The second X post from new Apple CEO John Ternus is almost certainly teasing the iPhone 18 Pro Max's variable aperture camera, which should be revealed later today.

Just as Tim Cook and other executives tease launches before special events, new CEO John Ternus has done the same thing. His second post to X, ahead of today's special event, is a video that hints at something camera-related, without explicitly saying what it's about.

The 14-second video with no commentary shows a spotlight on a black background. The light adjusts to a narrow beam, pointing down at curved glass that could easily be from a camera.

One of the main rumors for the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the use of a variable aperture with one of the cameras, instead of the usual fixed-focus lens system smartphones usually use.

Whatever the tease is for, it's only a matter of hours before Apple reveals all.

Variable Aperture

Variable aperture refers to a camera system that has an adjustable iris. Namely, it can make the hole that light passes through bigger or smaller, changing how much light hits the sensor.

By changing how much light is let through, as well as how long the shutter is open, it changes the properties of the image. More specifically, this can affect the level of focus.

It's possible for a user to adjust the focal range of the shot so that items that are a specific distance away from the camera lens are in sharp focus. Items further away from this focal point start to get out of focus, and eventually become blurry foreground and background elements.

When it comes to smartphone cameras, most use a fixed aperture, since a variable version would require a motor and other components. With space being a premium in such tightly-packed devices, it's not usually an option for manufacturers to include.

While iPhone users have benefited from Apple's computational photography so far for Portrait mode, those images are all using fake blur produced by software. You can frequently see mistakes and areas that it cannot cope with, such as wispy hairs or transparent glass.

By switching to a variable aperture, iPhone users will be able to take proper portrait photos with completely accurate blur or bokeh.