Fact check

Official specs, FCC filing, and iFixit teardown confirm the hardware physically provides only four aperture positions, contradicting the idea that the hardware itself lacks a strict four‑setting limit. However, Apple developer documentation, WWDC 2026 presentation, and independent reviews demonstrate that computational photography can synthesize intermediate aperture values, meaning the practical limitation on image output is not strictly bound to the four hardware steps. Thus the claim is supported in practice but contradicted regarding the hardware’s physical constraints.

The hardware aperture mechanism is mechanically limited to four discrete settings. Software can simulate additional f‑stops, but this does not change the physical aperture size; it relies on computational techniques like depth‑of‑field simulation and image processing. The claim’s wording about "not a strict limitation of the hardware" is interpreted as referring to the overall camera system performance rather than the mechanical design.