The base iPhone 17 scored 157 points in camera testing by DxOMark, placing Apple's standard smartphone among the top 20 mobile camera systems globally.
The overall rating draws the entry-level device level with high-end flagship smartphones, matching the scores achieved by the iPhone 16 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and the Oppo Find X7 Ultra.
South Korean manufacturer Samsung and Chinese tech firm Oppo design their Ultra series models as top-tier camera platforms, making the standard iPhone performance milestone significant for entry-level hardware.
A primary factor behind the score increase is an upgraded ultra-wide camera module, which features a 48-megapixel sensor replacing the 12-megapixel sensor used on previous models. Although the main camera sensor remains hardware-identical to prior generations, updated software image processing helped improve overall photo and video output.
Video performance and image processing
Testing laboratory DxOMark awarded high marks to the video capabilities of the iPhone 17. Evaluators reported that the smartphone maintains stable autofocus performance, effective image stabilization, natural color rendering, and low noise levels under challenging light conditions.
DxOMark operates a standardized testing environment in France that measures mobile camera exposure, color accuracy, noise, and video stabilization across varying light levels.
Despite the strong video performance, evaluators observed drawbacks in still photography processing. Analysts noted that aggressive noise reduction algorithms can cause the smartphone to lose fine surface details in specific photographic scenes.
Camera limitations and zoom capabilities
DxOMark identified zoom performance as the weakest aspect of the base model. Because the smartphone lacks a dedicated telephoto camera lens, it relies entirely on digital magnification.
Dedicated telephoto lenses use optical glass components to magnify distant subjects without losing resolution, whereas digital zoom crops sensor data and can reduce overall image sharpness.
Testers also reported that portrait mode does not consistently deliver sufficient facial detail or precise background blurring during group photographs.
Broader smartphone market developments
The benchmark scores arrive amid several wider updates in the mobile technology sector. Teardown specialist iFixit recently identified a structural hardware vulnerability in Samsung's Galaxy Fold 8 that could also pose risks for future foldable iPhone designs.
Meanwhile, Google released the Pixel 11 smartphone, equipping the entry-level base model with 256 GB of internal storage.
