Samsung appears to be circling back to variable aperture cameras, a hardware feature it quietly abandoned after the Galaxy S10. The move looks less like nostalgia and more like a calculated response to Apple’s reported plans to do the same.
A report from South Korean outlet ETNews claims Samsung has asked camera suppliers, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics and MCNEX, to develop new variable aperture modules. Early prototypes are already being tested, though nothing is confirmed for production yet.
Variable aperture lets the camera physically open and close like a human eye, pulling in more light when it’s dark and narrowing the opening in bright conditions. That helps avoid overexposed highlights and keeps more of the scene sharp. Samsung used a two-position system on the Galaxy S9 and S10, then scrapped it in 2019. The reasons were clear: it made the camera thicker and more expensive, and software-based HDR was improving fast enough to feel like a smarter bet.
But the hardware landscape has shifted. According to ETNews, newer actuator designs can now deliver the same effect without the bulk or cost penalty that killed it the first time. If Apple moves forward with variable aperture on the iPhone, Samsung won’t want to be caught without an answer.
This isn’t just about specs. It’s about perception. Computational photography has hit a wall where most flagship phones look similar in good light. Physical hardware that visibly changes how a camera behaves could give Samsung a talking point that feels tangible again, especially if Apple validates the idea first.
Whether it actually ships is still up in the air. But the fact Samsung is testing it suggests the company sees room to compete on something other than software tricks.
