The iPhone 18 Pro’s clearest Samsung parallel is its mechanical variable-aperture camera. Apple’s 48MP Fusion Main camera can switch among ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0, either automatically or through manual controls. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ used a two-position variable aperture—ƒ/1.5 and ƒ/2.4—in 2018. The feature has a Samsung precedent, but it is not exclusively a Samsung invention: the Nokia N86 is cited as an earlier 2009 example.
That makes the useful comparison less dramatic than “Apple copied Samsung” and more interesting. Apple is bringing a mature camera idea into a newer system with more selectable positions and a wider set of manual controls.
The confirmed iPhone 18 Pro camera change
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max use a 48MP Fusion Main camera with a mechanical aperture. Unlike a software-only portrait effect, the aperture physically changes the opening through the lens. A wider setting can admit more light; a narrower setting can give the photographer a different way to manage exposure and depth of field. The four available positions are:
| Setting | Practical role |
| ƒ/1.48 | Widest opening in the system |
| ƒ/1.8 | Intermediate wide setting |
| ƒ/2.8 | Intermediate narrower setting |
| ƒ/4.0 | Narrowest opening in the system |
Apple also lists manual controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and a histogram. That combination matters more to people who want to shape a shot than to anyone who simply points and taps the shutter. The camera system includes 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide and 48MP Fusion Telephoto cameras, with up to 8x optical-quality zoom in and a stated 16x total optical-quality range.
The iPhone 18 Pro supports 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120 frames per second on the Main camera, along with ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock. Those formats and synchronization tools give the phone a distinctly production-minded side, even though the aperture itself is the headline change.
The moving blades demonstrate that the aperture is mechanical. They do not, by themselves, establish which phone produces better photographs or video in every situation.
Why Samsung is part of the story—but not the whole story
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ brought two-position variable aperture to Samsung’s premium phones in 2018: ƒ/1.5 and ƒ/2.4. The iPhone 18 Pro expands that basic idea to four positions, including a maximum aperture of ƒ/1.48 and a narrow ƒ/4.0 setting.
| Device | Year | Aperture settings | Selection mode |
| Nokia N86 | 2009 | Variable aperture | Historical example cited for the technology |
| Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ | 2018 | ƒ/1.5 and ƒ/2.4 | Two positions |
| iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max | 2026 | ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 | Automatic or manual selection |
So, is variable aperture a Samsung invention? No. Samsung helped popularize the approach in premium smartphones, but the underlying idea predates the Galaxy S9. The iPhone 18 Pro’s meaningful distinction is its four-position implementation and the fact that Apple exposes it alongside manual shutter speed, white balance, and histogram controls.
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S26 Ultra
The current flagship choice is not settled by aperture count alone. The two phones emphasize different tools and camera strategies, and the available specifications do not establish an overall image-quality winner.
| Category | iPhone 18 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | Practical consequence |
| Main camera | 48MP with mechanical variable aperture and four settings | 200MP main camera with a fixed bright lens | Apple offers physical aperture control; Samsung offers higher nominal main-camera resolution |
| Zoom | One 4x telephoto camera with up to 8x optical-quality framing | Two dedicated telephoto cameras, including 3x and 5x lenses | Samsung provides more dedicated zoom steps; Apple lists a broader optical-quality range |
| Video | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock | 8K recording | Apple emphasizes production formats and synchronization; Samsung offers 8K capture |
| Privacy and input | Face ID, Dynamic Island, Camera Control, and Action button | Privacy Display and built-in S Pen | Samsung adds a privacy-screen mode and stylus input; Apple uses its own biometric and control system |
| Display | 6.9-inch OLED, 2868×1320, up to 120Hz, up to 3000 nits outdoor peak | 6.9-inch AMOLED, 3120×1440, 120Hz, 2600 nits in the listed comparison | Samsung lists higher resolution; Apple lists higher outdoor peak brightness |
| Weight and thickness | 249 g; 8.75 mm | 214 g; 7.9 mm | The Galaxy S26 Ultra is lighter and thinner in the listed specifications |
| U.S. launch price | $1,299 for 256GB | $1,299.99 for 256GB | The listed starting prices are close, but they refer to separate products and launch references |
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 200MP main camera, two telephoto lenses, Privacy Display, built-in S Pen, and 8K recording remain distinctive parts of its feature set. The iPhone 18 Pro Max counters with the four-position mechanical aperture, creator-focused recording formats, and Apple’s stated up to 45 hours of video playback.
The interface demonstration makes the operating difference easy to understand: Apple lets the user select among four aperture values, while Samsung’s flagship brings a privacy-screen mode and integrated stylus input to the comparison. Neither demonstration is a controlled camera, battery, or performance test.
What this means for buyers
Choose the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max if you want a phone that combines a physically adjustable main-camera aperture with manual shutter speed, white balance, and histogram controls. That is the clearest practical reason to care about the new system: it gives photography enthusiasts more direct control over how the camera handles a scene.
Choose the Galaxy S26 Ultra if your priority is a 200MP main camera, dedicated 3x and 5x telephoto hardware, 8K recording, Privacy Display, or a built-in S Pen. Those are not minor software variations; they shape how you frame subjects, protect screen content, record video, and take notes.
The iPhone 18 Pro’s camera is therefore best understood as an Apple implementation of a technology with a Samsung smartphone precedent—not as proof that Samsung owns the idea, and not as proof that Apple wins every camera comparison. The concrete step forward is the broader four-setting aperture system, paired with manual controls; the right choice depends on whether that control matters more to you than Samsung’s dedicated zoom, stylus, privacy, and 8K features.
