In the age of selfies and short videos, front cameras have become more important than ever, and Apple has become the new king in this area. According to DxOMark’s latest rankings, the iPhone 17 Pro now holds the top spot in selfie performance, surpassing strong competitors like Honor and Google. So, what’s the big secret behind this success?

A Major Change in the iPhone 17 Series: A Square Sensor

The entire iPhone 17 series is receiving a major upgrade in the front camera department this year: an 18MP f/1.9 front camera with a unique square sensor. This sensor replaces the old 12MP unit in the iPhone 16 Pro and introduces a new capability never seen before in a smartphone: the ability to switch between portrait and landscape shots without physically rotating the phone. This is a clever innovation for content creators who rely on both portrait and landscape framing for their social media content.

DxOMark gave the iPhone 17 Pro an impressive score of 154, placing it at the top. With this score, the device surpassed the iPhone 16 Pro and Honor Magic 6 Pro (both with 151 points). The iPhone 15 Pro scored 149, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL 148. While the three-point difference may seem small, it was enough to propel Apple to the top of the global selfie charts.

These improvements come from both the updated hardware and Apple’s image processing tweaks. The new front camera now offers better exposure balance, wider dynamic range, and richer color tones. In a signature Apple touch, skin tones remain slightly warmer.

Furthermore, the slightly extended 20mm focal length (up from 23mm on last year’s Pro model) helps fit more people in the frame without distortion. Low-light selfies still show a slight grain, and stabilization can falter slightly during intense action. However, these are minor flaws in what is overall a significant leap forward.

For vloggers, streamers, or just selfie enthusiasts, the iPhone 17 Pro feels like a serious upgrade. Apple hasn’t just increased the megapixel count; it’s rethought the way the front camera works, and that innovation clearly reflects in the results.