The iPhone 18 Pro’s new camera feature is a sneaky trap for Android brands

One of the biggest talking points about the iPhone 18 Pro series is the mechanical variable-aperture lens on the primary rear camera. Apple is far from the first to market with this tech, but as we see time and again, Android brands will rush to copy this feature into upcoming flagships.

In the interest of our collective wallets, Android OEMs should resist the knee-jerk impulse: without a substantially large imaging sensor to back it up, variable aperture adds unnecessary manufacturing costs and mechanical complexity for little real-world payoff.