iPhone 18 Pro Max variable aperture vs Galaxy S26 Ultra

A camera comparison of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra: the iPhone's first variable aperture offers four settings — f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. It delivers sharper subjects and controllable depth of field, but hampers macro shots and isn't always clearly better than Samsung's fixed f/1.4.

• iPhone 18 Pro Max variable aperture: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0
• Galaxy S26 Ultra has a fixed f/1.4 aperture, up from f/1.7 on S25 Ultra
• At f/1.48 subjects are sharper, but macro mode suffers
• Depth-of-field gap versus S26 Ultra isn't always obvious