I'm going to be honest, I'm not a professional photographer, just a normal guy who likes to take pictures, and knows a bit about physics. I've been taking photos all my life with film as a young man, and digital as an adult, and I've seen lens flare come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and colors. This really doesn't look any different.
Specifically, I want to point out that these comparison photos that you are quite fond of posting are actually not two comparable photos. The photos were taken at significantly different angles in comparison to the sun. You can tell the angle by the location of the lens flare. The iPhone 5 photo has a clearly different angle towards the sun, as evidenced by the halo near the bottom of the frame. You can also see the difference in angle when you look at the rest of the photo as well, with the trees and background being significantly different.
No two photos will be exactly the same, for sure, but that's not really what I'm getting at. My point is that any camera could have this type of flare and distortion if you find the right angle and light source. It really is a matter of framing.
Oh you mean HE took those photos? That explains a lot. As you can see from the artistic merit of the shots, you're clearly dealing with an expert. So shut up, sit back down and listen to the photographic genius.