We’ve just had one of the hottest days this year which means that summer is officially on its way! With all that socialising and sunbathing to do, you’ll need a decent selfie phone to help you out.
Here at What Mobile, we like nothing more than soaking up the sun and taking a good ol’ selfie to remind us of it. To get your skills down to an art-form, you’re going to need a decent front camera. An artist can produce a work of art without his paper and paint.
With this in mind, here are the Top 5 front-facing smartphone cameras for taking those important summer selfies:
The front camera on the HTC One M9 uses the same Ultrapixel technology as the one which debuted on the M8. The camera was well received for it’s innovative approach to smartphone photography, using two sensors to produce two-level focus pictures. While the duo camera isn’t present on the M9, the underlying technology has still been carried across in some form and it works pleasingly well. Some may go so far as to say that this is the best selfie phone on the market today. It may only be 4MP but rest assured, megapixels don’t mean everything. By combining them together to make a more detailed image, the result is far better than throwing a 16MP sensor on there and calling it a day. Results are clear, sharp and very crisp with good low-light performance. If you can afford to fork out for a flagship, this is your true selfie phone.
Huawei splashed the cash on their P7 and tried to create a strong flagship that undercut competitors. While it didn’t fare the best in benchmarking and speed, both its front and rear cameras achieved a large amount of commercial praise. The 18MP rear camera came from Sony and used BackSide Illumination to create some very desirable images, however it was the front camera that actually managed to steal the show. At a massive 8MP, it beat all the competition during its July 2014 release and continues to lead the pack today. Images are detailed and clear, with an optional beauty mode to remove those crows feet that a higher level of detail can make so prominent.
After the success that Huawei enjoyed for the amazing front camera on the Ascend P7, there was no way that LG were going to be left behind. As a true flagship device, the G4 has a spec sheet worthy of the gods. It just so happens that the front camera is pretty decent too. With an 8MP sensor that mirrors the Huawei, the company were also kind enough to throw in some additional features. Gesture Shutter works by watching your hand movements to control the timer on the device. Making a fist starts the timer, while opening and closing your first twice will take a burst of four selfies in a row. Gesture View uses the proximity sensor to switch between camera and gallery apps by detecting the position of the phone in relation to your face.
Microsoft has been doing a good job of releasing powerful, inexpensive smartphones that target the budget and mid-range market. The Lumia 735 is no exception, with a quad-core Snapdragon 400 and strong battery life. Unashamedly marketed as a selife phone, it’s also very good at taking pictures too. With a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, it can’t quite match the dizzying heights of the LG or Huawei but it still offers very competent results at a cheap price. The front camera is a good performer with impressive results in daylight and acceptable results in low light. ISO levels do get pushed up when things get dark but this is summertime! If you want an inexpensive selfie phone for those frolics in the park, this is the one to pick up.
Another phone market squarely at the selfie market, the Sony Xperia C3 is a mid-range phone that wouldn’t look out of place at a fashion shoot. With a 5MP front camera, this puts it squarely in competition with the Lumia 735. Results are fairly similar across both devices and if you don’t want to make the jump to Windows Phone, it’s well worth a look. The Sony Xperia C3 does have a trump card however and it helps it to excel in low light. It’s one of the few phones currently available that features a front-facing soft flash, meaning you’ll be able to get illuminated selfies even in the worst of conditions. What’s more, it will be great for those long Skype conversations into the night, as it can also function as a light.
