iPhone camera artifact in light

It is normal.

This is an internal reflection inside the lens. Not much that can be done as these lenses are so compact it is hard to stop them. In a large camera lens there are black paint baffles that help control this but even the best lenses can show these reflections under some conditions.

 

Looks like lens "ghosting".

https://photographylife.com/what-is-ghosting-and-flare

 

It's normal on iPhone. Didn't have this problem on my Samsung though.

 

Right, the only "flare" you see on a Samsung is when it explodes.

 

My last Samsung was the s5 so didn't have that problem fortunately.

 

I am betting it did, you may not have seen it but it will do the same under the same conditions.

 

I'm afraid it didn't. Also the s6 and s7 do not exhibit this problem either. This is one of the main things I don't like about the iphones camera.

 

It's the lens

 

I actually noticed this too when I randomly just wanted to take pictures of the sun.

 

you should not take pictures of the sun, it will mess up any lens. if you want to do that you need like an ND filter or something like they use on real lenses.

 

How do I know if my camera wasn't damaged?

 

I find this annoying on my 7+.
It's really noticeable in low light conditions.
I know it's not Apple's fault, and could be a limit to tiny camera technology. But it's interesting on their promo videos how there is no artifacts / flares.

 

don't know. its easier to tell on dslr's/mirrorless cameras if the sensor got damaged. you can try to take a video in normal conditions and see if you notice anything weird.