iPhone 18 Pro Camera Leak: Sony IMX905 Sensor Confirms Apple's First Variable Aperture

The single most-repeated iPhone 18 Pro camera rumour — a mechanically adjustable aperture on the main lens — has now been corroborated by something more concrete than a leaker's Weibo post: an internal diagnostics log. Here's what it actually says, and why it's a meaningfully stronger source than the usual supply-chain whisper.

Where This Leak Came From

In June 2026, the ransomware group World Leaks published a large tranche of internal files stolen from Tata Electronics, an Apple component partner. Notebookcheck subsequently reported on a diagnostics log within that breach containing ISP (image signal processor) calibration data and testing information tied specifically to the iPhone 18 Pro Max's camera hardware — the kind of engineering reference material used for device validation, not marketing copy. That distinction matters: this isn't a render or a rumour repeated third-hand, it's a leak of Apple's own pre-release test data.

A New Sony Sensor, Same Pixel Size

According to the log, the iPhone 18 Pro Max's main camera moves to a Sony IMX905 sensor, replacing the IMX903 used in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Notably, the pixel size stays at 1.22μm — this isn't primarily a sensor-size upgrade. The headline change, and the reason for the new sensor part number, is support for a mechanical variable aperture: the log reportedly includes a calibration block reading actuator data tied to the aperture mechanism from the sensor's non-volatile memory, which is about as direct a confirmation as a pre-launch leak gets.

Every iPhone main camera since the iPhone 14 Pro has used a fixed f/1.78 aperture — full light-gathering, all the time, with depth and exposure control handled computationally. A genuine mechanical aperture gives Apple something Android flagships from Samsung and Huawei have offered for several generations: real optical control over depth of field and light intake, rather than a simulated effect layered on afterward.

What's Reportedly Not Changing

The same diagnostics log suggests Apple is being conservative everywhere else in the camera system. The telephoto sensor stays as the Sony IMX973 with reported 0.7μm native pixels, the ultrawide keeps the IMX972, the LiDAR receiver keeps the IMX591, and the front-facing camera keeps the IMX914 — all unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That points to a camera upgrade concentrated entirely on the main lens, rather than a system-wide overhaul.

This tracks with an earlier April 2026 Weibo post from leaker Digital Chat Station, who separately listed a 48MP main sensor and 8x telephoto reach as part of the same generation of rumours — though that post came well before the diagnostics-log leak and should be read as the earlier, less-verified layer of reporting on top of what the leaked files now more directly support.

How Much to Trust It

Notebookcheck, MacRumors, and TechRepublic have all independently reported on the same underlying diagnostics log, which is a meaningfully stronger corroboration pattern than most iPhone camera leaks get — these are three outlets reading the same primary document rather than repeating each other's claims. The caveat every report includes is worth repeating here too: this is pre-release engineering data, and hardware specifics can still change before mass production locks in. Apple has not confirmed any of it.

Apple has not confirmed any of the camera details in this article. This coverage is based on a leaked internal diagnostics log of disputed but widely-reported provenance, and remains subject to change until Apple's official announcement.