Galaxy S27 Ultra Could Bring Back Variable Aperture, Here’s Why

It looks like Apple may be considering adding a variable aperture camera to the iPhone’s 20th anniversary model. This likely won’t debut anytime before 2027, which will mark a full two decades since the first iPhone was announced.

For the uninitiated, a variable aperture lets the camera control how much light enters by opening or closing the lens. This, in turn, helps take clearer pictures in low light and makes background blur look more natural. What looks pretty certain is that if Apple moves forward with a variable aperture, Samsung could follow suit and bring back the camera tech to the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Galaxy S27 Ultra must have a variable aperture to stay competitive

Samsung first introduced this feature with the Galaxy S9 and S10, but later dropped it. The reason was simple. The mechanism made the phone thicker and pushed up production costs. Instead, companies leaned on software tricks to mimic the effect. While that works to an extent, many say it doesn’t look as good as a true hardware solution.

Samsung’s implementation in the past showed that a variable aperture can make a real difference when it comes to image quality. Now, with hardware reaching its limits, such upgrades could be key to keeping pace with competitors.

ETNews shared that an industry source said, “As the smartphone pixel race reaches its technological limit, hardware innovation has become difficult, but variable aperture could mark a new inflection point in smartphone camera technology.” [machine-translated]

On top of this, Samsung is reportedly working with Chinese smartphone brands to supply advanced camera components. This could make it easier and more cost-effective for Samsung to reintroduce a variable aperture. Nothing’s set in stone yet. But if Apple goes ahead with its plans, and if users keep pushing for better cameras, Samsung might have no choice but to bring variable aperture back by 2027.