Apple’s regular iPhone 17 is still holding its own in a crowded camera field. Fresh independent testing has put the dual-camera base model in some surprisingly good company on one of the industry’s most closely watched rankings. It shows clear progress over last year’s model, while also highlighting a few of the usual trade-offs that come with the more accessible design.
DxOMark has tested the iPhone 17’s dual-camera setup and given it an overall score of 157 points. That puts it in 20th place on the global leaderboard, tied with the iPhone 16 Pro, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The score is a 10-point jump over the iPhone 16, driven mainly by the ultra-wide camera moving from a 12 MP sensor to a higher-resolution 48 MP unit. The main 48 MP f/1.6 camera, with its 1/1.56-inch sensor, is carried over from the previous generation.
Video is one of the biggest strengths. The iPhone 17 performs well across a wide range of lighting conditions, with solid autofocus and effective stabilization. DxOMark highlights natural colors, quick focusing, and well-controlled noise. The noise reduction is a bit more aggressive than on the iPhone 17 Pro, which helps compensate for the smaller sensor but can cost a little fine detail in still photos.
The lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is where it loses the most points. Zoom is handled entirely through digital cropping, so the overall zoom score sits lower than multi-camera flagships. Portrait mode also draws some criticism: faces can look a bit less detailed, and the limited depth-of-field control in group shots sometimes leaves background people looking soft.
With the iPhone 18 not expected until spring 2027, the iPhone 17 remains a solid choice for anyone who wants strong camera performance without jumping to the higher price tiers. The fact that it can match or get close to the “Ultra” models on DxOMark shows how much software tweaks and selective hardware upgrades can still close the gap.
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