Her GadgetMatch

5 best dual-camera selfie smartphones below $500

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These days, smartphones can do almost anything. From booking rides, to finding drinks and finding love   these high-tech gadgets are super capable. Having a phone camera has also become a standard, but not all cameras are created equal.

For the photo lovers, I’ve compiled a list of smartphones that have been tailored specifically to us selfie enthusiasts. The best part? A great selfie doesn’t have to cost you substantial money! All phones are below US$ 500.

The 6-inch selfie expert

OPPO F3 Plus

OPPO is called the “selfie expert” for good reason. Their slew of smartphone releases have very capable cameras. The F3 Plus has two front-facing cameras: 16- and 8-megapixel shooters, the latter being a wide-angled camera. This means wider selfies with more scenery! The phone also has a software-generated bokeh mode and its 6-inch screen allows for a bigger screen to check your photos on.

OPPO F3 Plus photo sample

OPPO F3 Plus selfie sample

The F3 Plus has a built-in beauty mode which allows you to toggle between fair and rosy complexions and a beauty filter with seven possible levels of intensity.

READ MORE: OPPO F3 Plus review and selfie comparisons

The perfect selfie smartphone

Vivo V5 Plus

To this day, Vivo’s beauty mode remain to be my favorite. This stands true to their promise of creating “perfect selfie” smartphones. The Vivo V5 Plus, although an older release, is still my photo go-to from the Vivo line. The front-facing dual-camera setup features 20- and 8-megapixel shooters and it’s equipped with a bokeh mode feature.

Vivo V5 Plus selfie sample

Vivo V5 Plus selfie sample

Vivo’s beauty mode features a bar you can toggle from end to end for three different things: buffing, skin tone, and whitening.

READ MORE: Vivo V5 Plus camera hands-on: Another perfect selfie?

A smaller version of the F3 Plus

OPPO F3

The OPPO F3 is everything the F3 Plus is, at a fraction of the size. With a screen at 5.5 inches, my teeny hands are capable of taking one-handed selfies, well, almost. This smaller OPPO phone literally carries the same specs, the same beauty modes as the F3 Plus but at a more affordable price tag.

OPPO F3 selfie sample

OPPO F3 selfie sample

READ MORE: OPPO F3 review and selfie comparisons

The literal pro at selfies

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro

The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro blows me away with the amount of attention put on its beauty mode. Everything from skin tone to skin softening, brightening, eye widening, and cheek thinning may be achieved from levels one to ten — talk about choices!

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro photo sample

Beauty + bokeh mode on the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro

As if that wasn’t enough, ZenFone 4 selfie phones come with ASUS Selfie Master which is a camera app with a different beauty mode interface. The same app allows you to shoot video and go live on social media with a full-time beauty filter.

A dual-camera setup up front is capable of 24-megapixel DuoPixel photos, wide-angle shots, and bokeh mode.

READ MORE: ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro review: The ultimate selfie phone

The Selfie Pro’s budget counterpart

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie

The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie is the budget counterpart of the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro. Fitted with 20- and 8-megapixel cameras for ultimate selfies, this smartphone camera has all the beauty mode features the Selfie Pro has at a cheaper price.

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie selfie sample

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie photo sample

READ MORE: ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie hands-on and camera review

Bonus:

The cutie screen phone

Meizu Pro 7

The Meizu Pro 7 is not specifically marketed as a selfie smartphone, but I feel compelled to include this on the list because of the many wonders its secondary AMOLED screen — or as I call it, the cutie screen — holds.

The teeny panel on the back of the phone serves a great selfie purpose, as it allows you to shoot with the phone’s rear dual-cams on three modes: beauty, camera blur, and original. The Pro 7’s single front shooter is also equipped with a basic beauty mode function.

Meizu Pro 7 photo samples

Meizu Pro 7 selfie samples

READ MORE: Meizu Pro 7 Review: Twice the fun

SEE ALSO: Cute and fun tech for girls!

[irp posts=”12138″ name=”How to take the perfect selfie”]

 

Accessories

Dyson Airstrait: Hair straightening with air, not heat

Less heat, less damage

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People may now straighten hair without worrying about heat damage. Dyson has launched the new Dyson Airstrait hair straightener, ushering a new era in hair straightening. As the product name suggests, this innovative tool introduces a new way to straighten hair using just air.

The Airstrait has a simple wet-to-dry straightening process. Airflow is accelerated through the two arms’ 1.5mm openings, creating a high-velocity downward blade of air at a specific angle. This creates a controlled downward force to straighten hair simultaneously as it dries.

With the tool, stylers can achieve a naturally straight and shiny finish that maintains the hair’s strength and healthy look. The Airstrait also speeds the process up by about 25%. What’s best is there is no heat damage, unlike traditional straighteners.

Designed for multiple hair types

The Airstrait runs on a specifically-engineered Hyperdymium motor, a 13-blade impeller that spins up to 106,000rpm and generates 3.5kPa of pressure. Like Dyson’s hair care range, the Airstrait features intelligent heat control that measures the airflow’s temperature to ensure there is no damage.

Users may switch between two styling modes: Wet and Dry. The Wet and Dry modes are pre-set with specific heat and airflow combinations for the best results. A Cool mode is also available to set the style. Moreover, the airflow control has two speed settings, low and high. Drying, meanwhile, can be set to cold shot or root drying.

The science

Dyson has constantly invested a lot financially in research and technology development to craft innovative products in its specific industry. In creating the Airstrait, Dyson engineers studied every detail, from airflow dynamics to hair structure. They also considered thermal, mechanical, and chemical damage and their effects to hair health.

In the end, the Airstrait works based on one key principle. In styling hair to a new shape, hydrogen bonds from each hair strand are broken down. Traditionally, this is done through heat or moisture. But Dyson came up with a tool that just lets water weaken the hydrogen bonds, and then style hair with the optimum level of heat and controlled airflow.

Price, availability

The Dyson Airstrait is available starting April 16 in two colorways: Bright Nickel/Rich Copper and Prussian Blue/Rich Copper. It is priced at PhP 33,900.

Those interested in preordering may already do using this link: Dyson Airstrait

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Her GadgetMatch

Filipina who created Window Garden joins Google Play program

More indie games to come?

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Filipina-owned CLOVER-FI Games is taking the next step to build more accessible mobile games through Google Play. One-woman developer and publisher Camilla Santiago is representing the country at Google Play’s Indie Games Accelerator (IGA) program this year.

Her CLOVER-FI Games studio is behind hit local game Window Garden. The idle game lets players plant and decorate their own virtual indoor garden while relaxing in chill vibes, lo-fi music, and a cottagecore aesthetic. It was released in October 2021, back when Santiago learned app development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Windows Garden has since amassed a million downloads. In almost three years, it has been received well by gamers with a 4.7 rating based on more than 8,200 reviews.

Google Play IGA

The Google Play IGA is a 10-week course designed for high-potential indie game studios. The program allows these startups to access the best of Google’s programs, products, people, and technology to be able to build and improve a successful organization.

The last Philippine representative in the program was Ranida Games, which had created one-on-one fighting game Vita Fighters. Through IGA, the title received benefits, allowing the developers to improve it.

Like Ranida Games, Santiago’s CLOVER-FI Games is just getting started. Her studio’s goal is to ultimately create more cozy-themed games that are accessible to everyone through mobile platforms.

With the help of the IGA, Santiago will be equipped with the necessary skills and experience needed to create another potentially successful title just like Window Garden. We can only wait as she empowers Filipinas through her craft.

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Her GadgetMatch

Dyson unveils ‘most intelligent hair dryer’ yet

The Supersonic Nural

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During its global launch event in Seoul, South Korea, Dyson has unveiled its “most intelligent hair dryer” yet: The Dyson Supersonic Nural.

The styling tool harnesses Dyson’s new automatic Nural sensor technology to protect scalp health and enhance hair’s natural shine.

One of the Dyson Supersonic Nural’s key features is a Scalp protect mode which is activated by the Nural sensors.

This automatically reduces the dryer’s heat as it nears a person’s head, protecting the scalp from damage. The process is done by having the sensors recognize when the dryer is already nearing the person’s head.

In addition, the Supersonic Nural’s LED light automatically changes under Scalp mode, depending on the distance from the head. Users will see yellow for low heat, orange for medium heat, and red for high heat, for convenient usage.

Moreover, the tool intelligently remembers your last used heat and airflow settings and will apply them the next time it is in use.

Price, availability

The Dyson Supersonic Nural comes in two color palettes: Ceramic Patina and Topaz or Vinca Blue and Topaz.

The entire package will come with five attachments, including two new ones:

  • Gentle Air Attachment
  • Styling Concentrator
  • Smoothing Nozzle
  • Diffuser
  • Flyaway Smoother

However, the technology has not been made available in the Philippines yet as of writing time. To be the first to know when it arrives, sign up here.

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