Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET's key takeaways
The iPhone 17 series houses a square sensor for Center Stage selfies.
Apple introduced ultra-stabilized video shooting to the iPhone's selfie camera, and it's actually useful.
These features are available across all four new iPhones.
I recently shifted to the iPhone 17 Pro Max from my iPhone 16 Pro, thinking the new 4x telephoto camera and vapor cooling chamber would be the upgrades I notice the most. But after using the new iPhone for weeks now, my favorite pick turned out to be the selfie camera. Odd, right?
Also: I've used every iPhone 17 model, and my yearly buying advice is changing in 2025
Many might dismiss the new selfie camera as a minor feature, but the 18MP sensor is more about quality-of-life upgrades than just a megapixel bump. It is housed inside every new iPhone, including the iPhone Air, and offers capabilities that will undoubtedly be copied by the competition -- not because they're trendy but because they're convenient and enhance the overall user experience.
A bigger deal than we think
... continue reading