HONOR may bring a variable-aperture camera back for its Magic 10 flagship series, according to leaker SmartPikachu on Weibo. The rumored move would reverse the Magic8 Pro’s switch to a fixed f/1.6 aperture and restore a hardware feature previously used by the Magic6 Pro and Magic7 Pro. The Magic 10 series is expected next year.
- HONOR Magic6 Pro: used a variable-aperture camera system.
- HONOR Magic7 Pro: paired a 50-megapixel main camera with two aperture settings, f/1.4 and f/2.0.
- HONOR Magic8 Pro: moved to a fixed f/1.6 aperture.
A variable aperture physically changes the lens opening, controlling both the amount of light reaching the sensor and depth of field. A wider setting can help in low-light scenes and create stronger subject separation, while a narrower setting can keep more of an image in focus.
The technology has returned to prominence with Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which use a variable aperture on their 48-megapixel Fusion main cameras. Apple lists four aperture positions: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0.
- Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ (2018): a 12-megapixel main camera with a Dual Aperture system that switched mechanically between f/1.5 and f/2.4.
- Huawei Mate 50 (2022): a 50-megapixel main camera with a 10-step physical aperture ranging from f/1.4 to f/4.0.
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max: 48-megapixel Fusion main cameras with four listed aperture settings from f/1.48 to f/4.0.
No specifications for HONOR’s proposed implementation have emerged yet, including the aperture range, number of physical steps or the camera hardware that would use the mechanism. Those details will determine whether the Magic 10 series matches the flexibility of recent variable-aperture flagships or adopts a simpler design.
