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Want to take your iPhone photography to the next level? We purchased 5 iPhone lenses to have our photography team test them side-by-side. Our tests pushed the lenses to show their strengths and flaws in real-world circumstances as well as more clinical ones. We came up with four tests and evaluated these lenses for their performance both in our testing labs and in the wild. Tests ran from the common selfie all the way to the early morning landscape mission. What follows are the best lenses for iPhone photography.
Editor's Note: We updated our iPhone lens review on January 12, 2024, to ensure our lineup is current and available for purchase. We removed one discontinued lens from our review.
The Moment Tele 58mm Lens is the best telephoto lens we tested. It makes it look like you are 2x closer than with a bare iPhone lens. This magnification shoots excellent portraits, but with suitable composition, it also excels at shooting landscapes. This lens had the highest overall test scores, with top marks in center sharpness and color rendition. The telephoto effect is a dramatic change from the stock lens and can be paired with some iPhones' telephoto lenses. All Moment iPhone lenses require Moment cases, which will limit your case options, but we find their cases attractive. A notable advantage of using a case is that installation becomes amazingly convenient, and achieving perfect alignment every time is simple. Since it's made from metal, we believe this lens can withstand bumps and scrapes.
We have a few gripes with the Moment Tele 58mm, the most prominent of which is how it handled flare. We do not suggest using this iPhone lens while shooting toward the sun. The few times we did, our images had very noticeable flares. Another issue that bothered our photographers was the lack of corner sharpness. Some folks may like to use that as a creative tool, but it can also limit its versatility. Speaking of versatility, we found ourselves opting for wide-angle lenses more than this model. However, this varies by personal preference. If shooting into the sun is one of your everyday practices, the Moment Wide 18mm Lens is another recommendation to consider. While it's not a telephoto lens, this wide-angle lens excelled when the sun's rays shone bright, resembling the performance of a naked iPhone lens.
While shooting directly into the sun highlighted a weakness of this lens, that was one of the only faults we found. In nearly every other test it came out on top.
Dimensions: 2.76" x 1.92" x 1" | Weight: 23 grams (Hole kit)
REASONS TO BUY
Light weight
Good macro lens
REASONS TO AVOID
Significant distortion
Lens can get stuck on the mount
The Ailun 3 in 1 Clip On is an excellent option for those who are unsure if auxiliary lenses are something they need. For a surprisingly low price, you can discover if they pique your interest. Given the price point, the lenses did respectably well. The standout here is the macro lens, which surpassed some of its more expensive competitors with average to above-average performance in every metric.
Unfortunately, the macro lens occasionally got stuck on the mount. At times, this issue required the help of pliers to get it off, which made it very frustrating to switch to the fisheye. However, it's easy and quick to install and perfectly fits over the XR's native lens. The price tag reflects the quality of the optics — we noticed a considerable change to the image as the lens rotated. If price isn't your primary concern and you are seeking a kit that contains different types of high-quality iPhone lenses, the Xenvo Pro Lens Kit shouldn't be missed.
Ailun 3 in 1 Clip On is one of the smallest and lightest sets that we tested, making it a no brainer to put in your pocket and bag and use when the opportunity arises.
An anamorphic lens creates a broader aspect ratio without cropping in on the image. It accomplishes this by squeezing the image with a different glass shape — anamorphic refers to that shape. Other than the aspect ratio, these lenses' most notable visual trait is a very distinct, long, and thin flare. All this is very appealing to high-end filmmakers, and that's where these lenses are typically employed. When people see a photo or video shot with one, many say, “It looks so cinematic.” The images below compare the unedited image (left) and the “de-squeezed” (right).
before the de-squeeze process nothing quite looks or feels correct.
The result of de-squeezing the image is everything appears normal and the aspect ratio of the image is wider.
The Moment Anamorphic Lens is our favorite anamorphic ("cinematic") lens. It has a 1.33x horizontal squeeze, referring to the amount you need to de-squeeze the image to make it look normal. This lens is sharp, with minimal distortion and compelling colors (bordering on a bit of warmth). It also has a very distinct flare by design, so our team took no points away for that trait. Like other Moment lenses we tested, you need to use one of their cases since it shares the same “M Mount”, which makes installing the glass straightforward.
There is much to consider if you are trying to justify the hefty price tag. The first is just how difficult it is to use. The squeezed image must be “de-squeezed,” which requires either Moment's app or another third-party application. If you want to change from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, you need a tool to loosen the set screw and counter-turn the lens. But when it comes to results, this lens produces excellent images and leaves very little to criticize. If you are looking for a lens like this, we recommend it highly.
The Xenvo Pro Lens Kit is really, really big (more on that later). In terms of installation, it is effortless to put on your iPhone, fitting right over the stock lens without a case on. Its color rendition and sharpness are excellent, and it eats up backlit situations commendably compared to some of the other lenses we tested. The Xenvo Pro is an integrated two-lens system, meaning the wide-angle lens screws onto the macro lens. This integration makes it easy to transition from macro to wide-angle. Its macro lens is not as powerful as others that we tested, but this is not necessarily a critique. We found that it could still magnify most things we wanted to photograph, but it is good to recognize this difference.
It is tough to overstate how big this lens is. The case for these iPhone lenses requires a 3.4" x 4.7" x 2.5" pocket. For you photo nerds out there, it has a 52mm filter thread, meaning you can go to any photography shop and buy filters or a lens cap for it. Given the amount of glass that this lens has, we would have liked to see increased image quality on the corners of the frame. Even with these drawbacks, we were impressed with the performance of these two lenses overall. If a more portable lens kit is up your alley, check out the Ailun 3 in 1 Clip On. While the quality of the images is not at the same caliber as this lens kit, the price tag is affordable and is an entry-level alternative recommendation.
You can see the relative size of the Xenvo lens here. With that size comes with versatility and impressive performance in the center of the image.
The image quality of the Moment Wide 18mm Lens is excellent. Center sharpness, color rendition, and vignetting are all handled well, but where this model shines is in backlit situations. We found it's a step ahead of any other glass we tested in how it deals with flare, coming remarkably close to how the native iPhone lens behaves in most situations. We found one situation that resulted in a slightly undesirable flare, but it didn't prove easy to reproduce. This lens performed admirably in every other situation with flare. Like the different Moment lenses that we tested, we found installing this lens to the required case incredibly quick and easy.
On the downside, the edge sharpness is underwhelming. That beautiful image quality quickly falls off towards the perimeter of the frame, noticeably softening and distorting compared to the bare iPhone lens or even the other high-performing auxiliary lenses. Additionally, this lens is pricey and requires a proprietary Moment case, further adding to the overall cost. We did find the phone cases to be a little bulky, but they look and feel good.
The king of flare was clearly the Moment Wide 18mm Lens. If shooting into the sun is what you like to do then this lens should be given some real consideration.
Credit: Jason Peters
Why Trust GearLab
Over the last three years, we have tested nine different iPhone lenses. For this review, we purchased each at retail price to avoid introducing bias and then developed a thorough testing plan. Then, we spent over 50 hours shooting images in various conditions, including low and high light conditions. We also dissected each product to figure out the nitty-gritty details to determine clarifying differences between each product. Finally, we evaluated the comparative performance of each lens using key metrics and then wrote up our findings to provide you with solid recommendations you can trust.
Our iPhone lenses were tested across five different metrics, including:
Shooting landscapes
Shooting portraits
Shooting macro
Flare
Ease of use
Our photography team are experts in the field with a combined 25 years of experience behind the lens of a camera. Our lead tester, Jason Peters, has spent years testing cameras and lenses for himself and other professional photographers. In addition, he has tested nearly 100 products for GearLab ranging from camera bags to snow shovels, making him no stranger to product testing and comparative evaluation techniques.
Note: We have not edited any photos taken by a lens in this review, except for the Moment Anamorphic lens, which requires a “de-squeeze” to correct optical distortion from its anamorphic lens. No other editing has been done.
Field testing a large majority of the lenses purchased in our flare testing.
Credit: Jason Peters
Analysis and Test Results
It is important to note that most of these “iPhone lenses” are marketed as compatible with other phone manufacturers and models. However, we tested every lens on an iPhone XR. Also, remember that Apple has put a lot of time, effort, and money into making the cameras on their phones as good as possible. It's important to acknowledge that adding a lens to your phone will always reduce the image quality. We noticed a loss of image quality in the iPhone lenses we tested. But it does grant more creative freedom, and the lenses being made these days are incredibly useful. The lens had to be as good as the iPhone's in the test to score perfectly.
Below is a summary of our test findings and how each iPhone lens performed in side-by-side tests.
Landscape
Our landscape testing for the iPhone lenses examined four aspects of image quality: sharpness, detail, image distortions, and color rendition. We conducted this testing in a real-world environment, sitting on top of a rocky outcrop during winter in the beautifully rugged terrain of Lake Tahoe. We tested these lenses head-to-head, using the bare iPhone lens as a control. We shot this test at sunset, so we shot a “bare” iPhone photo between every lens to judge color more accurately. Here are our favorite lenses for landscapes.
The Moment Anamorphic Lens is a top contender. This lens surprised us through the whole testing process with how versatile it is for different shooting scenarios, and once again, it landed in the top four here. There is some barrel distortion that shows up when you are photographing straight lines, but in real-world applications, that distortion becomes harder to identify, and the sharpness and colors look great.
Once again, the Moment Anamorphic is a very special lens. Giving you a similar field of view as a wide-angle lens without the same level of distortion or corner sharpness.
Credit: Jason Peters
The Moment Wide 18mm is another favorite in the landscape metric. We started to see some distortion and ghosting in the edges of the frame (look towards the bush), and the sharpness takes a slight hit across the whole frame and slightly more in the corners. That said, the 18mm lens does a great job and is also one of the widest lenses in this top four.
If you look at the bush in the right-hand corner of this frame you'll notice the distortion and lack of sharpness talked about above. It is an acceptable amount but if this lens didn't have those characteristics it would be simply incredible.
Credit: Jason Peters
Another top performer was the Xenvo Pro Lens Kit - Wide Angle, which was right on the heels of the Moment Wide 18mm. This lens may be big, but it performs well in the center of the frame. It shows its weakness in the corners of the frame, where the sharpness is reduced considerably and distortion very apparent.
The Xenvo is one of the widest angle lenses we tested. It suffers from similar edge imperfections as some of the other lenses but gives you a little more real estate.
Credit: Jason Peters
Here are all the images side by side.
iPhone XR without any additional lenses as a control
This Moment Anamorphic is a specialty lens that's a great fit for landscape photography.
The Moment Wide Angle is versatile and never let us down.
The performance in the middle of this image rivals the best of the lenses we tested. Unfortunately edge distortion brought the Xenvo's total score down.
Macro
We took all the macro lenses from our testing into our studio, photographing Lolinda, a 3D-printed piggy bank, to see which would come out on top. To determine their scores, we looked at some standard image quality metrics, sharpness, color, vignetting, and distortion. None of those things take into account the macro effect, so we added one more metric: reproduction rate, or as it's more commonly known, image magnification.
The Ailun's macro lens showing what it can do.
Credit: Jason Peters
The macro lens from the Xenvo Pro Lens Kit is interesting because its magnification is noticeably worse than the Ailun's, but its image quality is a step ahead. The question you need to ask yourself is, how small are your subjects? If they aren't too small — say, the size of Lolinda (2.5") — then this may be the macro lens for you.
While it can't get nearly as close up as some of its macro competitors, the Xenvo has noticeably better image quality.
Credit: Jason Peters
Below are all the photos side-by-side, shot as close as each lens would allow.
This small package took the second spot in our testing.
while this lens produces wonderful images, its reproduction rate isn't nearly as good as the competition.
The first image is our iPhone control, followed by the Ailun and the Xenvo.
Portrait
Here we tested iPhone lenses with a traditional “portrait” focal length. Those iPhone lenses were the Moment Tele 58mm Lens and Moment Anamorphic Lens. That is not to say you cannot make amazing portraits with other lenses that were tested. In this metric, we were looking for how the lens compression portrayed the face and how it rendered skin tones. Like other metrics, which one you buy should depend on what you're looking for.
We found the Moment Tele 58mm lens to be the best lens of the three tested. It is slightly sharper than the runner-up and achieved better color and micro-contrast, giving this lens the edge over the competition.
The Moment Tele 58mm Lens edges out its other telephoto competitors with better edge sharpness and micro contrast.
Credit: Jason Peters
The Moment Anamorphic is included in this test because although it gives a wide frame, its longer focal length makes it more appropriate than other lenses for portraits. Unfortunately, as you can see in the test below, this lens does create noticeable distortion in the corners. That makes it tricky to use for portraits without upsetting your subject and causing them to look, well, different. If you place the subject in the middle of the frame, there is minimal distortion, and the result looks good.
And after applying a “De-squeeze.” The image appears wider but in a natural form which is part of the appeal of this lens.
Credit: Jason Peters
Here is the side-by-side comparison:
All the portrait lenses were very close in performance but this lens found its self on-top in our head to head testing.
This Anamorphic lens makes for an interesting and unconventional portrait lens.
Flare
For flare testing, we grabbed all iPhone lenses, except the macro lenses, and shot a forest scene directly into the sun to see how well each lens would cope with the tricky lighting. Flare occurs when a bright light source directly hits a lens, and light is reflected off the different pieces of internal glass. Most commonly, this is created when the sun shines directly into your camera.
For the benefit of full transparency, this test is inherently imperfect. As we moved around in the woods, the angle of the light changed, and tree branches blocked or allowed more light to pass through. We did everything we could to mitigate these issues, and we ultimately felt the benefits of testing flare outside the studio outweighed the drawbacks. By conducting multiple testing sessions, we are confident in our final results.
The lens that presented the least flare in our testing was the Moment Wide 18mm. In nearly every test, its performance was close to matching that of the bare iPhone XR. In our testing, this lens was clearly a cut above any other lens in our bag. If you love shooting into the sun and don't mind shelling out the cash, the Moment Wide 18mm does not disappoint.
Moment 18mm lens flare test left us impressed and wondering if it was a fluke. After further testing, this is no mistake; it's just really good at handling flare.
Credit: Jason Peters
One step down, we have another Moment lens; this time, it's the Moment Anamorphic. Yes, it has a massive horizontal flare, but that is very characteristic of all anamorphic lenses, so we don't count that against it. What we are looking at is how it rendered that “cinematic” look and any stray flare in the lens. And when we take that perspective, it's hard not to be impressed! The wide flare is neat and tight, and the additional flare balls are minimal and rendered almost as well as the 18mm from the same company.
Moment Anamorphic Lens is an interesting lens to test for flare. Clearly it has a very pronounced horizontal blue flare in this image, but that is a calling card of this type of lenses. If you look for other flares, it's very minimal and that is why this lens did so well in our testing as well.
Credit: Jason Peters
The Xenvo Pro is the most massive lens in our testing. This lens produces flare that is notably more sloppy than the options we've talked about above. But, if you compare it to all the lenses we tested, the Xenvo does a great job.
While the Xenvo is a noticeable step down from others in this testing, the flare is still acceptable.
Credit: Jason Peters
Here's the side-by-side comparison:
iPhone XR with no additional lenses as a control.
The Moment Wide Angle's limited flare is better than any other lens we tested.
The Moment Anamorphic has a distinct horizontal flare that's a characteristic of Anamorphic lenses. We left that out of this testing and looked for other flare symptoms, but didn't find many.
The Xenvo is a step below the other top performers in the flare test, but if you look at all the lenses we tested as a whole, this lens did a great job.
Ease of Use
This metric was evaluated through dozens of hours of testing iPhone lenses across all the other metrics. The most significant factors for us were how easy it was to install and align the lenses and how long that process took. Secondly, was there anything special you had to do when using that particular lens? It should be noted that these tests were done with an iPhone XR, so your results may vary depending on your model.
We found the lenses that connected to a required case were the quickest, assuming that case stays on your phone. For us, that was the Moment's “M Mount” systems, which were the fastest to install and still plenty secure.
Moment's proprietary “M Mount” only requires a quarter turn to securely mount the lens to the case. This made the Moment lenses by far the easiest lenses to use assuming the case is already on your phone.
Credit: Jason Peters
Moving to clip-on lenses, we liked the options that fit over the native lens perfectly, so there was no worrying about whether or not it was aligned properly. Some options were slightly too small while others were too large, and both lead to the same issue: “Is it on right?”. This also leads to an extra step of confirming with a test image that you've got it right. The Xenvo Pro Lens Kit did incredibly well at this. The feeling of the lens aligning is quite satisfying and inspires confidence that you got it right.
The Xenvo lens slipped perfectly over the native lens of our testing phone; iPhone XR. This made it very quick to clip on and you were sure the alignment was correct the first time.
Credit: Jason Peters
There is an exception to the Moment lenses being the easiest to use, and that is in the Moment Anamorphic. While this lens is just as easy to install as the other Moment mount lenses, that's about the only similarity when it comes to ease of use. To change from horizontal to vertical shooting orientation, you need to use an included tool to back out a set screw and manually turn the lens into the new position. This lens also requires that every image be edited after the fact to “de-squeeze” and correct distortion.
Out of the over 25 lenses we tested, these were the best options for a variety of users and situations.
Credit: Jason Peters
Conclusion
In all honesty, we went into testing pretty skeptical about the quality of the images that these iPhone lenses would produce. In some cases, those concerns proved justified — some lenses were so bad we deemed them unusable. Other lenses, however, blew us away with stellar performances. With that in mind, we hope this review's side-by-side comparison will help you choose the perfect iPhone lenses for your shooting goals and budget.
