From Engadget · Sarah Fielding · · 1m 30s
iPhone 18 Pro's fancy camera is a repair nightmare
Apple's new variable aperture is engineering marvel but nearly impossible to fix yourself.
In brief
Apple's new variable aperture is engineering marvel but nearly impossible to fix yourself. The iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera is so precisely engineered that it's virtually unrepairable without professional tools, likely forcing users to replace the entire module if anything breaks. Originally reported by…
iPhone 18 Pro gets variable aperture
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature a variable aperture camera for better portraits and low-light photography. It's a first for the company.
Six hair-thin blades inside
The mechanism uses six overlapping blades, each thinner than a human hair. iFixit called it a feat of precision engineering with zero room for error.
“"feat of precision engineering"”
Nearly impossible to repair
iFixit says repairing the aperture is about as close to impossible as it gets. The tolerances are extremely tight and the glues are difficult to work with.
“"is about as close as it gets"”
Few people have the tools
Very few repair enthusiasts worldwide have the tools, techniques, or knowledge to disassemble and reassemble the variable aperture mechanism without damage.
Whole module replacement likely
If the aperture breaks, users will probably need to replace the entire camera module rather than fix individual parts. This could be more expensive than typical iPhone camera repairs.
Samsung tried this before
Samsung added an aperture mechanism to the 2018 Galaxy S9, but the image quality benefits didn't justify the added complexity. Samsung later dropped the feature.
The main idea
The iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera is so precisely engineered that it's virtually unrepairable without professional tools, likely forcing users to replace the entire module if anything breaks.
