Although 2026 has not been long ago, various rumors about the next-generation iPhone are already flying everywhere. First of all, the iPhone 18 Pro may be about to bring the most significant Apple camera hardware innovation in recent years. On the other hand, there is also new news about the long-rumored first folding iPhone. This time it is equipped with “self-healing screen” technology that sounds a bit sci-fi. Let us read these two major news at once.
iPhone 18 Pro: Variable aperture + 8K spatial video, a comprehensive evolution of the camera system
According to multiple supply chain sources including well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to be launched in September 2026, will usher in the most significant camera upgrade in the history of the iPhone. Ming-Chi Kuo pointed out that the main camera of the iPhone 18 Pro will use a variable aperture lens for the first time. The system can automatically adjust the amount of light input according to the ambient light, and also supports manual control. This technology can greatly improve the quality of shooting in low-light environments and present a more natural depth-of-field blur effect (Bokeh) in portrait mode.
Samsung’s three-layer stacked sensor breaks Sony’s monopoly
What’s even more striking is that Apple is reportedly testing a new three-layer stacked sensor developed by Samsung (the internal codename is suspected to be PD-TR-Logic), which will break Sony’s long-standing monopoly on the iPhone sensor market.
This new sensor is specially optimized for 8K video recording and is expected to support 8K ProRes 60fps recording capability. More importantly, in order to cooperate with Vision Pro’s spatial computing ecosystem, iPhone 18 Pro will greatly improve the resolution and three-dimensionality of spatial video (Spatial Video 2.0), allowing users to take the quality of 3D videos to a higher level.
In addition, display analyst Ross Young also revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro will use a smaller front-facing sensor module to reduce the width of the Dynamic Island by about 35%, making the screen visual experience more complete.
iPhone Fold: Self-healing screen + crease-free design, Apple’s answer to folding?
If the iPhone 18 Pro is “making progress while maintaining stability,” then the new folding screen design of the iPhone Fold may be a shock bomb that Apple throws to the market.
Self-Healing Screen technology
According to Apple’s patent document “Electronic device with flexible display structure”, the outermost layer of the iPhone Fold screen will be covered with a layerSelf-healing polymer materials (Polymers). When minor scratches or dents appear on the screen, the material can automatically fill and repair it. The repair process can be done byheat, light or electric currentTrigger – for example, automatic heating repair when the phone is charging, allowing the screen to “heal itself”.
“Creaseless” design and supply chain
The biggest pain point of foldable phones is the crease in the center of the screen. In order to solve this problem, although the panel is supplied by Samsung, the material structure and lamination method are completely developed by Apple. The goal isCompletely eliminates permanent marks from folds。
The bearing (Hinge) part is reported to be supplied by a Taiwanese supplier.ShinkonDeveloped jointly with Amphenol of the United States, it emphasizes extremely high durability and smooth feel.
Expected to debut in the second half of 2026
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman and many analysts generally expect that the iPhone Fold will be released in the second half of 2026, possibly simultaneously with the iPhone 18 series or later, and equipped with a foldable design optimized for iOS 27。
Conclusion
The rumored variable aperture and 8K spatial video recording of the iPhone 18 Pro are not only an improvement in hardware specifications, but also a strategic layout that paves the way for the Vision Pro ecosystem. The self-repairing screen technology of the iPhone Fold shows Apple’s consistent attitude of “late but best”: Samsung and Huawei have been working in the folding machine market for many years. Whether Apple can use technological differentiation to catch up this time will be known in the second half of the year.
Source: KOCPC Chinese