TECH BREAK: Oppo F7 lives up to front camera hype
Lipa Later will enable customers to pay for OPPO devices in instalments. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The images are ready for social media as you can add filters and stickers to any shot you take. No need for additional editing.
Some filters can make one look unnaturally fair, which is not always the best thing.
When we first wrote about Oppo F7, we highlighted the phone’s famed front camera. The manufacturers of this phone are using the front camera to market the device as your ultimate selfie camera. And it lives up to its reputation!
The phone has an amazing 25MP front camera and the company has branded it “Selfie Expert”.
Powered by Artificial Intelligence, the front shooter is said to enhance selfies and make photos look flawless. Launched with a iPhone X-style notch on top of screen, a Full View display and more, Oppo F7 costs Sh35,999 in Kenya.
But first, a quick run through its features: Oppo F7 sports an oval fingerprint sensor placed at the back. The phone also supports unlocking by facial recognition.
The power button is on the right, while the volume rocker keys are present on the left. Oppo F7 uses a USB Type 2.0 for charging, which is placed at the bottom along with a 3.5 mm headset jack and speaker grille.
So how does this phone live up to its moniker of Selfie Expert? In this review, we focus on how the selfies perform since that’s what the marketers are shouting about the most. Yes, the Oppo F7 does an excellent job of clicking selfies in bright outdoors. I was impressed with the kind of details it can retain in shots and colour reproduction was good in most cases. For this price range, the selfies are impressive.
SOCIAL MEDIA- READY
The images are ready for social media as you can add filters and stickers to any shot you take. No need for additional editing. Though some filters can make one look unnaturally fair, which is not always the best thing.
The images are ready for social media as you can add filters and stickers to any shot you take. PHOTO| COLLINS NABISWA
Some of the images taken had me looking unnaturally flawless and my skin was evenly toned. Wow. I just couldn’t recognise myself for a minute! But then we are talking about AI-enhanced selfies with the F7, so one cannot really complain about this.
STRUGGLED IN LOW LIGHTING
In low-light settings, Oppo F7 the selfie expert struggled a bit. The colour reproduction was quite good. Still, the photos were not as sharp as in bright outdoors.
Nonetheless, the flash brightens up the person in low-light and no matter the background, the 25MP camera won’t let you down.
Coming to indoor selfies are again, these are pretty good. Detailing is one department where Oppo F7 excels.
The phone’s front camera also comes with a depth detection mode that can blur the background and focus on the subject.
Oppo F7 has a couple of stickers to offer as well, which are not bad. They recognise your face instantly and do what they are supposed to do. But the filters are so Snapchat that on this phone they look like an afterthought and a bit extravagant.
I mostly clicked selfies with AI mode on, which is set by default. However, you can change the settings to none or choose from the different beauty levels that range from one to six.
The higher you go up on the beauty level scale, the more flawless your skin starts to look, which some people may prefer. Still selfies without the beauty mode or AI look much more natural.
