Iphone 11 Pro Extreme lens flare

Sent mine to Apple Authorized Service Center just now, they say they gonna swap out the camera at Apple Singapore as my country doesn't have Offcial Apple Service Center. Hope this problem can be fixed, they told me within 1 week. Tested iphone 11 at 3 different stores, all of 3 units tested have the same issue, so i don't think replacement unit will solve the issue, unless you are lucky enough to get the later batch of iphone

I had a decent meet and great at the Apple Store today after setting up a support ticket for this issue. The gentlamn I met with was very nice and also had an iPhone 11 pro. I showed him the issue with the lense flares and reflections and initally he said was not aware. He then looked at his own phone and observed the issue. As to the replacement of the camera only he related that this is not possible. The glass back is one piece including the camera and he related to me that if an iPhone is brought in for a cracked glass back for instance the whole phone is replaced. In regards to "bacthes" their were mutltipe "batches" produced before the release of the device so no first or second is even possible to track. Sadly there is no fix at this point until it is recognized by Apple as an issue and they create a recall for this faulty design flaw.

So Apple sent me a replacement phone. No change. Still bad. And right this very moment I’m at the Apple Store to see what the next step is. I was in last week and they made me wipe the new phone and upload everything separately but not from my old phone. Telling me that if the software were corrupt on the last phone then transferring it to the new phone will recreate the problem in the new phone. I knew their remedy would not work as this is not a software issue. But I obliged anyway so that we can eliminate all their guesses and get to the root of the problem. Waiting for my appointment now ... more to come.

How did they fix the camera only? My discussions with Apple support and Apple store employees is that the camera is embedded in the glass cover. There is no fix. The whole back of the phone. There is no way to just replace the camera only.

Very curios about this.

I honestly couldn’t tell you how they’re doing it. I was told by geek squad they got the part to replace the camera. I don’t know if they’re replacing the glass, but if they do then If it’s like the Xs the camera is separated from the glass, but the back glass goes underneath the camera. If they mess up then I guess I’d get a new phone.

If you’re getting pushback from Apple Support, take lots of pictures in varying circumstances showing all the lens flare. Go to an Apple Store and show them. If there isn’t one near you upload them to to your phone consultant that you’re dealing with. You’ll have to compress the files but have the support person send you a link for uploading the pics directly to them. As a result of me being persistent, I got a replacement phone. But still had the issue. Took more photos and went into the Apple Store. They insisted on wiping the phone to make sure it wasn’t a software issue. Fine. I did that. Took more pictures and came back to them. They looked at my photos and admitted it wasn’t normal. I even had side by side photos taken with two different generations of iPhones to show that it was a problem on the 11pro Max. So today they replaced the Rear Camera on my phone. I will let you know if this fixes my problem. I tell them that I’m a photographer and I know lens flare is to be expected, however not to this extreme. It happens too easily. Be persistent!

Right now I can’t recommend swapping the lenses out. It doesn’t really help, I’ll have to give more time, but i don’t really notice a difference after the repair. Just gotta know how to use the camera properly I guess to avoid flaring

Unless you were seeing something more severe than the photos posted here, that degree of lens flare in those conditions is normal for the small iPhone lenses.

Cameras on other phones also have flare issues as higher pixel count and more complex lenses make it onto more phones.

If you find that degree of lens flare unacceptable to you, you would be best advised to return (if within 14 days) or trade-in your iPhone and purchase something else.

The issue then would be to find a phone with equal capabilities but with less lens flare, and right now that may not be possible.

Thats a complete lie. My old s8 never had lens flare and comparing it to this 11 issue is embarrassing for a phone 2 generations newer. Same 12m camera, same resolution. It’s unacceptable to see lens flaring get worse in newer phones from older.

Not a lie at all; in fact your comparison is flawed.

The S8 had very simple lenses compared to the complex lenses used on the iPhone 11 Pro, and the sensor on the 11 Pro is also higher resolution.

Comparing it to the S8 is rather like comparing a DSLR lens to one on a point-and-shoot camera; as the lenses get more complex, flare is more likely.

Do an Internet search and you'll find very similar complaints about the Galaxy S10 and the new Google Pixel 4.

Thanks ridiculous. I have never ever seen a phone with such issues and I’ve had a lot. The lenses on theses are also hyper sensitive to smudges and have to be constantly wiped off. Again I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

I have a case on so smudges are never an issue since no contact is made with the lens, either way this phone has excessive lens flare. I understand the complexity of the lens, but I owned a note 10 as well and did not notice this issue with that phone. It’s an issue with the way it’s designed. I don’t believe any repair will fix it. Hopefully in the years to come manufacturers will focus on usability more

Actually if you are going to use a phone as a camera, you will need to pay more attention to keeping the lens(es) clean.

You wouldn't expect a DSLR lens to work well with a big smudge in the middle of it, would you?

Given the size of the lenses for the iPhone, even a small smudge is a big deal.

Note that (and this is true of DSLR lenses as well), it is possible for a lens to be smudged internally during assembly, and that's something only replacement can address.

Mine was too, and so far no difference is noticeable, . And btw, smudges become present when the lens is in direct contact with something. Which if your case has a raised edge and you don’t purposefully rub things on it, you won’t get smudges. Owned the phone since launch never had 1 smudge so either I’m right or lucky.

My new camera has helped significantly. There are still issues. I still believe the choice of anti flare/glare coating or it’s application has something to

do with this but the AI software may also play a role. It still annoys me for a “pro” cameras that you have to use other apps to get pro features. Come on Apple.