is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
Smartphones with secondary screens on the back aren’t a new idea. Most recently the Xiaomi 17 series launched in September with a smaller rear display and while the company suggests using it for widgets or gaming, the most practical use is as a way to frame selfies captured with the phone’s superior rear cameras. The Selfix case brings that same functionality to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, while expanding both phones’ storage capacity to up to 2TB.
All of the new iPhone models that debuted this year feature a redesigned front-facing camera with a square format sensor allowing vertical or landscape photos to be captured no matter how the phones are held. However, the resolution still maxes out at 18MP, and reframing options are limited to cropping your images. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max both feature a trio of 48MP cameras on the back with better low light performance and an ultra wide option for squeezing more people into a shot.
The Selfix connects to the iPhone through its USB-C port when it’s inserted into the case and its 480×480 pixel 1.6-inch AMOLED screen functions as an external display using the USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode. The case does draw power from the iPhone when in use so there will be some battery life loss, but it includes a dedicated shutter button that doubles as a power button you can use to turn the screen off when it’s not needed. The case also hides a microSD memory card slot that’s only accessible when the iPhone is removed.
Dockcase, the company behind the Selfix, is planning to sell the case through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that will launch sometime in February or March 2026. Full retail pricing is expected to be $99, but early backers to the Kickstarter will be able to preorder it at a discount that hasn’t been finalized yet.
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