One of the new features of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is variable aperture. This feature is exclusive to the new series of iPhones, the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. This is telling because what Apple is saying is that this feature may not be availabe on the base iPhone 18 model coming out next year, nor is it available on the iPhone Duo.
Variable aperture is a hardware feature that controls the lens blades to let in more light. In portrait mode, you can adjust between f/1.48 to f/4.0. This particularly shines well in night mode.
I took some shots while walking along the Filinvest Park and creek to showcase these features:
The photo below is probably the most telling because this was shot in almost pitch black with the only light source being the lights in the background. This was shot using the largest opening in portrait mode.
Down here are other shots from the creek area of Festival Mall with low light and some background lighting.
The photo above of the church by the creek only had lights above and in the background. Below are more shots from the mall. These were all taken in portrait mode.
In very low light close ups, the iPhone 18 Pro Max really shines.
The two photos below are taken with no focus and no adjustments using other devices. This was taken in my home office with very little to no light sources.
On the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the end result tells a very different story. The initial photo taken was grainy but then Apple refined the image in post-production to come up with readable text. Here’s a GIF showing how dark it was in the room with that single light source from the window.
As you can see, the text of this Revised edition Mana Vault is clear and the photo itself is well-lit. I also took a second photo of another card so you can see the similarities.
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