 model to feature a mechanical aperture

A new report from The Information details some of Apple’s future iPhone plans. Much of it is about Apple’s plans for a foldable iPhone, which repeat some of the rumors we’ve heard before—Apple’s aiming at 2026 but it could be longer, and the phone will fold vertically in a “clamshell” design. As also previously reported, these plans are tentative as foldable display quality and reliability are not yet a solved problem.

The other interesting part of the report concerns the camera for “at least one” of next year’s iPhone 17 models. According to The Information, Apple wants to introduce at least one iPhone 17 model with a mechanical aperture. That would be a big departure from all previous iPhones and most phones today, which have a fixed aperture.

The aperture of a lens is always a bit of a trade-off: a wider aperture lets more light into the sensor, and produces a shallower depth-of-field, so objects in the foreground are sharp and in the background are blurred. A smaller aperture lets in less light and requires a longer shutter speed, but has a deep depth-of-field, with foreground and background all in focus.

There’s no one “correct” aperture setting, but most smartphones have opted to fix their aperture wide open to let in more light because the sensors are so small. That can produce a naturally blurred background in brighter light when it may not be desirable.

Some phones have shipped with mechanical apertures already. The Galaxy S9, back in 2018, had a mechanical aperture that could switch between just two modes: wide and narrow. More recently, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra have mechanical apertures.