The headline camera feature on the Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max is the variable aperture. We’ve seen it elsewhere, but it’s the first time on an iPhone.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra does not have a variable aperture, so that makes it the “worse” camera phone, right?
Well, let’s find out. In a pair of recent tests, the Google Pixel 10 Pro and Google Pixel 11 Pro beat Samsung’s top phone, so it already doesn’t have the best track record.
However, I want to see what difference the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s variable aperture makes against the S26 Ultra in depth-of-field tests. The result is fascinating.
What does the variable aperture do?
How does the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s work?
The variable aperture works on the iPhone’s main camera and provides four settings — f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0 — controlled in the camera app.
You’d want manual control over the aperture to manage depth of field and adapt to lighting conditions.
I think most people who aren’t pro-level photographers will expect depth-of-field adjustment. After all, Apple has long used f-stop information in its Portrait mode blur-level tool, helping people understand what it can do.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s main camera has a non-variable f/1.4 aperture, a distinct upgrade over the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s f/1.7 aperture.
In the photo galleries below, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max’s photos are on the LEFT, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s photos are on the RIGHT.
Close-up photography
Small, but meaningful differences
To maximize depth of field from both phones, you have to get pretty close to your subject. If you want a natural depth of field against subjects much farther away, you either have to use the artificial portrait mode, or get a real camera and lens to do the job.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max doesn’t work well at extreme close-up levels. It wants to activate macro mode, which uses the wide-angle camera, and it doesn’t have a variable aperture. With the variable aperture mode selected, it stops focusing on subjects that are too close, limiting some opportunities.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also switches to macro mode when you get close to a subject, but because it doesn’t have a variable aperture, it does so seamlessly and offers more opportunities for close-up photos.
However, when you get the focal distance right on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the photos are excellent. In the photo of the flower, shot at f/1.48, the edges are less blurred, the focal point is wider, and the detail on the leaves and the flower is superb.
This is also evident in the iced coffee photo. I tapped to focus on each one, and the iPhone’s photo is sharper and more defined.
What’s interesting is that the depth of field is very similar in both, so you won’t necessarily get a stronger effect from the iPhone’s variable aperture, but you will get a sharper subject.
Taking a step back
Still subtle differences
If you’re wondering how the iPhone’s variable aperture lets you control depth of field, the example of the coffee above shows the photo taken at f/1.48 on the left, and a photo of the same subject taken at f/4.0 on the right.
It’s an obvious change, and not something you can get with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, or any other camera phone without a variable aperture.
What happens when you step back and photograph subjects farther away? I stood about a meter away from the sign on the wall and took the photo, again using the f/1.48 aperture.
The iPhone’s photo has a clear, obvious separation between the wall and the background, which is missing from the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s photo.
It’s accurate too, with the ivy creeping over the step and the moss on the wall’s edge all in focus (correctly) and the background foliage taking on a neat, subtle blur.
The change isn’t always so noticeable, though. In the photo of the sandwich board, you have to look hard to spot the differences between the two photos, and both produce a pleasing depth of field.
What about the main cameras?
Without all the fancy aperture adjustments
It’s still early days in my life with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and this comparison was designed to show how the variable aperture affects photos and how the Galaxy S26 Ultra performs in the same situations.
However, while taking a few main camera photos in the morning with both phones, they both seem to suffer from stability issues, introducing blur and a lack of sharpness when you look closely.
You probably won’t notice, but the iPhone’s color treatment and exposure settings may require more editing to add visual pop, which is already there in the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s photos.
This issue seems to continue over the iPhone’s main and wide-angle camera. We’ll find out more about the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s camera as we review the phone.
Is the variable aperture worth having?
Yes, but don’t expect to use it all the time
The iPhone 18 Pro Max’s variable aperture affects the depth of field in photos, allowing you to get a natural, attractive blur without sacrificing sharpness or using portrait mode.
The effect is obvious even when not shooting close-up, but isn’t always hugely different from competing phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
However, the feature’s versatility will make the iPhone’s camera fun and different, and in the right hands, I expect it’ll take some fantastic photos. However, casual photo fans will probably be satisfied with non-variable apertures.
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is available to buy now, and our review will be published in the near future. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra competes on price and is also available to buy now.