What’s happened? The iPhone 17 Pro climbs to the top of DXOMARK’s Selfie ranking and explains the jump with a new 18MP square front sensor and Center Stage, a combo that steadies framing and tames tricky lighting.
- According to DXOMARK, the iPhone 17 Pro posts a 154 Selfie score, number one overall and in the Ultra-Premium tier.
- Photo and video land at 150 and 159 respectively, a bigger jump on the motion side.
- Full-FOV selfies save at 18MP, while the tighter solo-selfie view lands at 7MP.
This is important because: Framing feels predictable when you rotate the phone, and the camera pulls back when more faces enter the shot. That kind of help cuts fiddling and makes everyday selfies look more polished.
- The square sensor keeps composition steady and opens a wider view than most rivals.
- Group shots come together faster, since the phone can auto-expand the view for multiple faces.
- Texture holds up well and low-light white balance usually looks natural.
Why should I care? If you want the safest bet for front-camera photos and clips, this is the one at the front of the pack. It even moves three points past last year’s 16 Pro Max in DXOMARK’s testing.
- Versus Google’s top Pixel 10 Pro, DXOMARK notes the Pixel can leave faces a touch underexposed, while the 17 Pro keeps skin well lit and natural.
- The iPhone 17 Pro set itself up as being one of the best camera phones on the market, well above its rivals.
Okay, so what’s next? The square sensor signals Apple is willing to rethink selfie hardware. That opens the door to bigger swings in the next cycles, from how the camera sees scenes to how it helps you compose.
- Expect bolder experiments that build on the first square image sensor on an iPhone, including changes to framing behavior.
- Subtle assistance should get smoother as centering and tracking evolve, which you will notice in everyday clips.
- Apple is reportedly exploring variable aperture for iPhone 18 Pro, which could add more control over light and background blur.
- Want a sense of how rivals compare today, zoom and all, head-to-head tests are a quick reality check.
