Samsung was among the first major Android manufacturers to adopt a variable aperture system on a flagship smartphone, debuting it on the Galaxy S9 in 2018. Given its limited real-world benefits, though, the company dropped the feature within two years. Now, with Apple reportedly planning to use a variable aperture for the iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera, Samsung may be gearing up to follow suit once again.
Citing industry sources, Korea’s ET News reports that Samsung has asked multiple camera module vendors to prepare a variable aperture technology.
While it’s still too early to confirm, as the technology is in its initial development phase, Samsung is seemingly “strongly committed to using it.”
Variable aperture is a common feature found on DSLRs. It allows the camera to adjust the amount of light hitting the sensor. This helps improve dynamic range and sharpness, as the aperture can be wide open in low-light situations. And in daylight, it can be narrower to reduce the light intake and help with sharpness and dynamic range.
On smartphones, a variable aperture does not make much sense due to the relatively small sensor size.
When Apple moves, Samsung follows
Xiaomi used a variable aperture for the 1-inch type primary camera of the 2024 Xiaomi 14 Ultra, but ditched the technology again next year. Besides limited usefulness, a variable aperture system takes up more internal space and increases the phone’s overall pricing. This explains why the technology has not gone mainstream yet, despite Samsung and Huawei first using it way back in 2019.
Samsung has not made any meaningful hardware improvements to the cameras on its flagship Ultra phones in a few years now. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will apparently come with a wider f/1.5 aperture to improve low-light imaging, but it will stick to the same 200MP primary sensor. Unfortunately, early leaks point to the Korean company sticking to the same sensor for its 2027 flagship Ultra as well.
So, if Samsung ultimately moves ahead with a variable aperture system on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the decision will likely be driven more by Apple’s actions than by any clear technological advantages.
