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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The iPhone 17 sequence homes a sq. sensor for Heart Stage selfies.
- Apple launched ultra-stabilized video taking pictures to the iPhone’s selfie digicam, and it is truly helpful.
- These options can be found throughout all 4 new iPhones.
I lately shifted to the iPhone 17 Pro Max from my iPhone 16 Professional, pondering the brand new 4x telephoto digicam and vapor cooling chamber could be the upgrades I discover probably the most. However after utilizing the brand new iPhone for weeks now, my favourite choose turned out to be the selfie camera. Odd, proper?
Additionally: I’ve used every iPhone 17 model, and my yearly buying advice is changing in 2025
Many may dismiss the brand new selfie digicam as a minor characteristic, however the 18MP sensor is extra about quality-of-life upgrades than only a megapixel bump. It’s housed inside each new iPhone, together with the iPhone Air, and affords capabilities that may undoubtedly be copied by the competitors — not as a result of they’re stylish however as a result of they’re handy and improve the general consumer expertise.
An even bigger deal than we expect
As a refresher, the iPhone 17 sequence comes geared up with a brand new 18MP Heart Stage digicam housed in a sq. sensor. It enables you to shoot panorama selfies while not having to show your cellphone in that orientation. The software program routinely repositions its framing based mostly on the variety of individuals within the photograph, and it really works surprisingly effectively!
Apple’s Heart Stage is a kind of uncommon synthetic intelligence options that is dependable and works with out you needing to fiddle with the settings. However one of the best half is that Heart Stage works in third-party apps.
Additionally: Apple’s iPhone 17 will forever change how we take selfies – including on Android phones
I find it irresistible when the characteristic kicks in on my WhatsApp video calls. I will be transferring round doing the chores (I am unable to sit nonetheless), however the digicam retains me within the body and helps me annoy my girlfriend rather less. I’ve discovered Heart Stage very helpful for Zoom calls on my MacBook Air, and I am glad it’s lastly obtainable on my most-used app on iPhone.
Heart Stage for pictures on iPhone 17 Professional Max
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
I’ve additionally began taking pictures extra selfies and movies, because of auto-framing and ultra-stabilized video options. I like selfies for his or her extra intimate movies and in-the-moment vibes in group photographs. Nonetheless, at instances, the second is misplaced by the point you flip the cellphone to panorama orientation. However the iPhone 17 fixes this.
You may enter the digicam, flip to selfie mode, and Heart Stage for pictures will routinely alter the framing in accordance with the variety of individuals within the group. It’s quick, intuitive, and simply works. It additionally retains you within the second by discovering one of the best framing routinely. All you want to do is ensure that the Auto Zoom and Auto Rotate choices are turned on within the viewfinder.
The accessibility good points from the brand new selfie
The iPhone 17 additionally improves selfie video seize with ultra-stabilized movies. This won’t appear like a giant enchancment on paper, however it’s one other improve that makes my life simpler.
Additionally: I took the iPhone 17 on a trip to Hawaii, and it surpassed my expectations (until it didn’t)
I dwell with a nervous dysfunction that causes fixed tremors in my palms, which frequently makes my selfie movies shaky — particularly in low mild. The end result? Awkward, jittery footage that is saved me from recording or posting on-line. In spite of everything, nobody desires to look at a trembling vlog from a launch occasion. However the brand new iPhones may lastly change that.
The iPhone 17 Professional is the primary cellphone that truly makes me need to report myself extra usually. I can shoot clean, stabilized 4K 60fps video with out switching to Motion mode or flipping to the rear cameras. The footage is steadier, cleaner in low mild, and — lastly — one thing I am proud to share with the world.
Whether or not I am going to truly begin posting from launch occasions world wide is one other query — however at the very least now, my movies can look as clean {and professional} as everybody else’s, with out lugging round an exterior gimbal. I like this characteristic greater than some other improve within the iPhone 17 lineup. And with twin seize, it is genuinely enjoyable to make use of.
The brand new iPhones allow you to report your self and what’s in entrance of you on the similar time, utilizing each the entrance and rear cameras. Whereas a number of Android telephones have provided this earlier than, Apple’s unmatched stabilization on each side offers the iPhone a transparent edge in general high quality.
Additionally: I tested the iPhone Air for a week, and here’s why 17 Pro Max users shouldn’t sleep on it
I have never shot sufficient pictures with the rear cameras but to guage how a lot of a leap the brand new 4x telephoto actually is. However from the primary day, it was apparent that I might love to make use of the entrance digicam.
From Heart Stage in video calls to auto-framing in pictures and ultra-stabilized clips, the 18MP selfie digicam is definitely the star of the present on my iPhone 17 Professional. And I am glad Apple did not reserve it for the Professional fashions — you get the identical expertise on the extra inexpensive iPhone 17 and the ultra-slim iPhone Air.
