Android brands could copy iPhone 17's coolest front camera trick

One of the most underrated upgrades on the iPhone 17 series is the new 18MP “Center Stage” front camera. While the camera itself is great, the party trick is that it uses a square sensor. This allows users to take selfies in landscape and portrait orientations without physically rotating their phone, as the company crops into the sensor for the shot. Android users could soon join in on the fun, as Android brands have started exploring a square selfie camera for their upcoming phones.

Reliable leaker Digital Chat Station has shared on Weibo that OPPO (nicknamed “green factory”) is exploring a square 1:1 sensor for the front-facing camera.

The leaker says the new selfie sensor is even better than Apple’s implementation. It will likely be used first in OPPO’s flagship phones, but the next one, i.e., not in the upcoming OPPO Find X9 Ultra, but instead be marked for the Find X10 series.

Not just OPPO, Digital Chat Station says that HUAWEI is also exploring a square sensor.

In HUAWEI’s case, the company is said to be working on including it in the photography-oriented mid-range lineup, which suggests it will be part of the HUAWEI Nova 16 series, which could launch later in the year or early next year.

I’ve extensively used the square selfie sensor on the iPhone 17 Pro, and it is indeed a great experience. It takes a while to unlearn that you no longer have to rotate your phone to landscape for a wider group selfie — but once you do, it is so much more convenient to take group selfies. This ease of use is likely why other manufacturers are following suit.

I am confident Android brands will figure out their own spin on the feature to make it even better than Apple’s implementation, and I hope more brands explore a square selfie sensor.