Smartphone makers turn to physical camera hardware as premium prices top 1,400 euros

Smartphone specifications across premium models have increasingly converged, with standard high-end Android devices adopting the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and 120 Hz displays becoming standard in mid-range devices around 500 euros. At the top of the market, entry prices in Spain have climbed, with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra starting at 1,450 euros, the iPhone 18 Pro at 1,470 euros, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra at 1,500 euros, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra at 1,700 euros, and the foldable iPhone Duo reaching 2,340 euros.

To justify these price points following nearly a decade of computational photography, manufacturers are focusing on physical camera hardware, including larger sensors, complex optics, and mechanical moving parts. The iPhone 18 Pro introduces a variable physical aperture on its main sensor using a laser-cut six-blade mechanism with four positions ranging from f/1.48 to f/4. Android competitors are pursuing similar hardware differentiation, with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra featuring a one-inch sensor alongside a 200-megapixel Leica periscope telephoto lens with mechanical zoom, while Oppo partners with Hasselblad and Vivo with Zeiss.