What Size Photo Fits in a Phone Case?

For a personalised phone case, the photo you upload needs to be at least 1000 pixels on its shortest side, though 1500 pixels or more gives the best result. The case itself is small, so a good-quality smartphone photo taken in the last few years will almost always be large enough. The thing that causes blurry cases is not physical print size but low resolution, usually a heavily compressed or screenshotted image.

Why pixel count matters more than centimetres

When people ask about photo size, they often mean the file dimensions on screen, not a physical measurement. A phone case back panel is roughly 6 cm x 12 cm depending on the model, but that tells you very little about whether your photo will print sharply. What actually matters is how many pixels are packed into that space.

Print quality is measured in DPI (dots per inch). At a standard 300 DPI print resolution, a 6 cm x 12 cm case needs around 708 x 1417 pixels minimum. That sounds technical, but the practical rule is simple: if your photo was taken on a smartphone camera in the last five years, it is almost certainly large enough. A typical modern phone shoots at 12 megapixels or more, which gives you plenty of pixels even after cropping.

What makes a photo too small to use?

These are the most common reasons a photo will not print well on a phone case:

• Screenshots. Taking a screenshot of a photo compresses it heavily and strips most of the resolution. Always use the original file, not a screenshot.
• Images saved from social media. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all compress photos when you upload or share them. If you saved a photo from a WhatsApp chat, it may be half the resolution of the original. Go back to the original on your camera roll wherever possible.
• Old phone cameras or low-resolution settings. Phones from more than eight to ten years ago sometimes shot at 2 or 3 megapixels. At that resolution, you may see some softness on the finished case, particularly if the photo is cropped tightly.
• Heavily zoomed-in crops. If you want to crop tightly to show just one face from a group photo, check that the remaining area still contains enough pixels. Cropping always reduces the usable resolution.

Does the shape of the photo matter?

Phone case backs are portrait-oriented rectangles, roughly 2:1 in proportions. If your photo is landscape (wider than it is tall), it will either be cropped to fit, shrunk so it fits within the panel with white space, or stretched. None of those outcomes are ideal, so portrait photos generally work best for full-bleed phone case designs.

Square photos, common from Instagram-era shooting habits, also need cropping or padding when placed on a portrait panel. When you order a personalised phone case from Scottsy, you can position and crop your image during the design step, so you can see exactly how it will sit on the case before you confirm.

How to check your photo size before uploading

On an iPhone, open the photo, tap the information icon (the small circle with an i), and you will see the pixel dimensions listed. On Android, go to the photo details through the gallery app. On a computer, right-click the file, choose Properties on Windows or Get Info on a Mac, and look for the dimensions.

As a quick guide:

• Under 800px on the short side: likely too small, will look soft or blurry when printed.
• 800px to 1000px on the short side: borderline. May be acceptable depending on how much of the case the image fills.
• 1000px to 1500px on the short side: good. Will print clearly on a standard phone case.
• 1500px or more on the short side: ideal. You have plenty of resolution and room to crop without quality loss.

Does file format affect quality?

JPEG is the standard format for photos and works well, provided the file has not been compressed heavily. A JPEG from your camera roll is fine. A JPEG that has been saved, resaved, and shared several times will have accumulated compression artefacts that can show up in print as blotchiness or soft edges.

PNG files are lossless, meaning they do not degrade with resaving, but most phone photos are saved as JPEGs. Either format is accepted when you upload. If you have both a JPEG and a PNG of the same image, the PNG will give a marginally cleaner result, but in practice the difference is rarely visible on a phone case.

Ready to order?

Once you have found a photo with good resolution, the rest is straightforward. Browse the range at Scottsy personalised phone cases, pick your model, upload your photo, and adjust the crop to your liking. All cases are made to order in the UK with free UK delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a photo from WhatsApp on a phone case?

You can, but WhatsApp compresses images when they are sent, so the file you receive is lower resolution than the original. If the photo was originally taken on a recent smartphone, it may still be sharp enough, but for the best result, ask the person who took it to send you the original from their camera roll rather than through WhatsApp.

Will a selfie work for a personalised phone case?

Most modern front cameras shoot at 10 to 12 megapixels or more, which is more than enough. The main thing to check is that the selfie is not a screenshot or a photo re-sent through a messaging app, as those reduce the resolution significantly.

What if my photo is the wrong shape for the case?

You can crop and reposition your photo during the design step. If your photo is landscape and you want it to fill a portrait case, be aware that you will lose some of the sides. It is worth zooming out a little when taking photos you plan to use on a case, so you have more to work with when cropping.

Does the phone model affect the photo size needed?

Larger phone models have slightly bigger case backs, but the difference is small enough that the same resolution guidelines apply across all models. A photo that is 1500 pixels on the short side will print well on a case for any current phone model.

Can I use a black and white photo on a phone case?

Yes. Black and white photos print well on phone cases. The same resolution rules apply. If the original photo is colour and you want it printed in black and white, you can either convert it yourself before uploading or ask us when you place your order.