Square strategy paid off. iPhone 17 Pro has the best selfie camera, reports DxOMark

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro has become the new king of the DxOMark selfie camera ranking. With a score of 154 points, it surpassed the previous leader and confirmed Apple’s dominance in this category. The iPhone 16 Pro Max and Honor Magic6 Pro, with their 151 points, thus move to the silver position.

Square sensor changes the rules of the game

The success of the new iPhone 17 Pro is due to a completely redesigned front camera. Apple has for the first time implemented a square sensor for more intelligent image processing. With the Center Stage feature, for example, the phone can automatically switch between horizontal and vertical composition depending on the situation (e.g., when it detects more people in the frame). Interestingly, the resolution – although Apple states 18 Mpx in its materials, the sensor is actually 24Mpx. The catch, however, is that from the square area, an 18Mpx crop is created either “portrait” or “landscape”.

The lens has an aperture of f/1.9 and offers a wider field of view than most competitors. This is especially useful for group selfies, allowing more people to fit into the frame. The camera supports autofocus and recording 4K video at 60FPS.

Strengths according to DxOMark

DxOMark tests revealed several areas where the iPhone 17 Pro excels:

• Exposure and dynamic range ensure balanced shots even in challenging backlighting
• Autofocus quickly focuses on subjects at all tested distances
• Bokeh mode creates natural blur with accurate subject depth detection
• Depth of field is wide enough for sharp group portraits
• Video stabilization effectively eliminates shake when shooting handheld

The Center Stage feature automatically tracks and keeps faces centered in the frame during video calls. The square sensor helps maintain consistent textures across the entire image, which is especially noticeable in facial details.

Areas for improvement

Despite the overall excellent rating, the iPhone 17 Pro still has room for improvement:

• Skin tones sometimes suffer from a warm color cast in sunlight
• Video occasionally shows sudden white balance transitions when lighting changes
• Flash photos have visible noise in the corners and reduced sharpness
• Moving objects may lack fine details in textures
• Stabilization while walking could be better

Position in DxOMark ranking

With a score of 154 points, the iPhone 17 Pro comfortably leads the entire ranking of selfie cameras. It surpassed its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro Max (151 points), by three points. Honor Magic6 Pro holds the third place with the same 151 points.

Older models iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro both scored 149 points, taking fourth place. The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL achieved 148 points and sixth place. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro models both have 145 points, as do the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Huawei Mate 50 Pro.

Square strategy paid off. iPhone 17 Pro has the best selfie camera, reports DxOMark Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

Apple thus confirms its strategy focused on the quality of selfie photos. The new iPhone 17 Pro represents a significant technological advancement thanks to its innovative square sensor and improved image processing algorithms. The competition will have a lot of catching up to do.

Are you tempted by the iPhone 17 Pro for the best selfie camera on the market?

Source: DxOMark (1, 2), lux.camera