IPhone 12 Pro lens flare

Real concerns that are normal for all premium smartphones.

Posters say these issues are unique to the iPhone 12, and each time they do I post a photo of the same issue with a Samsung Galaxy S21 or Google Pixel 5.

Terrence were you able to get a refund because you returned within the stated time period?

I returned the first one for full refund. Bought a second thinking the prior was a bad run or something. Spent 20 or more hours on the phone over the next two weeks, various tech support on the second one, same problem, was ready send it back but I was a day past the time period.

Recently been offered an exchange for the new one with a new one. Don’t know if the third would be a charm but maybe?

Logic shows me that the beveled lens glass is raised above the usually encased lens on other iPhones like 8+, 6+.

These raised bevels are refracting light all over the place. I see it to be a design flaw. Why else would these streaks be so wild, so errant.

“Som-pin” wrong. So expensive, and I believed the fan reviews- may I mourn a moment for my own stupidity?

Or perhaps wonder how Apple is going to defy the laws of physics and optics that even companies that have been in business for over a century have not been able to?

Nikon: Why can I see ghost reflections in my image?

I was going to move on, no sense trying to convince those with a fixed mindset. Yes I have looked at the link and yes I could intentionally or unintentionally produce flares with all my devices BUT my statement stands, my iPhone 13 Pro is my worst device, flare wise, particularly at sunset time.

I purchased a 13 Pro in the fall, took it to Florida last month, and I shot a plethora of sunset photos during my two weeks on the west coast there - the first thing I noticed was the level of flares, way worse than my other iDevices and cameras, and also the "dramatic" over-processing of photos - so much so that I thought my new phone was defective so I took some pictures with my wife's 13 Pro Max - same story. And I took some pictures with a Nikon camera, no issues there.

I could post some of the flare pictures but I am not going to get into a tit for tat here. However the one below is difficult to match... I took several pictures of my wife on the Naples pier at sunset and her face, arms, and legs were "glowing orange" - grossly over-processed on the HEIC format so I then took a picture of my legs with the sun hitting them as you can see below. My non-sunset photos were all good, some great particularly at night with the f/1.5 lens, but the iPhone 13 Pro is not very good at sunset unless one is shooting in RAW - that will solve the over-processing but not the flares. And yes, I could use Photoshop or Pixelmator Pro to lower the "temperature" of my legs but editing the shoes and shoe laces would take time... Look where the sun hit them in contrast to where the sun did not. Apple wants "dramatic" colors and that's what they got. Glad I got a 256 GB iPhone, the RAW photos at 25 a pop will fill it.

Picture unedited and as the iPhone 13 Pro took it. I had a tan but not like that...

dear get a refund if you just bought it or try a change unit. they are changing mine. i hope not to get the same problem since it is still 12 promax and the issue is real. i was too late to get a refund. so it is sad that i have to deal with this phone and this could be my first and last iphone.

It’s actually quite normal AND expected.

If you do an Internet search you will see people complaining of the same with every high end smartphone.

Internal reflection. Normal.

I can easily induce the same effect in a $2500 DSLR lens.

Got another 12 pro and happy to report the camera has no issue.

I suggest anyone with that issue exchange or return. And get one that is defect free.

There's no need to "document" a normal issue that occurs on every premium smart phone as has also occurred on every iPhone since at least the iPhone 6.

It's actually the construction of all multi-element camera lenses, when intense light hits and enters at an angle.

No solution from Apple at least bought an App Retouch on iPhone , you can fix Photos with that , pretty effective but for Videos no Solution !

i don't know what the issue your repair center found is, but when your phone is repaired, it will still exhibit flare as seen elsewhere in this thread.

You can't fix normal.

Yes, but the lens flares you claim are new to the iPhone 12 have clearly been around since at least the iPhone 7 Plus.

That wasn't a crop, that was full frame but adjusted in size slightly to not be obnoxious when people viewed the photos.

Hyperblue wrote:

Apple lost a $1500 sale with the iPhone 12 Pro I purchased because they didn’t coat the outer lens element with an anti-reflective coating.

No smartphone maker does to the degree you would find on a DSLR lens, at least with phones in the US market.

Huawei has a design partnership with Leica to do so, but their phones cannot be sold in the United States.

Can confirm. Just came from S10. 1st photo is from the iPhone. 2nd and 3 photo are from the S10. The 3rd photo is a screenshot of a video taking from that phone.

All three photos have that green dot/glare. Only difference is that on the iPhone the dot is a lot more noticeable when you are taking a photo than on the S10..But on video they almost have the same identical greenish color that you see.