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This is an archive article published on May 5, 2017

Oppo F3 to vivo V5 Plus: The best selfie smartphones to consider

Here is a quick look of a few smartphones which offer among the best selfie-capturing experiences.

Oppo F3, the smaller version of the F3 Plus just launched in India, where the focus is once again on the selfie camera. Dual-selfie cameras, selfie cameras with flash on the front, a 16MP sensor, all of these have become common thanks to brands like OPPO, vivo, Gionee, etc, which have made the ‘selfie camera’ as their USP.

In fact, even Samsung’s C7 Pro, C9 Pro and the new A7 (2017) all have 16MP front cameras to appease users. So which are the ‘selfie’ worthy options to keep in mind when buying a new smartphone? We have a quick list of the top options in the market.

Oppo F3

Price: Rs 19,990

Oppo F3 dual front camera setup produces great results, at least where the selfies are concerned.

Oppo F3 has been specially built to cater to the fact that “selfie is among the core demands” in the Indian market. The phone features two 16MP and 8MP front cameras with 120-degree wide angle, which is the same as in the pricier Oppo F3 Plus. The phone has a group selfie mode to let users make the most of the wide-angle setup.

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In our first impression of the Oppo F3m, we felt the dual front camera setup produces great results, the pictures look sharp. For single and bright selfies, you can use the 16-MP lens in a standalone mode as well. Of course, Oppo has other add-ons like a full-fledged beauty mode, filters, etc to improve the quality of your selfies. For groupies, you can use the 8-MP lens, which offers the wide-angle advantage.

Oppo F3 Plus

Price: Rs 30,990

The latest in the line of Oppo’s ‘Selfie-Expert’ series smartphones features a dual (16-MP + 8-MP) front camera set-up.

Oppo F3 Plus aims to outmatch its predecessor the F1 Plus with added specifications and improved selfies. This one also features a dual (16MP + 8MP) front camera set-up, but has a bigger 6-inch Full HD display.

Our review of the phone revealed good colour reproduction, and better handling of red and pink colours for the selfie camera. The 8MP lens, thanks to its 120-degree wide angle coverage, is specially tuned for group picture. The front camera also offers Beauty mode, filters, etc to boost the selfies.

However, the performance of the front camera isn’t the best when it comes to low light conditions and the selfies can be a bit grainy.

Vivo V5 Plus
Price: Rs 27,980

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Vivo V5 Plus has a dual front camera, and promises a ‘bokeh’ effect on the selfies

Vivo V5 Plus features a dual (20MP + 8MP) front camera setup, unlike the V5 which features a single 20-MP front camera. In our review of the phone, the resulting front camera images were quite stunning. The ones captured with the ‘bokeh’ effect, where the background is blurred, look quite interesting.

However, the image focus during bokeh mode left a few unwanted blurs and also resulted in over-exposure even in moderately well-lit conditions. Vivo V5 Plus also has a Moonlight Selfie mode that lets you create advanced lighting effects for better results.

OnePlus 3T

Price: Rs 29,999 for 64GB

According to OnePlus, the lens can gather more light in dark conditions to reduce noise as well.

OnePlus 3T features a 16-MP front camera lens. Now this one isn’t really sold as a selfie smartphone, but the front camera delivers some excellent results.

In our review, we had said the front camera delivers well on the selfie front. The front camera can capture wide-angle selfies, but not as wide as the one in the Vivo V5 Plus. Plus it helps that OnePlus 3T has a great overall performance, and a more powerful Snapdragon 821 processor.

Gionee A1

Price: Rs 19,999

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Users can also shoot 1080p Full HD videos using the front camera.

Gionee A1 comes with a 16-MP front camera, which competes well with other ‘selfie’ smartphones in terms of resolution. The camera is has f/2.0 aperture, LED flash as well as multiple beauty modes to let users accentuate their selfies depending on how bright you want to look in these photos.

As our review of the phone revealed, the camera captures good details when it comes to the face and the resulting images are impressive. The front-facing camera has an LED flash to take selfies in the dark as well. This is another alternative for someone, who doesn’t want the Oppo or vivo phones.

Vivo V5s

Price: Rs 18,990

he front camera setup features a single 20-MP lens which is equipped with a front flash for better results in low-light conditions.

Vivo V5s is an improved variant of the V5, in that it comes with better cameras among other features. The front camera setup features a single 20MP lens, which is equipped with a front flash for better results in low-light conditions.

Termed as a Moonlight Camera by Vivo, the front camera offers bright and detailed results as our first look at it revealed.

Samsung Galaxy A7

Price: Rs 33,490

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It is also powered by a new floating shutter concept which offers better grip so images stay blur-free.

One again, Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) is not pitched as a selfie camera, but this phone has a 16MP front camera, which is good enough to satisfy most selfie fans.It comes with an f/1.9 aperture and can record videos at 1080p Full HD at 30 frames per second. It is also powered by a new floating shutter concept which offers better grip so images stay blur-free.