The teardown highlights the engineering challenge of fitting such a precise optical component into a smartphone chassis. iFixit used a DSX2000 microscope to capture the scale of the blades, showing how microscopic the moving parts are. This mechanical iris allows the phone to adjust its aperture, a feature that has been rare in mobile photography.

Why It Matters: This development suggests Apple is prioritising optical hardware improvements alongside its usual software-driven computational photography. The ability to physically widen the aperture could offer tangible benefits in low-light conditions, potentially reducing reliance on heavy image processing to brighten shots.