Apple is taking inspiration from professional cameras for this upcoming iPhone 17 feature

Published Jul 23rd, 2024 5:25PM EDT

Image: Christian de Looper for BGR

With the iPhone 16 release just around the corner, it seems the attention is now turning to the upcoming iPhone 17. Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard several rumors about camera upgrades, bigger sizes, and even a sketchy iPhone 17 Slim.

In the same report where The Information detailed a foldable iPhone coming in 2026, it also claimed that “at least one” of the iPhone 17 models will include a mechanical system camera upgrade for controlling aperture size.

This feature isn’t new for Android users. Samsung, for example, introduced a variable aperture lens with the Galaxy S9. Eventually, the company phased out this feature as it focused on others.

While the publication doesn’t specify which iPhone model will get a mechanical aperture, it could possibly be an exclusive feature for the iPhone 17 Pro Max (or even the iPhone 17 Slim). Apple has a long history of bringing exclusive perks to the Pro Max and later expanding to the cheaper models.

With a mechanical aperture, users could manually add a shallow depth-of-field effect to their photos. Currently, Apple artificially generates a bokeh effect with Portrait Mode.

Besides that, the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature three 48MP cameras. For the iPhone 16, it seems Apple is improving the telephoto lens with a higher resolution. Other rumors indicate that Apple wants to make the Dynamic Island smaller and increase the base iPhone 16 display size to 6.3 inches, following a possible change on the iPhone 16 Pro models.

Finally, Apple is reportedly developing two new chips, the A19 and A19 Pro, with the latter using a new TSMC technology for improved efficiency. Unfortunately, it seems these chips will continue to use a 3nm manufacturing process.

While the iPhone 17 might be the one to get, the iPhone 16 is just around the corner, and we have all the latest rumors below.

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.