{"id":20337,"date":"2026-03-23T21:11:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T21:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/?p=20337"},"modified":"2026-03-23T21:11:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T21:11:26","slug":"dockcase-selfix-hands-on-the-case-that-replaces-your-selfie-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/?p=20337","title":{"rendered":"Dockcase Selfix Hands-On: The Case That Replaces Your Selfie Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

If you ask me, some of the worst smartphone photos are those people take with front-facing cameras. Smaller sensors, smaller lenses, and fewer resources are big reasons why, and as rear cameras continue to evolve (some more than others, anyway), products are released to encourage users to turn their phones around and use the rear lenses instead.<\/p>\n

Dockcase\u2019s Selfix<\/a> isn\u2019t yet a fully finished product, as it\u2019s going through a crowdfunding campaign first, but it aims to offer an alternative to front-facing cameras via a rear circular display. I\u2019ve been using it to see how well it works. It\u2019s up against growing competition, not just from devices already on the market, but also from convincing users to adopt such a solution in this form.<\/p>\n

A Rounded Screen in a Rectangular Peg<\/h2>\n

The Selfix is a case that doubles as storage expansion via a microSD card slot. Dockcase made this first iteration solely for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. It doesn\u2019t have a built-in battery, though sliding the iPhone onto the case\u2019s own USB-C plug means the phone\u2019s battery ultimately powers the rear screen. The case\u2019s USB-C port underneath offers passthrough charging for the phone itself, negating any need to slip out of the case.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

So, while the main draw is that you can use the rear screen to take selfies with the higher-quality rear cameras, Dockcase is betting that being an actual protective case and offering a card slot make Selfix stand out. It\u2019s not an attachment like the SmallRig Wireless Video Monitor or Insta360 Snap Selfie, both of which utilize MagSafe to stay attached to the iPhone.<\/p>\n

In this case, you have a thicker silicone case with a 1.6-inch rounded AMOLED touchscreen display (480 x 480) placed smack dab over the MagSafe coils in the phone underneath. The magnet is still strong enough to attach MagSafe accessories, but the increased distance between the coils and a wireless charging surface prevents the iPhone from being recharged that way. That includes portable MagSafe chargers as well, even if they can stay attached to the back.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

That introduces caveats off the bat, though maintaining MagSafe magnet access is nothing to scoff at, in my view. Then there\u2019s the microSD card slot, which supports UHS-I cards (Class 10, U3, V30) up to 2TB, and acts as an onboard storage expansion not unlike plugging in an external SSD. The catch is that iOS limits how expandable storage ties in to features in the iPhone.<\/p>\n

For example, iOS only allows ProRes video to record directly to external storage. You can\u2019t save photos or standard videos directly to the card, leaving you only the option to use the iPhone\u2019s Files or Photos apps to transfer or back up image files after first saving them to the phone\u2019s internal storage.<\/p>\n

Using the Selfix for Selfies <\/h2>\n

Turning on the Selfix is as easy as pressing and holding the case\u2019s power button below the phone\u2019s volume buttons. It doesn\u2019t use a dedicated app, and it doesn\u2019t require firmware updates to work with compatible iPhones, though you do need to make a few software adjustments to activate the rear screen\u2019s features. Under Settings > Accessibility > Touch, turn on AssistiveTouch and then add it to the Control Center.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Doing this makes it possible to control the Camera app\u2019s onscreen controls from the rear display \u2014 at least those you can actually see. It\u2019s easy enough to tap to focus, but the rest requires some memory on your end. You tap on the tiny numbers at the bottom edge of the screen to switch between the three rear cameras. Swipe left or right to adjust the zoom level. Swipe down to lock the zoom. Take the shot by either pressing the volume button, which acts as the shutter, or the in-app shutter to take a selfie. You generally have to use the main screen to switch modes.<\/p>\n

Since the Selfix\u2019s rear display is basically mirroring the iPhone\u2019s own screen, simply pressing the Selfix\u2019s own on\/off button switches the horizontal orientation. From there, it\u2019s pretty easy to frame oneself with that circular display and snap selfies. I just find it\u2019s easier to do so when said selfies are solo shots. Add one, two, or more people for a group photo, and you need a longer arm to make sure everyone is in frame, unless you use the ultra-wide lens.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Tilting the phone in landscape orientation leads to some weird situations. If you do it right after launching the Camera app, it rotates and looks normal. Click the button, however, and it flips it upside down. Leave the app idle for a short while (I can\u2019t be certain how long), and tilting into landscape keeps the rear screen locked to portrait orientation.<\/p>\n

I asked Dockcase why this happens, and they responded, noting that the Selfix still has limited optimization for landscape mode, suggesting enabling rotation lock on the iPhone before switching. This does seem to do the trick as a workaround, though clicking the button still flips upside down rather than horizontally.<\/p>\n

Working With Others<\/h2>\n

The more I used the case, the more nuances popped up. For instance, Dockcase optimized Selfix to work with Apple\u2019s own Camera app, leaving it in murky territory with third-party apps. They technically work because the case merely mirrors the phone\u2019s screen, except you have no real control over the settings from the rear. The volume button works as a shutter, but that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all bad, from my vantage point, mainly because the rear screen acts as a rear monitor of sorts when trying to take a photo from a tight angle or as a more elaborate selfie. Moreover, even though it\u2019s not truly optimized for video, mirroring makes the rear screen a useful live monitor. It\u2019s just that the smaller circular display isn\u2019t as effective for that as the rectangular screens SmallRig and Insta360 have.<\/p>\n

Those two competitors have the advantage of catering to Android users as well. They\u2019re agnostic and work just fine with any Android phone, particularly those that also have MagSafe support (either built-in or via a case). That also extends support to iPhones going back to the iPhone 12, thereby making the Selfix considerably more exclusive by comparison.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

However, despite being a case that docks into the iPhone\u2019s USB-C port, it still has a separate charging port. It doesn\u2019t take up the phone\u2019s USB-C port like the Insta360 Snap Selfie or require recharging as often as the SmallRig Wireless Video Monitor.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, Dockcase builds in some battery-saving tech into this. The screen dims after one minute of inactivity, sleeps after five minutes, and then powers off fully after 10 minutes. The case tends to run warm and get hotter over time, so I got into the habit of turning it off when I was done using it.<\/p>\n

Selfix supports PD 3.0 and 45W charging. Interestingly, Dockcase calls out some Anker chargers and multi-port chargers as having \u201ccompatibility issues due to adaptive power protocol switching.\u201d Thus, it recommends using a single USB-C port charger or a non-Anker charger for best performance. <\/p>\n

Coming Soon <\/h2>\n

The Morganite Pink variant Dockcase sent me is clearly the most effeminate of the trio, which also includes Onyx Black and Satin White. For now, the company will run with a Kickstarter campaign<\/a> to fund the initial batch set for May 2026 before launching to broader retail at some point afterward. The case is selling for $79 to early backers with a projected retail price of $129 to follow.<\/p>\n\n

Disclaimer<\/strong>: Make sure you do your own research into any crowdfunding project you\u2019re considering backing. While we aim to only share legitimate and trustworthy campaigns, there\u2019s always a real chance that you can lose your money when backing any crowdfunded project. PetaPixel does not participate in any crowdfunding affiliate programs.<\/em><\/p>\n

To hold projects accountable, all crowdfunding campaigns on which PetaPixel reports are financially backed with the lowest tier option in order to give the publication visibility into all backer-only communications. If a campaign owner acts in a manner inconsistent with its promises, PetaPixel will share that information publicly.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you ask me, some of the worst smartphone photos are those people take with front-facing cameras. Smaller sensors, smaller lenses, and fewer resources are big reasons why, and as rear cameras continue to evolve (some more than others, anyway), products are released to encourage users to turn their phones around and use the rear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/03\/selfix-case-hands-on-featured-800x420.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-20337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20337"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/creatorkitdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=20337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}