An upcoming iPhone case is borrowing a trick straight out of Xiaomi’s playbook, and it might actually make a lot of sense.
The Selfix case adds a small secondary screen to the back of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, letting you frame selfies using Apple’s far better rear cameras instead of the front-facing one.
Rear displays on phones aren’t exactly new. Xiaomi’s 17 series, which launched in September, includes a compact screen on the back that can show widgets or games, but its most practical use is previewing selfies with the main camera. The Selfix case aims to replicate that experience on the iPhone, without Apple having to redesign the phone itself.
The idea is simple: while the iPhone 17 lineup introduced a redesigned front camera with a square sensor and support for both portrait and landscape shots, it still tops out at 18MP.
By comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max pack three 48MP rear cameras, including an ultra-wide lens that’s far better suited for group selfies and low-light shots. The Selfix case makes it easier to take advantage of that hardware.
Built into the back of the case is a 1.6-inch AMOLED display with a 480 x 480 resolution. It connects to the iPhone via the USB-C port and uses DisplayPort Alt Mode to act as an external screen. Slot your phone into the case, flip it around, and you get a live preview when shooting with the rear cameras.
There’s also a dedicated shutter button on the case, which doubles as a power button to turn the screen off when you don’t need it.
The case does draw power from the iPhone while the display is active, so there will be some impact on battery life. That said, the screen can be disabled entirely, keeping the case from draining power when you’re not taking photos.
There’s another bonus here too: storage. The Selfix includes a microSD card slot, allowing users to expand their iPhone’s storage by up to 2TB, something Apple still doesn’t offer natively.
Dockcase, the company behind Selfix, plans to launch the case via Kickstarter in early 2026, with a full retail price expected to land at $99. Early backers will get a discount, though final pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet.
It’s not quite a Xiaomi phone, but it’s a clever workaround, and one Apple fans might actually appreciate.
