Overview
- ETNews-sourced reports Thursday say Sunny Optical has begun making the tiny actuators that open and close the lens iris, with LG Innotek installing gear to start main camera-module assembly in June or July.
- A variable aperture lets the lens widen for low light and stop down in bright scenes, giving users hardware control over exposure and real depth-of-field effects for the first time on an iPhone.
- LG Innotek is expected to take a larger share of the complex main camera build, echoing its early lead on Apple’s tetraprism telephoto module for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
- The staged production timeline matches an expected September 2026 debut for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, though Apple has not announced the feature or the phones.
- Separately, leak-based reports describe testing of a smaller Dynamic Island and under-display Face ID plus minor rear material tweaks and slightly larger batteries, which remain unconfirmed.