Four Ways to Achieve Shallow Depth of Field Without Buying an iPhone 18 Pro
9to5Mac outlines how older iPhones can create background blur using Portrait mode, Macro mode, close focusing and telephoto lenses, even as the iPhone 18 Pro adds a wider f/1.48 variable aperture.
The report said the aperture difference is relatively small. In principle, the wider lens allows for slightly greater separation between a subject and the background. But users do not need the newest iPhone to create a blurred background. 9to5Mac pointed to Portrait mode, Macro mode, close focusing and telephoto shots as alternatives.
Portrait mode is the most obvious method. It is designed specifically to separate people clearly from the background. The effect is entirely artificial, using computational photography and, on models that support it, LiDAR to identify the subject and apply artificial blur to everything else. 9to5Mac said early versions were extremely crude, but the feature has become remarkably good in recent years.
Macro mode offers a second approach. It is automatically enabled when a user gets extremely close to something. With Macro mode engaged, the iPhone selects the wide-angle camera, which can focus at very close distances. In this mode, only a few centimeters remain in focus, while everything beyond that becomes increasingly blurred. The report noted that users may need to spend a lot of time dusting and cleaning before photographing anything with this mode. A yellow flower symbol appears in the bottom right of the display when the mode is active.
A similar result can be achieved with the standard camera by getting very close to the subject. 9to5Mac advised tapping on the object or person that should be in focus before taking the photo.
Focal length is another factor affecting depth of field. All else being equal, a longer focal length produces a shallower depth of field. Using the telephoto lens on an iPhone can therefore allow for a somewhat blurred background.
The report said combining methods works best. Users should select the telephoto lens, move the subject as far away from the background as possible and get as close as possible to the subject. 9to5Mac described this as the best approach for photographing people and said it is especially effective with the iPhone 15 Pro and later because of their longer focal lengths.
The wider variable aperture lens is only one of the new camera features on the iPhone 18 Pro. 9to5Mac said users may still want to upgrade if photography is a key application of their phone. But if background blur is the goal, the report concluded that older iPhones offer other ways to achieve the same effect.
Editor's Summary The iPhone 18 Pro's f/1.48 variable aperture can create slightly shallower depth of field than the iPhone 17 Pro's f/1.78 lens, but 9to5Mac said the difference is small. Older iPhones can produce background blur through Portrait mode, Macro mode, close focusing and telephoto lenses, with a combination of telephoto use, subject distance and close framing working best.