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DPReview’s sample gallery compares the settings across lighting and subject types, including point lights; its findings point to modest but real background separation. Tom’s Guide likewise reports visible differences with nearby subjects, while noting that the effect can be hard to distinguish at greater distances. The examples are most useful when you consider subject distance and scene conditions alongside the aperture number.
What the variable-aperture sample gallery shows
Apple’s variable aperture is part of the 48MP Fusion Main camera, not a system Apple specifies for the Ultra Wide or Telephoto cameras. The four selectable settings are ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0. Apple says the camera can also adjust aperture automatically for lighting and depth of field, while users can choose among the four settings manually in the Camera app. These are manufacturer descriptions of the feature and its operation.
DPReview’s gallery, by Dale Baskin and published and updated September 24, 2026, includes examples across lighting conditions and subject types, with sequences at all four settings and tests involving point-source flare and sunstars. DPReview weighted its gallery toward ƒ/1.48 to examine what the wider maximum aperture delivers and where it falls short. The publication reports that closing the aperture increases depth of field enough to produce visible changes, while the overall background-blurring effect remains modest compared with a dedicated camera.
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The gallery is best read as a set of scene-dependent examples rather than a promise that every photo will show the same change. Framing, focus, subject distance, the distance between subject and background, lighting, and processing all affect what is visible.
How the four aperture settings differ
| Setting | What to look for in a sample |
|---|---|
| ƒ/1.48 | Widest listed aperture. DPReview says this provides more background separation than older iPhone Pro models with a fixed ƒ/1.8 aperture. Its gallery emphasized this setting to assess the benefit and limits of the wider opening. |
| ƒ/1.8 | A wider setting than ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4.0, but narrower than ƒ/1.48. Compare the same subject and background to see whether additional background detail stays soft or becomes more distinct. |
| ƒ/2.8 | A narrower opening than ƒ/1.48 or ƒ/1.8. In a consistent scene, check whether more background texture becomes recognizable and whether the focus transition changes. |
| ƒ/4.0 | Narrowest listed setting. Tom’s Guide reports visible differences between ƒ/1.48 and ƒ/4 with nearby subjects; the difference was harder to distinguish at greater subject distance in one scene described by the publication. |
DPReview estimates that ƒ/1.48 is roughly half a stop faster than ƒ/1.78 and could capture about 45% more light in that aperture comparison. Those are DPReview’s estimates, not Apple specifications or a guarantee that every low-light image will be 45% brighter or sharper. Exposure, focus, motion, processing, and the scene all affect the final image.
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Why subject distance changes the result
Aperture is only one part of the depth-of-field picture. With a subject close to the camera and a background farther behind it, a wider aperture can make the background less distinct. Move the subject farther away, or bring the background closer to the subject, and the visible separation may diminish. That helps explain why two images made at different settings can look similar even though the aperture changed.
DPReview cautions that the depth-of-field effect is modest beside a dedicated full-frame camera and fast lens. In its equivalence framing, the phone’s aperture settings translate roughly to ƒ/5–ƒ/14 on full frame; this is DPReview’s interpretation, not an Apple specification. The phone can adjust background rendering, but its samples should not be judged as if it had the same depth-of-field range as a much larger camera system.
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How to compare samples fairly
A useful comparison isolates aperture as much as the available images allow. Look for a sequence that keeps the scene and framing steady, then assess the focus target, subject-to-background distance, and lighting before attributing a change to the setting.
- Check whether the scene is the same. A sequence made from one setup is more informative than separate scenes with different subjects, lighting, or backgrounds.
- Confirm the focus target and framing. If focus or composition shifts, apparent sharpness and background blur may change for reasons other than aperture.
- Inspect background detail. Note whether edges, lettering, or textures remain recognizable behind the subject, rather than relying only on a general impression of blur.
- Consider the subject’s distance. Nearby subjects with a more distant background are more likely to reveal a difference than distant subjects or scenes with little depth behind them.
- Look separately at point lights. DPReview includes point-source flare and sunstar examples; those effects are distinct from background separation and should be evaluated in their own right.
DPReview’s gallery scope and findings are described at DPReview’s iPhone 18 Pro Max sample gallery. Tom’s Guide’s hands-on report also describes nearby-subject comparisons and manual aperture control during video: Tom’s Guide’s iPhone 18 Pro Max report.
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What aperture control covers—and what it does not
Apple lists the Fusion Ultra Wide at ƒ/2.2 and Fusion Telephoto at ƒ/2.8. Its published specifications do not describe those cameras as variable-aperture lenses, and Tom’s Guide says the variable system is limited to the main camera. The four-setting comparisons therefore apply to the Fusion Main camera, not every rear camera on the phone.
Apple says six laser-cut blades and a rotor mechanism control the aperture. The announcement also lists Pro Controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and a histogram, and says developers have an API for aperture control. Tom’s Guide reports that manual aperture control is available during video; that is the publication’s hands-on observation, rather than an independent test here.
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Availability and specifications
Apple announced iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, with availability beginning September 18, 2026. Apple lists the Fusion Main camera as 48MP, 24 mm equivalent, with second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization and the four aperture values above. See Apple’s September 9, 2026 announcement and Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro technical specifications.
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