Best Selfie Apps, Cameras, Smartphones and Accessories

At CIO.com, we don’t normally write about such fads as “selfies.” We’re much more interested in bringing you news, reviews and opinions about technology that will help you become a better IT leader and — oh, who are we kidding? It’s summer vacay time! Just like you, we love to hit the road, and we’re not above snapping a few selfies along the way. Join us as we kick off our shoes, wiggle our toes in the sand and strike a pose. The following cameras, smartphones, apps and accessories are designed to help you capture the best selfies possibly.

$399 – $499 and up

With its pop-up, 3-inch LCD touch screen, the new Samsung NX Mini camera aims to be the ultimate selfie machine. Point the camera at yourself, and you can snap the shutter by winking, smiling or pressing the shutter button. The NX Mini is an interchangeable lens camera that comes in five colors and two consumer packages. For $399 on Amazon and other retailers (prices vary), you get a 9mm lens. For $499, you get a 9-27mm lens, which gives you 3x optical zoom and a flash attachment. Both versions have a built-in flash. I bought the latter for an upcoming Europe trip. I like the camera but the 9-27mm lens makes it bulky.

Price in U.S. TBA

Sony’s Android smartphone, the Xperia Z2, features a 2.2MP front camera that, when combined with its mobile image-processing engine, helps the Xperia take selfies in low-light conditions. Beach bums listen up: The Xperia ZS is among the few smartphones that is “waterproof.” Engadget calls it “the best Sony phone that has ever been.” The Xperia Z2 is said to be coming to the United States via Verizon Wireless in August.

Free

Today, the world’s most famous selfie is the one Ellen DeGeneres took at the 2014 Oscars. The free Urturn iOS service got some mileage out of that famed photo because the company let its users insert themselves into Ellen’s selfie. Though it’s not technically a selfie app, Urturn is made for the selfie generation. It lets you add all sorts of overlays to your mug shots and then share them with friends via social media. You can also check out what others have created with the app.

$25

Don’t feel like carting around a selfie stick? The HISY device, which comes in five colors and works only with iOS devices, may be for you. It’s a simple shutter-release remote button that communicates wirelessly with your iPhone camera via Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). It uses a standard CR2032 cell battery that is supposedly good for more than two years, and it comes with a headphone attachment so you can easily carry the wireless button. I suspect a self-timer photo app, such as GorillaCam, would accomplish the same thing without the need for an additional piece of hardware, but the HISY does come with a foldable iPhone stand.