DXOMARK says iPhone 11 selfie camera is great, but has focus issues

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By Joe Wituschek
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iPhone 11
iPhone 11 (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • DXOMARK has released its full review of the iPhone 11 front-facing camera.
  • The outlet has given the camera a score of 91.
  • The outlet's issue with the selfie camera is with focus from longer distances.

Eight months after the iPhone 11 was released, DXOMark has published its full review of the front "selfie" camera of the phone.

The iPhone 11 front-facing camera has earned a score of 91 (92 for photo, 92 for video) from DXOMARK, with the outlet saying that the lens delivers "decent performance but does not quite make it onto our current top ten list of smartphone front cameras". Keep in mind that DXOMARK's grading system does not end with 100. As the quality of smartphone cameras continues to increase, they will begin to pass that mark.

The largest issue that DXOMARK found with the camera was the fixed-focus lens of the iPhone 11. Subjects shooting at longer distances, like with a selfie stick, would become more out of focus when compared to some of the other selfie cameras that they tested.

"With an overall DXOMARK Selfie score of 91, the Apple iPhone 11 front camera delivers a decent performance but does not quite make it onto our current top ten list of smartphone front cameras. Given that the iPhone 11's front camera specifications (provided by Apple) are identical to those of the top-end iPhone 11 Pro Max, it should not come as a surprise that the overall results are very similar between the two models. This said, there are a few differences—the main one being focus distance. The fixed-focus lens of our iPhone 11 test device focuses slightly closer than the lens on the Pro Max, which results in subjects at longer shooting distances (for example, when shooting with a selfie stick) being out of focus."

DXOMark does say that the iPhone 11's selfie camera performs well when it comes to color and exposure. However, the fixed-focus lens does make it a less capable performer when trying to take group selfies. For those who really want the highest quality possible for those scenarios, they'll have to upgrade to the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

"Overall, the Apple iPhone 11 is a capable option for selfie shooters, with its front camera delivering nice colors and good exposure in most situations. On the downside, image output can be quite noisy and the fixed-focus lens, which is geared towards closer focusing distances, means the camera is not ideal for users who work with longer selfie sticks or who shoot a lot of group selfies. But the focus issue is the only real disadvantage when compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, so if you mainly care about the front camera and tend to capture most of your selfies at close distance, the less-expensive iPhone 11 is a real alternative to its pricey top-end sister model."

You can check out DXOMARK's full review of the iPhone 11 front-facing camera on its website.

Joe Wituschek
Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.