The Verge Says iPhone 18 Pro Camera’s f/1.48 Lens, Not Variable Aperture, Is the Real Upgrade

According to The Verge, both Pro models allow the camera to select aperture automatically. Manual aperture control is part of a broader set of new professional controls that also include shutter speed, manual white balance and manual focus. The report described this as a wealth of new controls for an iPhone camera, noting that some of these functions previously required third-party apps such as Halide. The controls are now built into the native camera app on the iPhone 18 Pro.

The Verge tempered expectations about variable aperture being the standout feature, saying it is mediocre at best. The reason is that smartphone sensors remain small, and most subjects are in reasonable focus until the camera gets very close. Stopping down to f/4 is unlikely to produce much sharper results the way it can on full-size cameras, aside from sunstar effects in very specific lighting conditions. Because of lens diffraction, photos may actually be less sharp at f/4 than at f/1.8 or f/2.8, the report said.

The report said the most likely benefits from stopping down include more depth of field for close-up subjects, getting more people in focus in big group shots with plenty of light when people are not lined up together, and more flexibility for video in overly bright situations such as direct sunlight. Those cases may be useful, but they are likely to be few and far between, according to The Verge. It added that small smartphone sensors already keep plenty in focus at mid-range and farther distances, even when shot wide open. The report said this is probably why other brands such as Samsung and Xiaomi experimented with variable apertures but quietly dropped them.

The Verge identified the f/1.48 maximum aperture as the real star of the iPhone 18 Pro camera. Last year’s Pro iPhone cameras had an f/1.7 aperture. The change to f/1.48 should help in low light and produce a slightly shallower depth of field, the report said. The difference in bokeh from f/1.7 may not be huge, but it is likely to make depth of field just a bit shallower, a look that people often like, according to the article.

The Verge’s reviewer compared the effect with full-frame cameras and a 50mm f/1.2 lens, saying that a fast lens with shallow depth of field gives a unique look. The iPhone 18 Pro’s f/1.48 will obviously not match an f/1.2 lens on a full-frame sensor, but the article said the wide-aperture look on larger sensors is what people often want to emulate. That desire is the reason smartphone Portrait Modes came into being, the report said.

The Verge said the iPhone 18 Pro is likely to have a very good camera, just as most top-flight smartphones do. The added manual controls are exciting and fun, even if users do not always want to bother with them for quick snapshots, and it is convenient to have them without installing a more specialized app. The article cautioned that users may ignore the aperture setting after initial tinkering during the new-phone honeymoon phase. But even after that, it said, f/1.48 will be the gift that should keep on giving.