The iPhone has always been great for photography, but when you're taking selfies, you're at the mercy of the handset's less-capable front camera. This new phone case we just came across solves that with a second mirror-like screen.
The Selfix case for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max looks like a regular ol' TPU cover, but the rear panel actually houses a circular 1.6-inch AMOLED touchscreen. This lets you compose your selfies with far greater control and flexibility, and take advantage of the powerful rear camera.
That means you can do ultra-wide group shots as well as detailed portraits by zooming in. You'll also get better results in regular and low light, since you're using the 48-megapixel camera system with its large sensor instead of the 18-megapixel front camera.
That's the problem a lot of phone makers have tried to solve over the years, with flip-phone bodies like the Motorola Razr series, Xiaomi's 17 Pro with a small display surrounding the rear cameras, and Samsung's Galaxy A80 from 2019 with a camera module that would slide above the display and flip from back to front. Yeah, phone design was wild back then.
Now, back to the Selfix case – and here's where things get interesting. Beyond adding a second display, the case also plugs into your phone via USB-C and expands your storage by up to 2 TB with a microSD card slot built into the case. That can hold all the extra selfies you're shooting with your new phone setup, as well as bulky videos that taking up room in your device's internal storage.
The Selfix case can also support a crossbody strap so it's easier to keep your phone handy for photos on the go. It's also got a magnet around the display, which lets you attach a ring accessory for holding your phone without fatiguing your fingers quite as much.
There are a couple of bummers to bear in mind here. First,you can't shoot video and save it to your Selfix case's memory card directly, since that would require a higher-spec storage expansion module. Dockcase, the brand behind the case, said it avoided this option to minimize heat and power consumption.
Second, you can't wirelessly charge your iPhone with the case on, since the rear screen increases the distance between the wireless charger and your iPhone beyond the minimum requirement for MagSafe. However, the case does support pass-through charging at up to 45 W via the USB-C port.
You can get the Selfix case for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max in white, black, and pink. It's set to retail at US$129, but you can order one for either phone model at $79 while the Selfix is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Crossbody straps, microSD cards, magnetic ring holders can be added to your pledge.
All crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk, so you'll want to keep that in mind if you choose to back this campaign. That said, Dockcase has been in the gadget accessory business for several years, and has previously launched and shipped over a dozen other products on the platform, including docks and hubs.
If all goes to plan, orders are slated to ship worldwide in May, and you can see delivery costs for your country while pledging with a reward selected.
Source: Kickstarter
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