The iPhone 17 could get a mirrorless camera feature to improve your portrait shots

iPhone 11 Pro
(Image credit: Future)

The iPhone 16 is not yet upon us, but that hasn’t stopped rumors flying about what the iPhone 17 could be packing when it arrives in 2025. The latest report suggests that Apple’s future phone could boast an almighty upgrade to its camera tech that would specifically benefit Apple’s already impressive Portrait mode.

That idea comes from The Information (via MacRumors), with a new report claiming that Apple is planning a camera with a mechanical aperture for at least one device in the iPhone 17 roster. That would be a major departure from the lens system used in every iPhone so far.

With the new mechanical system, you’d be able to adjust the size of your iPhone’s aperture, thereby tweaking how much light reaches the sensor when you take a picture. This in turn can affect an image’s depth of field – that is, which parts of the image are in focus and which are blurred – which is what helps give Portrait mode shots their unique quality.

This would presumably give you far more control over how your Portrait mode shots look, and it might also result in more natural-looking images. Right now, Portrait mode uses software to create its depth of field effects, but with a mechanical aperture these effects would be created optically, as they are by camera lenses, perhaps giving more true-to-life results, and potentially eliminating issues where the iPhone struggles to separate the subject from the background.

Mechanical mastery

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max back top two-thirds

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If this rumor comes to fruition, Apple wouldn't be the first company to experiment with putting mechanical apertures in mobile cameras. Some the best Android phones have included the feature in the past, including those made by Samsung, although the Korean company has since dropped the feature.

While Samsung didn't offer an official reason for the change, it might have come down to manufacturing complexities or advances in its own software capabilities. But if The Information’s report is accurate, it suggests that Apple feels a mechanical aperture is still worth pursuing, despite potential issues.

The feature could well be limited to the flagship iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, given its complexity and likely high cost, and if Apple is indeed looking at this we’ll likely hear more about it before the iPhone 17 range launches in 2025.

You might also like

TOPICS
Alex Blake
Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

Read more
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras could get both downgrades and upgrades this year
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
iPhone 17 Pro: latest rumors, tips and everything we’ve heard so far
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
New iPhone 17 Pro rumor predicts bizarre new camera bar design, but we're far from convinced
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
iPhone 17 Pro Max: latest news, rumors, and everything we’ve heard so far
Two hands holding an iPhone 16 Pro in a cage
The iPhone 17 is rumored to go big on video recording features, but it can't replace pro cameras yet – here's why
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
iPhone 17: latest news and rumors for every expected model
Latest in Phones
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be in line for a Galaxy S25 Ultra-level camera upgrade
Three iPhones on a green and blue background showing trails on Apple Maps
iOS 18.4 will give your iPhone a much-needed maps upgrade – but only if you're in the EU
Google Pixel 9
Android 16 could bring an improved Samsung DeX-style desktop mode to more phones
Apple products all showing different versions of the Apple Photos app
Apple Photos could actually win you over in iOS 18.4 – here are 4 improvements that are coming
Google Pixel 9 in Wintergreen showing back camera bar
The Google Pixel 10 could get a big camera boost if this new leak is legit
Latest in News
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A graphic of the PC Gaming Show
Get ready for a bounty of PC games on June 8, as the PC Gaming show is back
A close up of The Daily podcast from Pocket Casts' web page
‘Podcasting shouldn’t be locked behind walled gardens’: Pocket Casts slams Spotify and makes its web player free to all
A smartphone on a sofa showing the WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal apps
Forget AI – WhatsApp is planning a simple messages feature that could be its most useful upgrade in years
NordicTrack Ultra 1
The new NordicTrack Ultra 1 treadmill looks like it was designed by an architect and costs $15,000
An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070
Nvidia RTX 5080 stock is so barren that retailers are holding competitions where you can "win" the right to buy one for MSRP