This year, both Galaxy and iPhone are getting camera upgrades that matter

This month, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8, while Apple will launch the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Ultra in September. Notably, to my mind, both companies are introducing fantastic camera upgrades this year for their flagship smartphones.

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Camera upgrades that have the potential to push many people who might have been content sitting on the fence to pull the trigger for a new purchase.

Samsung’s tiny new cameras for the Fold 8

According to reports and leaked Galaxy Z Fold 8 renders, Samsung is introducing a new front camera on the external display for both the Fold 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra. This new camera is significantly smaller in size than the front camera for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 before it.

What’s even more exciting is that Samsung might bring this smaller camera to the Galaxy S27 lineup next year as well. This, in my opinion, is a massive step in the right direction towards what Apple is trying to achieve with next year’s iPhone 20 Pro.

And, even if Samsung doesn’t have plans to imminently shift to under-display cameras again, I’m sure most of you will love the smaller cutout on your phone’s display. It is a very noticeable upgrade that I can only hope makes it to the internal displays of Samsung’s foldables too.

A variable aperture for the iPhone 18 Pro

This is where things get even more exciting. According to very old reports, Apple wanted to introduce a camera with a variable aperture for the iPhone 18 Pro.

Discussions about this feature faded over time, but now they’ve come back with a renewed confidence. It appears that Apple will, in fact, be able to cram a variable aperture inside the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

With a variable aperture, you will be able to control how much light hits your sensor to a much more accurate degree. This will allow for sharper, clearer photos as well as highly improved nighttime photography.



In addition, Apple might just be able to move the Face ID component below the display, shrinking the Dynamic Island in the process. This would be another major step for Apple towards achieving its aforementioned goals for the iPhone 20 Pro.

The base iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2, which will come out early next year alongside the iPhone 18e, will probably not get a variable aperture. But the best part is that other manufacturers will take notes. In fact, Samsung is apparently already placing orders for variable apertures on Galaxy phones.

A year of great progress

Of course, it isn’t as if Samsung and Apple haven’t made any progress recently. Apple’s redesign for the iPhone 17 Pro and the accompanying battery capacity and photography improvements come to mind, for example.

The Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the 2 nm Exynos 2600 chip are also of considerable note. Not to mention that Apple is finally releasing a foldable iPhone and Samsung has diversified its own foldable offerings to provide an Android alternative to Apple’s wide-folding design.

But cameras are still one of the most important aspects of modern phones for many users. To see both companies making great strides in that department, especially after Apple unveiled the Center Stage selfie camera and Samsung introduced Horizon Lock, feels really good.

This year, Apple will have the more noteworthy camera upgrade, in my opinion, but both changes are hugely welcome. We’re finally seeing real innovation from these two, and I really hope that the iPhone 20 Pro design spreads through the industry as soon as possible once it comes out next year.

That would be, in my eyes, the best change to modern phones in a very long time.

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