I mentioned recently on this blog that my boyfriend tasked me to research what new smartphone he should get, and I knew I had to review the first handset for 2016 of OPPO, the F1, since he’s fond of this mobile brand—he’s had his OPPO Neo 5 (reviewed it here) for almost a year now, and it has outlasted his other smartphones. He carries two phones at all times (one of them is still the Neo 5, which carries his Globe number), and the reason he needs a new one is, the smartphone he got less than half a year ago has conked out on him. Twice. Tsk, tsk.

So of course an OPPO phone had to be one of the options, and I was interested in the F1 because of how it looks and how it’s dubbed the “Selfie Expert.” If you follow my posts on Instagram, you’d know that Jessie and I love to take selfies whenever we’re together (we’re in a long-distance relationship), so this is a must-have feature for us. Jessie loves his Neo 5’s selfie camera, so I’m quite sure he’ll also like the F1’s even better 8-megapixel front camera that takes sharper photos at wide-angle, so you capture more.

My friend Ara and I test the OPPO F1 selfie camera at the Aeropostale Step Up Your Spring fashion show. Look at the details it captures!

The 84-degree-wide angle front camera’s lens comes with f/2.0 aperture and a 1/4-inch screen sensor that allows 40% more light to enter than an f/2.4 aperture lens. The F1’s camera hardware is paired with Beautify 3.0+, which removes blemishes and brightens your skin. This results in the phone’s front shooter working like it has a built-in styling team that glams you up. See some sample selfie shots I took above and below.

I look like I have more than just lipstick and kilay on; the selfie camera made my complexion look more radiant post-yoga, even without foundation or powder.

I also really like its 13-megapixel rear camera, which takes sharp, crisp, bright, and high-resolution photos. I tested it out when I took food porn shots at Mango Tree Restaurant BGC’s ongoing Thai Street Food Festival, and just for comparison, I took the same shots using my gold iPhone 6 as well. I’d daresay both look great and at par with each other. See for yourself below how well the OPPO F1 did vs. the iPhone 6 camera in taking photos of the same dishes from the same angle, with the same lighting.

Squid Rings photo taken using OPPO F1

Squid Rings photo taken using iPhone 6

Click through the gallery below for more food porn and photo quality comparisons. Can you tell without looking at the caption which one is taken using the F1, and which one is shot with an iPhone 6?

[wonderplugin_carousel id=”137″]

Besides the camera, the F1’s other standout features are a 5-inch HD screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which is protected by a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 coating, and a durable and stylish back that has a velvet-like softness, achieved through putting the premium metal through as close to 40 polishing processes. It has a ColorOS2.1 OS, based on Android 5.1, with Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 Octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. Its 16GB of storage is expandable up to 128GB, and it’s dual-SIM: It can hold one micro-SIM card and one nano-SIM card.

Just look at how vibrant its screen is!

The packaging is geared toward females, as it used an image of a makeup palette as its screensaver. And speaking of screensaver, another great thing I love about the F1 is its Lockscreen Magazine: When my phone is locked, the screensaver changes each time I activate my phone, showing lifestyle images—from celebrity (sometimes I even get Benedict Cumberbatch!) and runway photos, to pics of sports cars, bags, flowers, food, destinations, even athletes, haha. I take secret pleasure in confusing people who glance at my lockscreen: Ano ba ang interest ng babaeng ‘to, papalit-palit lagi ang screensaver, haha!

OPPO F1 packaging

The battery lasts long (I charge it every other day, considering my data is on and I check my email, Viber, Instagram, Facebook, and FB Messenger frequently throughout the day). Another thing my boyfriend noted about OPPO is how it’s great for productivity, as unlike some phones within its class/price range, it can actually open Word, Excel, and even Powerpoint files.

The clincher, in case you missed it in the title: This chic phone retails for only P11,990. It also comes with its own clear case, so you don’t need to buy one that would show off its gold tone. And did you know it comes in Rose Gold, too? So pretty!

For more information on the F1, visit oppo.com/ph.