iPhone 14/Plus Strong optical aberrations of regular iPhone14

[Marsikus]

I was taking picture of old iPhone 11 via my new iPhone 14 and found very strong focusing issues.
Picture is focused about the centre of the screen, meanwhile look how clock and battery at upper edge are fuzzed, and icons on the lower edge are fuzzed as well.

Then I took picture of my keyboard (sorry, a little bit dirty), and found the same aberration.

Keys at opposite edges of picture:

For comparison, I took same pictures with my older iPhone 11 and found very clear and focused image. Then tried to shoot more distant objects in room with same result: noticeable optical aberrations. Even iPhone SE 2020 does not make such distortion.

What should I do? Return the phone to seller (I received it a week ago), bring it to Apple service? Is this done by design so poorly?

 

[DaveS86]

There’s another thread just below about the same issue if it’s any help: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-14-pro.2363537/?post=31797652#post-31797652

 

[russell_314]

What lens are you using? With the ultrawide .5 this is going to happen.

Your poor MacBook keyboard is screaming for an air duster 😂

 

[climber2020]

Your phone has a defective camera lens. I had a very similar issue with an iPhone 13 Pro that I briefly owned. Sent it back after less than a week for a refund.

 

[Marsikus]

There’s another thread just below about the same issue if it’s any help: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...e-14-pro.2363537/?post=31797652#post-31797652

Thanks. I have seen that topic earlier, I though that gonna happen with fancier Pro camera only

What lens are you using? With the ultrawide .5 this is going to happen.

Normal 1x

Your phone has a defective camera lens. I had a very similar issue with an iPhone 13 Pro that I briefly owned. Sent it back after less than a week for a refund.

Welp, how common is this issue? Should I just change for the same or is it better to avoid of 14 at all?
Just in case, this item is assembled in India, not China already.

 

[Marsikus]

I found similar but weaker aberrations on my workphone iPhone 13.
So, summary of phones on my hands is:
iPhone 11 - perfect.
iPhone 2020 SE - also good as per its humble optics.
iPhone 13 - meh.
iPhone 14 - bad.

 

[climber2020]

Welp, how common is this issue? Should I just change for the same or is it better to avoid of 14 at all?
Just in case, this item is assembled in India, not China already.

If I'm remembering correctly, the 14 regular has the same main camera lens as the 13 Pro.

From my limited anecdotal evidence based on what I've read online, this was a common problem with the 13 Pro. Most people didn't notice it though and I would guess that it didn't affect every single phone.

I don't know anyone with a regular 14, but you can go on Flickr's Camera Finder and look at photos taken with other peoples' iPhone 14 to see if those pictures have the same issues as yours.

 

[Marsikus]

I went to Apple Store today, checked the same on other iPhone 14, 13, 13 Mini, 12, and SE. Didn't check Pro versions though.
Okay, I understand that my test case is the case of extreme contrast, but anyway.
14th - strong effect.
13th and 12th - so-so.
13 Mini - terribly strong.
SE - literally none.

Also checked through variety of Samsung phones and found the same effect. Is that a new norm for cameras with multiple lens?

 

[Marsikus]

My iPhone 14

 

[Marsikus]

Less extreme case, with bigger distance in corridor. Aimed to end of corridor, checking lateral areas afterwards.

 

[5105973]

Yeah I used to think it was because Apple changed their approach to put an emphasis on Bokeh or faux Bokeh. I have been mad at it on Samsung and the last two Apple phones. For me I’d be trying to get a close up photo of my cat or of flowers and there is so much less of the photo in focus than before.

 

[Marsikus]

Now played with this 14th and work phone 13. Here are crops from distant shots at construction yard.
Note how cables, rods and structures of cranes are better on iPhone13.
Also, sky shot from 13th have distinctive grain typical for photo film and any other camera. Meanwhile shot from 14th is fuzzier, and whole sky is smoothed.

Interesting, due to lack of details and aggressive smoothing the whole frame from iPhone 14 weights only 2.1 MB, while frame from iPhone 13 weights whole 3.9MB. Same resolution, same conditions!

Either iPhone 14 is very aggressive in compression, or just camera is so fuzzy that same compression algorithm reduces file size twice.

iPhone13:

iPhone 14: