A flagship phone lives or dies by its camera, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max is no exception. With Apple’s launch event less than three hours away, John Ternus, the company’s incoming CEO, has posted a short teaser that hints at what to expect from the iPhone 18 Pro Max camera.
A new aperture?
Here is the latest John Ternus post on X:
— John Ternus (@johnternus) September 9, 2026
You’re probably wondering what you’re even looking at. There are no captions, no voiceover, and no sound, just a few lights and reflections in a dark 14-second clip.
Tim Cook’s successor clearly doesn’t want to spoil the surprise, so he’s keeping the details under wraps until Apple’s event later today.
Let’s break it down
The 14-second clip opens in complete darkness. Two seconds in, a bright light aimed straight at the viewer switches on, then moves to the upper center of the frame. Is Ternus hinting at a projector or a stage spotlight? I doubt it.
Let’s take a closer look at the light source:
Now look at the shape of the light. It passes through a hexagon, and that’s the giveaway: this is a camera aperture. Lenses with more blades produce rounder openings, which is why some apertures look almost circular.
It’s moves, too
What makes me almost certain this is a variable aperture is that the upgrade has been rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro Max several times.
The smaller iPhone 18 Pro probably won’t get one because of limited internal space, but we’ll have to wait for Apple to confirm.
There’s more evidence in Ternus’ teaser: the hexagonal light moves and widens, just like a real variable aperture.
OK, but why would you need a variable aperture in your phone in the first place?
A gimmick or not?
Personally, I’ve never felt I absolutely needed a variable aperture, and I’m a dedicated mobile photographer.
It can certainly be useful, but I don’t expect it to make iPhone photos dramatically better. Smartphone sensors are still small, so much of the scene stays in focus even at a wide aperture, which limits the difference between aperture settings.
Still, I understand why Apple would want one in its flagship. Even if the practical gains are modest, a variable aperture sounds like a cool camera upgrade and gives the marketing team a new piece of hardware to talk about. When you’re selling a $1,200+ phone, something new always helps.
