5 Android phones with variable aperture cameras before iPhone 18 Pro

Long before Apple launched the iPhone 18 Pro with variable aperture on the main camera, which we consider to be the best smartphone camera of 2026, other Android players have already taken this path – and eventually left it. The first was Samsung with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ 2018. Over the years, other companies followed, such as Huawei with the Mate 50 Pro, Sony with the Xperia Pro-I and Xiaomi with its 14 Ultra phone. Still focused on the high-end segment – ​​and eventually expanding to the mid-range – these smartphone makers have been trying to achieve a way to differentiate themselves from the wave of phones with similar specifications.

By combining the expertise of famous brands like Leica and Zeiss, these smartphone makers could bring more customization to their offerings, as smartphones typically use a fixed aperture to capture the most light in multiple conditions. With variable aperture, customers can manually select the amount of light they want the phone to absorb, which can impact depth of field and provide more creativity when taking photos.

Variable aperture cameras on phones can be great for group photos, where you can make sure multiple subjects stay in focus. Photos can also appear sharper and photographers can play with different lighting conditions, object movements, etc. Yet most of these companies ultimately decided to phase out this technology, saving the extra effort they would rather spend elsewhere. These were Android phones that had variable aperture cameras before the iPhone.

Launched in March 2018, the Galaxy S9 was the first variable aperture smartphone with a dual f1.5 and f.24 option. According to Samsung, this smartphone worked like the human eye, as it adapted to different lighting conditions. Additionally, Samsung’s camera would also capture up to 12 versions of the same photo to ensure excellent image contrast, while reducing noise. This camera was also responsible for Super Slow-mo captures at 960 frames per second, automatic motion detection, and Samsung’s AR Emoji, an answer to Apple’s popular Memojis that you could even set as your own wallpaper. All this was possible thanks to a 12 MP rear camera, a 12 MP telephoto lens and an 8 MP selfie camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 also brought a few other improvements over the previous generation, which only had one main camera. As Apple moved forward with Face ID technology, Samsung had a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone – right under the cameras – which could become handy once you figured out where to place your finger, but most of the time it just kept your camera lenses smudged with a “clean your lenses” notification before you could take a photo.

Samsung continued to offer variable aperture with its later releases, including the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 10. However, costs and hardware complexity caused the company to abandon this technology. While the Galaxy S27 was rumored to bring back the feature, these are the reasons why Samsung might never bring it back to its phones.

In 2021, in partnership with ZEISS, Sony launched the Xperia Pro-I smartphone. This device is the only Sony phone with a variable aperture. With an aperture of f/2.0 to f/4.0, the company promised “outstanding low-light performance, high dynamic range, and beautiful bokeh.” Sony also introduced this Xperia Pro-I phone as the first smartphone to record 4K videos at 120fps. Although the PRO-I failed to meet expectations for a second generation with variable aperture, Sony eventually moved to true continuous optical zoom with telephoto lenses moving the glass element between focal lengths such as 85mm and 125mm.

The Sony Aimed at photography enthusiasts, this phone featured a triple-camera system led by a 12MP 1.0-inch Exmor RS primary sensor with variable aperture and 24mm Zeiss Tessar T optics. This phone also featured a 12MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. Sony also had a 3D iToF depth sensor to improve shots, in addition to an 8 MP front camera.

Even though Sony is currently absent from the US market, it still sells smartphones in a few regions. Among its offerings, Sony has the Xperia 10 VIII, Xperia 1 VII and Xperia 10 VII, tackling the mid-range phone segment.

Launching in 2022, Huawei was another company to introduce a variable aperture for its main camera. Called Ultra Aperture XMAGE Camera, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro focused on a professional mode that would offer users the choice of 10 different aperture sizes. With a 50 MP sensor, the company said the lens was able to absorb 24% more light than the previous model thanks to an ultra-wide f/1.4 aperture and RYYB sensor. This sensor was also responsible for an improved Super Night mode to breathe new life into low-light ambient photos.

This phone also featured a 64 MP periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom and a 13 MP ultra-wide lens. The selfie camera featured a 13MP camera with a 3D ToF sensor for 3D face unlock. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro had a 6.74-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and it was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.

Unlike Samsung, Huawei has continued to release smartphones with variable aperture, including the Huawei P60 Pro phones from 2023, the Huawei Pura 70 Pro line released in 2024, and most recently the Pura 80 Pro and 80 ultra in 2025. More interestingly, the company introduced this technology in the mid-range ranges with the Huawei Nova 13 Pro and Nova 14 Pro. They have a 50 MP RYYB sensor with an aperture from f/1.4 to f/4.0, which shows a unique case of a company that has continued to bet on this technology for its phones.

Xiaomi was probably one of the loudest companies when it came to the variable aperture feature. In partnership with Leica, the company offered a two-stage mechanism with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in 2023, then improved the technology by 2024 in the 14 Ultra with a continuous 10-blade aperture. However, after two years of focusing on this feature, the company quietly removed the variable aperture with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and returned to a fixed f/1.63 aperture.

Among the reasons, Xiaomi focused on solving the “telephoto gap” problem by offering continuous mechanical optical zoom with the 17 Ultra option, adding advanced sensors with dynamic range technology that could handle highlights and extreme light contrast directly at the pixel level, and also due to the weight and thickness of previous models. By ditching the additional mechanical motor, the company was able to make the main module simpler, lighter and less subject to mechanical wear over time.

While Xiaomi has moved away from technology, at the time of its launch the company really promoted a phone focused on photographers, with a quad rear camera system featuring a 50 MP 1.0-inch main sensor and three additional 50 MP lenses for ultra-wide, 3.2x optical zoom and 5x optical periscope telephoto lenses. The phone also featured a 32 MP selfie camera for taking sharp photos and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.

In 2024, Honor became the last smartphone manufacturer (before Apple) to rely on variable aperture. With its all-new Magic6 Pro, Honor has opted for a 50 MP main camera with a variable aperture between f/1.4 and f/2.0, promising “to capture quick moments with exceptional clarity without compromising detail.” The smartphone also featured a 180 MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, up to 100x digital zoom, and a 50 MP ultra-wide lens.

Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S9, where the main focus was variable aperture, this version from Honor was much more than that, with a big focus on AI. The company touted improvements to MagicOS 8.0, its own version of Android with Magic Capsule and Magical Portal features. For example, Magic Portal would understand messages and user behavior to streamline tasks, such as recognizing an address on a message and directing users to Google Maps. Magic Capsule, on the other hand, users would get more information and related options on the notifications banner at the top of the screen.

This phone also featured a 6.8-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with up to 6GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 5,600mAh silicon-carbon battery with 80W of wired charging. What’s more interesting is that so far Honor continues to focus on variable aperture, since its latest Magic7 Pro model still has a physical two-step variable aperture.