Because the debut of the TrueDepth digital camera system with the iPhone X, the front-facing digital camera has largely seen incremental upgrades. Options like Evening mode, Photographic Types, sharper picture high quality, and 4K video have trickled in through the years, however the general selfie expertise has remained largely unchanged. As a substitute, Apple has centered most of its innovation on the rear-facing Professional digital camera system, pushing the boundaries of cellular images and videography.Â
With the newest iPhone fashions, that technique modified in an enormous manner. Apple has added a slew of latest front-camera enhancements to all of its new telephones, not simply the highest-end 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max variants. Unsure what they’re or do? Right here’s a breakdown of all of the recent selfie digital camera additions bundled along with your new iPhone.
Snap high-resolution selfies
To energy the brand new entrance digital camera options throughout the iPhone Air and 17 lineup, Apple has lastly upgraded the sensor. For the primary time because the iPhone 11, the entrance digital camera has gotten a lift from 12MP to 18MP throughout all 4 fashions.
You don’t must do something to see the distinction, because the higher-resolution digital camera delivers sharper particulars with decreased noise. When taking pictures on the full 18MP decision (utilizing the usual vertical or horizontal format), customers can crop pictures extra freely with out noticeable grain.

All iPhone 17 fashions embrace new selfie options.
Britta O’Boyle
Simply match everybody within the body
For years, the iPhone’s selfie digital camera has supported two zoom ranges. iOS robotically detects the themes within the viewfinder and opts for both possibility accordingly. Customers can also manually override the choice and choose an alternate look if desired. 2025’s flagship iPhones take this function to the subsequent degree by supporting automated orientation choice.
For these unfamiliar, iPhones used to pack rectangular entrance digital camera sensors, limiting their full decision to a single orientation—portrait, on this case. Consequently, when taking group selfies, we’d at all times must rotate our iPhones to panorama orientation. The brand new iPhones tackle this limitation by introducing a sq. sensor that not solely picks the suitable zoom, but in addition rotates the digital body to panorama every time wanted—as you bodily maintain your iPhone in portrait orientation.Â
Likewise, you’ll be able to manually override this feature and go for both path if you happen to’re sad along with your iPhone’s default choice.
Hold your topics centered
The brand new entrance digital camera’s automated conduct isn’t restricted to choosing the orientation. Apple has lastly ported its Middle Stage function to the selfie shooter, so the Digital camera app ought to be capable to regulate its body based mostly in your place. This improve might assist newbies take higher selfies, because it ensures their faces are within the appropriate spot.
You may regulate the settings by tapping the yellow Middle Stage button on the high of the display and selecting between auto zoom and auto rotate. Moreover, you’ll be able to flip Middle Stage off by tapping the selfie zoom button (with arrows pointing in) or change the side ratio button (with curved arrows) to guide.

Whether or not you’re taking solo selfies or group photographs, the iPhone 17’s entrance digital camera has a ton of methods.
Foundry
Keep in view always
The Middle Stage function on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air isn’t unique to taking selfies. Like newer iPad and Mac fashions, Middle Stage will now kick in throughout FaceTime and third-party video calls. For instance, if you happen to’ve fastened your iPhone to a MagSafe kickstand in your desk as you progress across the room, the digital camera will regulate to maintain you within the highlight. It’s a neat introduction that ought to make video calls extra versatile and interesting.
Clean your shaky selfie vids
With the iPhone 14, Apple launched a rear digital camera function dubbed Motion mode. As its title suggests, the choice enables you to report steadier movies while you’re in shaky environments. This 12 months’s flagships are lastly bringing an identical choice to the iPhone’s front-facing digital camera.
Extremely-stabilized video, as Apple calls it, can be a useful asset for vloggers who wish to doc their on a regular basis lives utilizing the iPhone’s entrance digital camera. The function ought to make it potential to report smoother footage throughout bumpy actions, sparing informal content material creators from needing a devoted gimbal for stability.

Twin seize enables you to report video along with your rear digital camera and reactions along with your entrance digital camera.
David Value / Foundry
Seize two movies without delay
Talking of content material creators, response movies are one of many standard codecs customers go for when taking pictures journey vlogs, shocking pals, or memorializing concert events. The iPhone Air and 17 sequence lastly allow you to report entrance and rear digital camera clips concurrently. This lets viewers see what’s in entrance of you, alongside your facial expressions, in actual time. Whereas sure third-party iOS apps have lengthy supported this video recording functionality, having Twin Seize within the native Digital camera app is a welcome change.