iPhone 18 Pro’s physically moving 48MP camera lens: Fresh leak reveals Apple is paying a fortune for the upgrade
Publish Date: 2026-05-29 06:59:00
Source Domain: www.notebookcheck.net
ⓘ Sonny Dickson – edited
the iPhone 18 Pro’s variable aperture camera is pricey, says new leak.
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro will feature a revolutionary (for iPhone) variable aperture lens with 50% higher manufacturing costs compared to iPhone 17 Pro, says a fresh leak. To win market share from Android, Apple is reportedly absorbing these expenses rather than raising consumer prices, which is somewhat unusual for Cupertino.
We just saw our first iPhone 18 Pro design models, which revealed what colors to expect from Apple’s upcoming flagships. However, a fresh new leak talks about the variable aperture camera expected in the iPhone 18 Pro series, and as it turns out, this is a hardware leap that significantly alters Apple’s bill of materials.
According to the latest supply chain info, this new moving optics carry an Average Selling Price (ASP) 50% higher than the high-end 7P primary camera lens currently found in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup. Sunny Optical is reportedly securing a substantial 40-50% supply share for these complex components.
Traditionally, such a sharp increase in component costs would inevitably trickle down to the consumer in the form of higher retail prices. However, insiders have suggested that Apple intends to absorb these costs, a strategy also reportedly applied to rising memory component prices.
Leaked iPhone 18 Pro design models hint at what new color options to expect from Apple’s 2026 flagships.
iPhone 18 Pro leak suggests new variable aperture will make the camera far more expensive; Apple to absorb the costs as Android and Samsung keep increasing prices?
All in all, in a departure from its usual premium-pricing playbook, Cupertino appears willing to cut its profit margins on the iPhone 18 Pro to aggressively capture market share from high-end Android competitors, which have been increasing the prices of phones (even retroactively). In fact, it is expected that Samsung will increase the prices of the Galaxy S26 series in…
