The first major hardware issue with the iPhone 5may be surfacing as users and news sites are reporting a possible glitch with one of the cameras on the new smartphone.

Mashable and TechCrunch on Wednesday reported that photos taken with the phone’s rear camera show a band of purple when the photo is taken with the light source just outside the camera’s view.

We tried this out on one of the iPhone 5s we have and can also confirm the problem. This is an issue that we couldn’t replicate on an iPhone 4 or that was ever reported on the iPhone 4S. Check out the two pictures we shot above.

PHOTOS: Apple iPhone 5


We’ve contacted Apple to see if they can explain what the issue is or how widespread it goes.

The dominant theory floating around the Web right now is that the purple is a byproduct of the camera’s new sapphire lens cover, which Apple boasts about on the iPhone 5 video on its website homepage.

Apple claims the iPhone 5’s camera can take pictures quicker and perform better in low light, creating “shots with more detail and clarity than ever before.”

They also seem to produce more purple than ever before -- that is if you happen to take the picture specifically with light source just outside the camera’s view.


Could this be one of those complaints that can be chalked up to hypersensitive Apple users?

We’ll be keeping a keen eye on it.

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