The new iPhone 18 Pro might feature camera improvements by incorporating professional elements. Based on a recent leak, Apple may introduce advanced camera settings, such as manual focus, exposure scope, focus peaking, and aperture adjustment, in the new iOS 27 Developer Beta 8 build.
In fact, many of these functions can be achieved using other camera applications from the App Store. Yet, Apple may implement some of these elements in the built-in Camera app.
iOS 27 Developer Beta Reveals New iPhone 18 Pro Camera Features
As reported by MacRumors, some of the camera features are spotted in the iOS 27 Developer Beta 8 build. These features were not discussed at WWDC 2026 and are not accessible to public beta users yet.
The user of the MacRumors forum (pdfu) is believed to have found some camera features that are available only to developers. It is suggested that Apple may incorporate these features into the new iPhone 18 Pro range.
But still, it is unknown what features will be available exclusively on the iPhone 18 Pro range and when Apple will release them publicly using iOS updates.
Exposure Scopes Could Bring Professional Camera Controls
One of the most important camera features that can be found in the iOS 27 Developer Beta is exposure scopes. With this feature, iOS could provide histogram and waveform overlay right in the camera preview mode, which would allow people to learn more about lighting conditions when they take photos or record videos.
Thanks to exposure scopes, photographers would have more data about the following aspects:
- Mid-tones
- Shadows
- Exposure levels
As was stated before, this feature is rumored to contain three presets for both histogram and waveform scopes.
Focus Peaking Could Help Users Capture Sharper Images
Another new feature that is supposed to be available in iOS 27 is the focus peaking option. Focus peaking shows the areas that are currently in focus by highlighting them in the preview from the camera.
This feature is widely utilized in professional cameras as well as in third-party photography apps because it allows for more accurate manual focusing.
The feature may be particularly helpful in the following cases:
- Professional photography
- Macro shooting
- Recording videos
- Manual focus adjustment
Highlight Warnings and Improved Exposure Control
In addition, the iOS 27 Developer Beta reportedly comes with a highlights warning, which aims to assist the user in recognizing parts that might be overexposed in the image.
The system can incorporate visual cues, including:
- Stripes
- Checkerboards
- Solid colours
To indicate the areas in which the highlights might get lost owing to overexposure. This would help the users make adjustments prior to taking the image.
Manual Focus Could Finally Arrive in Apple’s Default Camera App
Manual focus has already existed for iPhones in third-party applications such as Apple’s Final Cut Camera application. Apple might implement this function directly into its standard Camera app through future software updates.
This will enable users to adjust the focus manually without fully depending on automatic adjustments.
According to rumors, this function is not yet available for current iPhones but will only be accessible for future iPhones like the iPhone 18 Pro series.
Aperture-Based Image Correction Could Support Variable Aperture Cameras
There is another feature said to be integrated into iOS 27 but kept under wraps.
With this, corrections to images could be made depending on the aperture chosen. This could improve image quality.
The upgrade is said to be associated with the iPhone 18 Pro cameras. This is because the new models will have a variable-aperture camera. Unlike today’s iPhones, which have fixed-aperture cameras with software correction, a variable-aperture system could give more flexibility.
Multiple Self-Timer Photos Could Make Group Shots Easier
In addition, changes to the Camera application can be implemented through the self-timer functionality.
With the addition of this choice, it will become possible for users to take several shots in sequence using a timer setting:
- Group photos
- Selfies
- Event photos
iPhone 18 Pro Could Bring More Professional Photography Features
Through exposure scopes, focus peaking, manual focusing, highlights, and aperture correction features in images, Apple seems to be bringing the iPhone 18 Pro line closer to professional cameras.
Although the features were found in the iOS 27 Developer Beta 8 software code, Apple has not yet officially confirmed any of the features that will be available in the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iOS versions.
Want to know more about what Apple could announce? Read our detailed coverage of the Apple Event 2026, including the expected iPhone 18 lineup, iPhone Ultra, Apple Watch updates, AirPods, and other announcements.
