Why the iPhone 18 Pro Shows Green Ghosting at Night Shots

Some iPhone 18 Pro users are reporting green patches and strange flare in photos and videos. Chinese outlet Jiemian News says the problem can appear in dark rooms and warm lighting. Users also say it is more common when using 2x or higher zoom. In some cases, the problem does not appear in the camera preview but shows up in the saved photo.

The iPhone 18 Pro has a new variable aperture on its main camera. It can switch between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0. Apple says f/1.48 lets in the most light, while f/1.8 is the default setting and offers a balance between low-light performance and depth of field.

Mediastorm also tested the new camera and found a clear flare problem when using the widest f/1.48 setting. Strong light coming from the side caused large areas of unwanted light in the image. The problem became much smaller when the aperture was closed down toward f/4.

This does not prove that every green patch reported by users comes from the aperture. Lens flare can have several causes, and more testing would be needed to find out exactly what is happening.

Jiemian News contacted Apple support about the reports. The company said it had not received reports of the issue from users at that time. Apple has also not announced a repair program or software fix for the problem.

For now, it is also too early to call this a hardware defect affecting all iPhone 18 Pro units. The Mediastorm test shows that the camera can produce strong flare in certain conditions, but it does not show how often the problem happens across different phones.

Lens flare itself is not new to smartphones. Bright lights at night can create reflections and other unwanted effects in photos. The new variable aperture gives the iPhone 18 Pro more control over the camera, but early testing suggests that the widest setting can also create more visible flare in some scenes.

Apple has not said that the reported green patches are caused by the variable aperture. More testing and a response from Apple will be needed before the cause is clear.