iPhone 15 Pro Iphone 15 pro blurry corner in photo

[Pokolasko]

Hello

I'm a photographer, so I understand technical things about sensor size, depth of field at different apertures, etc.

Problem is most likely the decentered lens on the main camera 24mm. This is also confirmed by the fact that when I switch to 28/35mm mode, the problem disappears, it crop unsharp part. One of the corners is blurry and it seems to me that the left side of the photos is too.

I want to ask if you met this on your iPhone 15 pro/max as well? I'm not sure if it's worth solving it and playing the lottery for the ideal lens if my iPhone happens to be replaced.

Blurry is photo number 3. It is best seen on FA letters.

The last 2 photos are the left and right parts

 

[schnitzel-pretzel]

I'm confused. You're saying that entire blurry corner is due to (in your opinion) a physical defect leading to the lens being off-center? Which means that all of your 1x photos will have a blurry corner like that?

Of course I'd replace the phone if I thought that. It is not acceptable for such a high end phone (or even a low end phone tbh) where the camera upgrades are one of the main selling points

 

[Pokolasko]

I'm confused. You're saying that entire blurry corner is due to (in your opinion) a physical defect leading to the lens being off-center? Which means that all of your 1x photos will have a blurry corner like that?

Of course I'd replace the phone if I thought that. It is not acceptable for such a high end phone (or even a low end phone tbh) where the camera upgrades are one of the main selling points

Yes, I would exchange it if I was sure I would get a perfect copy. I was in the store today and tried to compare it with another iphone 15 pro. The corner that is fine on my iPhone was bad on the other one.

1. My iphone
2. Iphone in the store

 

[schnitzel-pretzel]

Are these crops?

I'm surprised, I have not noticed this with any iPhone (and I do tend to pixel peep).

To be honest, I would demonstrate the issue at the Apple Store and say I want a replacement and would be replacing it again if it has the same issue. I may even do the setup in store.

 

[Pokolasko]

Are these crops?

I'm surprised, I have not noticed this with any iPhone (and I do tend to pixel peep).

To be honest, I would demonstrate the issue at the Apple Store and say I want a replacement and would be replacing it again if it has the same issue. I may even do the setup in store.

Yes, they are all crops. it seems to me that it is a lottery. Do you own an iPhone 15 pro?

Well, I can try, but since I have the Natural titanium 1TB version, I'm not sure if any will be available for exchange, and we don't have an official applestore in my country.

 

[schnitzel-pretzel]

I have an iPhone X but my entire family has iPhone 14 Pro models. I have tested their cameras thoroughly

 

[Pokolasko]

I have an iPhone X but my entire family has iPhone 14 Pro models. I have tested their cameras thoroughly

So all the corners were the same on the iPhone 14 pro?

 

[Singulaffect]

I have this issue on my current (2nd) iPhone 15 Pro with the upper- and lower-right corners of photos being consistently blurry/out-of-focus when taken in landscape. My 1st 15 Pro had even worse camera problems.

Been following issues with the 15 Pro main camera for the last 2 months, and it seems they're widespread enough that I'm not confident I'd get another replacement that's not afflicted by one of these issues I've seen reported:

• hazy photos with major loss of detail, which my first 15 Pro had; see this MR Forums thread
• blurry photos with a distinct circular ring that's out-of-focus (termed "donut blur"), which my first 15 Pro also had; see this Reddit thread
• in-focus photos with blurry corners, which you have and my current 15 Pro have; also reported in this MR Forums thread

Genuinely curious how many people's iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max main 48MP lens exhibit one of these issues, or if they even notice since the blurry corners on my photos are hard to spot just on the phone's small screen.

 

[Ketsurui]

In-focus photos with blurry corners - I have the same problem, 15PM bought on launch day.

But I'm not sure if it's a problem with the sensor, the lower left and right corners of the photo are always blurry. Even if the phone is placed upside down or sideways, the bottom 2 corners are always blurred.

 

[Zapdoc]

In-focus photos with blurry corners - I have the same problem, 15PM bought on launch day.

But I'm not sure if it's a problem with the sensor, the lower left and right corners of the photo are always blurry. Even if the phone is placed upside down or sideways, the bottom 2 corners are always blurred.

Could portrait mode be on and aperture wide ?

 

[Pokolasko]

Could portrait mode be on and aperture wide ?

The iPhone has a constant f/1.78 aperture
This has nothing to do with portrait mode. It's a hardware thing, it often happens in the photography world that the lenses are decentered and it seems that Apple has quite a lot of variability from piece to piece - somewhere there are perfect pieces, but that's why I asked others if they've encountered this because I don't want to play the search lottery ideal piece if it is often.

As I wrote and attached the photos above, I tried another iPhone in the store and it had a bad corner, which was fine on my iPhone.

I also had a blurry corner like this on my old Iphone 7. On my previous Iphone 12 pro, all the corners were equally sharp.

 

[Pokolasko]

In-focus photos with blurry corners - I have the same problem, 15PM bought on launch day.

But I'm not sure if it's a problem with the sensor, the lower left and right corners of the photo are always blurry. Even if the phone is placed upside down or sideways, the bottom 2 corners are always blurred.

I have seen that problem on some forums. The problem with all the blurred corners seemed to me to be a misunderstanding of the combination of a large sensor and a relatively large f/1.78 aperture.

This is a test from the photography world - when you take 4 photos and focus on a specific corner in all four photos. All corners should be relatively equally sharp, in my case one corner is always out of focus, which indicates a lens error.

 

[Pokolasko]

I have this issue on my current iPhone 15 Pro (a newer one that replaced another with even worse camera problems), with the upper- and lower-right corners of photos being consistently blurry/out-of-focus when taken in landscape.

Been following issues with the 15 Pro main camera for the last 2 months, and it seems they're widespread enough that I'm not confident I'd get another replacement that's not afflicted by one of these issues I've seen reported:

• hazy photos with major loss of detail, which my first 15 Pro had; see this MR Forums thread
• blurry photos with a distinct circular ring that's out-of-focus (termed "donut blur"), which my first 15 Pro also had; see this Reddit thread
• in-focus photos with blurry corners, which you have and my current 15 Pro have; also reported in this MR Forums thread

Genuinely curious how many people's iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max main 48MP lens exhibit one of these issues, or if they even notice since the blurry corners on my photos are hard to spot just on the phone's small screen.

So, in short, you exchanged your iPhone for another iPhone and it had an even worse problem? What did they tell you at the store?

 

[Singulaffect]

So, in short, you exchanged your iPhone for another iPhone and it had an even worse problem? What did they tell you at the store?

No, my first 15 Pro had worse main camera issues (hazy photos with major loss of detail + "donut blur"). My replacement (current) device has the less severe issue of blurry corners in photos. Keeping this one for now, which is disappointing, as it's probably as good as it'll get for now.

I exchanged my 15 Pro through AppleCare+'s Express Replacement Service. They didn't seem doubtful that it was a real problem, but also I didn't get the impression that it's a known issue with Apple.

 

[Pokolasko]

No, my first 15 Pro had worse main camera issues (hazy photos with major loss of detail + "donut blur"). My replacement (current) device has the less severe issue of blurry corners in photos. Keeping this one for now, which is disappointing, as it's probably as good as it'll get for now.

I exchanged my 15 Pro through AppleCare+'s Express Replacement Service. They didn't seem doubtful that it was a real problem, but also I didn't get the impression that it's a known issue with Apple.

Hello

Sorry for the late reply. Have you solved your phone somehow since then ?

I left it as it is for now and I don't know how or whether to solve it in the future.

 

[Singulaffect]

Hello

Sorry for the late reply. Have you solved your phone somehow since then ?

I left it as it is for now and I don't know how or whether to solve it in the future.

I'm in the same boat. I'm keeping the replacement 15 Pro for now, which produces the blurry corners in images, and learning to live with it.

As a result, I'm taking more pictures and framing my compositions in the 1.2x/28mm mode, which crops out the edges of the sensor with most severe issues, so there's less blur in the corners of my images.

 

[Noor Khan]

I have this issue on my current (2nd) iPhone 15 Pro with the upper- and lower-right corners of photos being consistently blurry/out-of-focus when taken in landscape. My 1st 15 Pro had even worse camera problems.

Been following issues with the 15 Pro main camera for the last 2 months, and it seems they're widespread enough that I'm not confident I'd get another replacement that's not afflicted by one of these issues I've seen reported:

• hazy photos with major loss of detail, which my first 15 Pro had; see this MR Forums thread
• blurry photos with a distinct circular ring that's out-of-focus (termed "donut blur"), which my first 15 Pro also had; see this Reddit thread
• in-focus photos with blurry corners, which you have and my current 15 Pro have; also reported in this MR Forums thread

Genuinely curious how many people's iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max main 48MP lens exhibit one of these issues, or if they even notice since the blurry corners on my photos are hard to spot just on the phone's small screen.

As you mentioned "Blurry photos with a distinct circular ring that's out-of-focus"
I have this exact same issue. Only the central part of the photo is clear, and rest of the area, in every direction, on the edges of the photo are definitely blurry.

I pointed that out, and with the help of Apple customer care executive, I was directed to service center. Who after physical inspection, got the Camera set replaced. BUT, BUT, BUT, the problem was still there even after camera replacement!
Yes.
I was so surprised, because I thought my set's camera might have been faulty. But now I believe it is a bigger problem. It might be the design issue itself. And after that, I checked with two of my friends who have iPhone 15 pro max, and guess what, in both phones the same issue already exist. What more, I went into an Apple store in Hyderabad city, and the display model there, yes, even that set have the same problem. If this is true, I would say 'what a fall from grace for apple', in their most premium high end phone, have Apple fd up this bad?

Attaching a photo here: (also attached portions of same photo, side my side, for better understanding)

 

[Noor Khan]

I'm in the same boat. I'm keeping the replacement 15 Pro for now, which produces the blurry corners in images, and learning to live with it.

As a result, I'm taking more pictures and framing my compositions in the 1.2x/28mm mode, which crops out the edges of the sensor with most severe issues, so there's less blur in the corners of my images.

I cannot think of learning to live with it. This is the most premium iPhone, the most high end iPhone. We should force Apple to solve it. I refused to collect my phone from service center without the problem being resolved.
Also I request you to attach few photos here which shows the problem.

 

[Noor Khan]

In-focus photos with blurry corners - I have the same problem, 15PM bought on launch day.

But I'm not sure if it's a problem with the sensor, the lower left and right corners of the photo are always blurry. Even if the phone is placed upside down or sideways, the bottom 2 corners are always blurred.

I request you to attach few photos here which shows the problem.

 

[Noor Khan]

Hello

Sorry for the late reply. Have you solved your phone somehow since then ?

I left it as it is for now and I don't know how or whether to solve it in the future.

I don't want to leave it just like that.
Have you got the issue resolved? I know I have joined the thread quite late, but still I'm thankful that you created this thread.
This is the most premium iPhone, the most high end iPhone. We should force Apple to solve it. I refused to collect my phone from service center without the problem being resolved.

 

[xaanaax]

I’ve been looking into this annoying issue for a bit now, I’ve compiled my personal experience, tests, and research to explain why this happens, how older iPhones compare, and how other flagship smartphones stack up. I can assure you it’s not DOF.



The Corner Softness Issue in iPhones:

The blurriness some of us notice in newer iPhones (14 Pro Max and later) is due to corner softness. This happens when the lens struggles to maintain sharpness across the entire sensor, especially at the edges. Here’s why:

• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 15 Pro Max, 16 Pro Max:
• • Main Camera: 48MP, f/1.78, 24mm, 1.22µm pixels, ~1/1.28" sensor.
  • The larger 48MP sensor (~1/1.28") and smaller pixels (1.22µm vs. 1.9µm in the 13 Pro Max) demand more from the lens to resolve fine details. The lens must handle four times the detail compared to a 12MP sensor, making optical flaws like corner softness more noticeable.
  • The wider 24mm focal length (vs. 26mm in older models) introduces more edge distortion, exacerbating the issue for flat subjects like text on A4 paper.
• Older iPhones (8 to 13 Pro Max):
• • These models used smaller 12MP sensors, ranging from ~1/2.9" (iPhone 8, X) to ~1/1.65" (iPhone 13 Pro Max), with larger pixels (1.22µm to 1.9µm).
  • The smaller sensor size and lower resolution meant the lens didn’t need to resolve as much detail, reducing optical flaws like corner softness or chromatic aberration.
  • The 26mm focal length in the 11–13 Pro Max models (28mm in the 8 and X) provided a narrower field of view, minimizing edge distortion compared to the 24mm lens in newer models.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max (and older iPhones), with its 12MP sensor, 1.9µm pixels, and 26mm lens, delivers crisp, sharp text photos with minimal edge distortion—making it a benchmark for document photography.



iPhone Camera Specs Over the Years

Here’s a quick rundown of the main camera specs for context:

• iPhone 8 (2017): 12MP, f/1.8, 28mm, 1.22µm pixels, ~1/2.9" sensor.
• iPhone X (2017): 12MP, f/1.8, 28mm, 1.22µm pixels, ~1/1.9" sensor.
• iPhone 11 Pro Max (2019): 12MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1.4µm pixels, ~1/2.55" sensor.
• iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 12MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.7µm pixels, ~1/1.7" sensor.
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021): 12MP, f/1.5, 26mm, 1.9µm pixels, ~1/1.65" sensor.
• • Sharp, natural text rendering due to larger pixels and minimal processing.
• iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022), 15 Pro Max (2023), 16 Pro Max (2024): 48MP, f/1.78, 24mm, 1.22µm pixels (quad-pixel sensor), ~1/1.28" sensor.
• • The wider 24mm lens introduces distortion at close range. Pixel binning and advanced processing (Photonic Engine, Smart HDR 5) can over-process text, softening edges or adding artifacts.

Conclusion: The larger ~1/1.28" sensor in the 14–16 Pro Max offers better light capture but requires a higher-quality lens to maintain sharpness across the frame. The mismatch between the sensor and lens contributes to corner softness, especially for text photography.



Why the 13 Pro Max takes sharper pictures

The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 12MP sensor (1.9µm pixels) and simpler processing deliver crisp text photos with minimal computational interference. In contrast, the 14, 15, and 16 Pro Max models, with their 48MP sensors, wider 24mm lenses cause blurriness and softened edges.

The 16 Pro Max does improve overall sensor performance with a faster readout and better stabilization, but the pixel size (1.22µm) and sensor size (~1/1.28") remain unchanged from the 14 and 15 Pro Max, so the corner softness issue persists.



Workarounds for Newer iPhones

You can mitigate corner softness on the 14–16 Pro Max models with these tips:

• Use 2x Crop Mode: The 2x zoom (48mm equivalent) uses the center of the lens, avoiding the soft corners and leveraging the sharpest region.
• Optimal Distance: Shoot at 40–50 cm to reduce edge distortion.

Ultimately, Apple would need to improve the lens design—perhaps by reverting to a 26mm focal length or adding a variable aperture—to fully resolve corner softness in future models.



How Other Flagships Compare

I also looked into whether other flagship smartphones with similar high-resolution sensors (around 48MP or 50MP) face corner softness issues. Here’s what I found:

• Huawei Pura 70 Ultra:
• • Main Camera: 50MP, 1-inch sensor (~13.2mm x 8.8mm), f/1.6–f/4.0 variable aperture, 23mm.
  • Assessment: Some corner softness exists, especially with the ultra-wide camera, but the main camera performs better, likely due to the variable aperture and 23mm lens. The issue is less severe than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL:
• • Main Camera: 50MP, 1/1.31-inch sensor (~9.7mm x 7.3mm), f/1.7, 25mm.
  • Assessment: No significant corner softness reported. The 25mm lens and Google’s advanced software corrections likely mitigate the issue, making it less noticeable than in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• Honor Magic6 Pro:
• • Main Camera: 50MP, f/1.4–f/2.0 variable aperture, 23mm, ~1/1.3" sensor (estimated).
  • Assessment: Minor corner softness, mostly with the ultra-wide camera. The main camera performs well, thanks to the 23mm lens and variable aperture, making the issue less severe than in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• Oppo Find X8 Ultra:
• • Main Camera: 50MP, 1-inch sensor (~13.1mm x 9.8mm), f/1.8, 23mm.
  • Assessment: Likely has some corner softness due to the large 1-inch 50MP sensor, but reviews don’t confirm this. Oppo’s Hasselblad-tuned software may mask the issue by over-sharpening edges, making it less noticeable than in the iPhone.

General Takeaway: Corner softness is a common challenge for flagships with large, high-resolution sensors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s issue is more pronounced due to its 24mm lens and fixed aperture. Other flagships like the Pura 70 Ultra, Magic6 Pro, and Find X8 Ultra benefit from narrower 23mm lenses and/or variable apertures, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL stands out for avoiding the issue, likely due to Google’s software optimizations.



Final Thoughts

The iPhone 13 Pro Max remains a gold standard due to its 12MP sensor, larger 1.9µm pixels, and 26mm lens. Newer models (14–16 Pro Max) prioritize versatility with their 48MP sensors, but the larger sensor size (~1/1.28") and wider 24mm lens introduce corner softness that impacts text clarity. Apple could learn from competitors—either by adjusting the lens design (e.g., using a 26mm focal length or variable aperture) or enhancing software corrections—to fix this in future models.