iFixit examines iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera and repair implications

iFixit’s latest teardown of Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max shows a new variable aperture lens that uses a magnetic, six-blade iris to adjust the amount of light reaching the sensor. The blades, each roughly the thickness of a human hair, are arranged in a compact footprint similar to that of the iPhone 17 Pro models. iFixit described the mechanism as a "feat of precision engineering," though its own review found the impact on overall photography to be only marginal, likely unnoticed by casual users.

The company warned that the moving parts are effectively unrepairable; fixing the lens would require specialized tools and expertise that are not widely available. Consequently, a malfunction would probably necessitate replacing the entire camera assembly, which remains relatively easy to access. While Apple has not yet published part prices for the 18 series, the iPhone 17 Pro camera assembly costs $249, suggesting that the new variable aperture component could raise repair costs for the newer models.