Remember Meitu, the Chinese app that can beautify your selfies? Well, it just put that same technology into a smartphone.
Meitu is not only a software developer but also also a smartphone maker. And its newest flagship, the T8, has a front-facing camera with optical image stabilisation and dual-pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF) -- the sort of camera stuff you'd find in pricey flagships like Samsung's Galaxy S7 and the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom. It also has a feature, called Magical AI Beautification, that enhances your selfies.
Like the Meitu app, it can detect your skin tone, age, and gender, and then it applies a few adjustments. It even works on group photos, detecting and enhancing every face automatically. It smooths out wrinkles, fixes your teeth, adds glow to your skin, brightens your dark circles, and applies filters. This magic also happens in videos, in real-time no less. In other words, T8 is perfect for all the mirror-obsessed Kim Kardashians out there.
Keep in mind other Chinese phones from the likes of LeEco and Lenovo and Oppo also offer selfie tricks like these, but Meitu is positioning the fully metallic-bodied T8 as the first smartphone to offer DSLR-level quality thanks to its dual pixel technology. Other features include a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2.3GHz processor, a 5.2-inch AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of onboard storage.
It also has a headphone jack. You can buy it from Meitu's website, but it's only for China right now. It costs 3299 RMB ($479 USD) and will be available to buy from other online retailers from 22 February. We'll let you know if the T8 will make it to the US and UK.