Sharp Aquos S3 stars in hands-on photo shoot, shows off its iPhone X-like notch

Sharp's upcoming Aquos S3 smartphone has been doing the rounds in the rumorverse since the beginning of this year, getting certified for sale both by China's TENAA and Taiwan's NCC. Those outings have revealed a few pictures of the handset, but if you want more a source over in China delivers today.

This is our first look at hands-on images of the Aquos S3, caught somewhere in the wild with its iPhone X-inspired screen notch and dual rear camera positioning and vertical alignment. Unlike Apple's darling, this model goes with a fingerprint scanner on the back as you can see, since the Android world still isn't ready to give up on those.

  
Sharp Aquos S3 hands-on images

The Aquos S3 has a bottom bezel, but a pretty small one, and its design is quite in tune with the times. It should arrive with the Snapdragon 630 chipset at the helm, paired with 4 or 6GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB of storage, depending on which model you buy. It will reportedly boot Android 8.0 Oreo from day one.

The screen is probably a 5.99" 18:9 LCD with 2,160x1,080 resolution. The rear camera module has 12 MP + 13 MP snappers, while for selfies you'll get a 16 MP sensor. Everything is kept running smoothly by a 3,100 mAh battery. The Sharp Aquos S3 may become official at MWC later this month, ahead of a possible European releaseat some point between April and June.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

Here's our first look at the Sharp Aquos S3 in the wild

While we wait for its January 16 announcement in Taiwan, we get to see the first live images of the upcoming Sharp Aquos S3.

The live images fall in line with those we saw from the Aquos S3's visit to the TENAA. It has glass on the front and back with a metal frame, sandwitched in between.

The phone was also certified by the Taiwanese communications commission (NCC) too.

The back of the Sharp Aquos S3 hosts a dual camera, likely a 12MP+13MP setup, LED flash and a fingerprint scanner.

The front is almost entirely taken up by a 5.99-inch LCD of 1080x2040px resolution. It appears to have a tiny notch at the top too.

The Sharp Aquos S3 will most likely be powered by either a Snapdragon 660 or 630. It's expected to become available in two RAM+storage configurations - 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128.

Sharp will make the Aquos S3 official next week, on January 16 in Taiwan. It will go on sale in Black, Gold and Blue colors.

Source

Sharp Aquos S3 arrives on January 16 with fingerprint scanner on the back

Two Sharp phones popped up on TENAA in the last days of December. A variant of the phone was also certified in Taiwan, confirming the name Aquos S3. The manufacturer now followed that up by sending invitations to a press, event on January 16.

Mini version of the Sharp Aquos S3 is also expected to be announced since the name was leaked on a Google Play support page where the model name matches previous leaks.

The Sharp Aquos S3 will have a 5.99” screen with 18:9 ratio and Full HD+ resolution. Like the current flagship Aquos S2, the new phone will most likely have two versions - one with Snapdragon 630, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage and a more powerful one with Snapdragon 660, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.

    
Sharp Aquos S3 on TENAA

The dual camera setup of the Aquos S3 is expected to be 12 MP + 13 MP, while the selfie shooter will have a 16 MP sensor. Arriving with Android Nougat and 3100 mAh battery, the phone should come only in Black.

    
Sharp Aquos S3 mini on TENAA

The Aquos S3 mini is expected to have the same display like the Aquos S2 - 5.48” in diagonal with a resolution of 2040 x 1080 pixels and a tiny notch on the front for a 20 MP selfie camera. On the back, there will be only one cam with 16 MP sensor.

Pricing and availability of both devices will be revealed in two weeks at the launch event.

Source | Via

Sharp Aquos S3 (FS8032) gets certified in Taiwan

The Sharp Aquos S3 has got one step closer to being made official. The device, carrying a model number of FS8032, has been certified by Taiwan’s certification body NCC. The image included in the certification also reveals vertically-aligned dual camera setup as well as rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The device has already appeared in benchmark listings. A Geekbench outing for the phone revealed key specs, including Snapdragon 630 SoC, 4GB RAM, and Android 8.0 Oreo.

Recently, the Sharp FS8015 cleared TENAA. If you compare, the design of that device (at-least the back panel) is similar to that of the FS8032.

  
Sharp FS8015

As per TNEAA, the FS8015 is powered by an SoC with octa-core CPU (clocked at 2.2 GHz), and features a 5.99” screen with 18:9 ratio and FullHD+ resolution (2160 x 1080 pixels). Memory options include 4/6 GB RAM and 64/128 GB storage.

As for camera, the main module is 12 MP + 13 MP, while selfie shooter is 16 MP. The phone packs in a 3,100mAh battery.

Source | Geekbench

Sharp Aquos S2 taken apart, a bezel-less phone that's well put together

It may look like the Essential phone, but the Sharp Aquos S2 is its own thing. The company has been making bezel-less phones before everyone else jumped on that bandwagon and it shows in how skillfully the S2 is put together.

The rear panel is held together with just glue, but many components on the inside are screwed down. Everything comes apart fairly easily, once you get past the back panel (you’ll need a heat gun and suction cups for that).

    
Taking apart the Sharp Aquos S2

That selfie camera that cuts into the screen did require some acrobatics by the engineers. It also houses the proximity sensor. You’ll need the heat gun again for this part, space is so tight here that screws were not an option. Check out how the LCD screen was cut to make room for this assembly.

  
A closer look at how the selfie camera fits into the screen

If you like what you see, the Aquos S2 should have started its global rollout yesterday, though we haven’t seen it in any stores yet.

Via

Sharp Aquos S2 camera samples appear with massive background blur effect

On Friday we told you about the Sharp Aquos S2 official announcement and today, a day before the launch, we have the first camera samples. They were shared by Luo Zhongsheng, senior VP at Foxconn Technology Group and also a CEO of Sharp’s mobile phones department. The Aquos S2 comes with two cameras and extra strong backgroung blur effect.

We checked back with the source and some of the original photos were missing, but thanks to a tip we salvaged some of them. The promo images with the Sharp girls reveal a strong blur of the background. What is more surprising though is not the closest object is visible, but one that is previously selected.

  
Sharp Aquos S2 alleged camera samples

Now let's see the monk images. The person is clearly visible and its borders are very sharp (pun intended). The scenery around him is massively blurred, making the object in sight really stand out.

Another interesting feature is the screen ratio. It is 1.88:1 which is somewhere between 18:9 and 16:9. We’ll have more details about the Sharp phone tomorrow after the official unveiling.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

SHARP AQUOS S2 officially coming on August 14, will be announced Aug 8

Do you remember the SHARP AQUOS Crystal? It was a smartphone made by the Japanese electronics maker in 2014 which incorporated a display that cut really close to the edges of the phone itself. The phone would make it to Sprint and Boost Mobile in the US with mid-range specs. Since 2013, Sharp has made a total of 28 full-screen smartphones, mostly in markets outside of the US.

SHARP AQUOS Crystal for Sprint

Sharp’s newest full-screen smartphone is going to be officially unveiled on August 8 for a release to the Chinese market on August 14. The upcoming phone is called the SHARP AQUOS S2 and will feature the highest screen to body ratio of any smartphone: 84.95%, the remaining area will be dedicated to a front facing camera. Sharp says this will make a 5.5-inch smartphone feel like a 5-incher.

Sharp aims to eventually make a smartphone that is 100% display. The challenge here is finding where to place the front-facing camera, earpiece, and fingerprint sensor, which we are assuming will be on the back of the AQUOS S2. Additionally, Sharp aims to achieve a breakthrough in “anti-dropping” technologies.

The AQUOS S2 marks SHARP’s re-entry into the Chinese smartphone after four years. Ever since Foxconn’s acquisition of SHARP, the Taiwanese manufacturer has been aggressive about SHARP’s return to the smartphone business.

This invite confirms a previously leaked version of the invitation in Chinese. The same post also cites a rumor that says the phone will feature a fingerprint scanner under the display.

Source | Via

Sharp's upcoming bezelless smartphone stars in a leaked image

Sharp is going to announce a couple of bezelless smartphones on July 17. Now that we're just five days away from that event, an image reportedly showing one of the upcoming devices has been leaked in China. Interestingly (or oddly, rather), the way it's framed quite perfectly matches a teaser photo of the Essential phone by Android co-founder Andy Rubin.

That said, Sharp's handset does have a slightly different design language, though it too seems to incorporate the front-facing camera through a cutout in the middle of the screen. The device will most likely have its fingerprint scanner on the rear, according to the source of the leaked image.

 
Leaked Sharp bezelless smartphone

Sharp's bezelless handsets will bear the model numbers FS8010 and FS8016, and the only rumored difference between these will be the chipset used: while the FS8016 will be powered by the Snapdragon 660, the FS8010 will have to make do with the SD830.

They will both sport a 5.5-inch 2,048x1,080 touchscreen, dual 12 MP rear cameras, an 8 MP selfie snapper, 4 or 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Android 7.1.1 Nougat will be on board.

Source (in Chinese) | Via

Sharp X1 is the latest Android One smartphone for Japan, huge battery included

Here's a fun fact: Google's not really that successful Android One initiative still exists. Not only that, but today it's unveiled the latest smartphone in the lineup - the Sharp X1. This will be exclusive to Japan, and it comes around one year after the first ever Android One device to arrive in that country - the Sharp Aquos 507SH.

The X1 comes with mid-range specs as you'd expect from Android One. It boasts a 5.3-inch 1080p IGZO LCD touchscreen, a 16.4 MP main camera with LED flash, an 8 MP wide-angle camera for selfies, and a huge (for this size device) 3,900 mAh battery. This is rated for up to four days of usage and it uses USB-C to charge. A fingerprint scanner is on the front.

The handset is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 435, aided by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. The X1 supports FeliCa, and it's also water and dust resistant. It launches in white, dark purple, and mint green with Android 7.0 Nougat on board. You can buy it from Japanese carrier Y! mobile.

Source (in Japanese) | Via

Bezelless Sharp FS8010 and FS8016 to arrive on July 17

Sharp did the whole 'nearly bezelless' thing in the smartphone world way before the Xiaomi Mi Mix made it cool last year. And now the Japanese company is getting ready to take things to the next level, if a new rumor out of China is accurate.

An unnamed source has revealed that Sharp will launch two devices that will be very close to the Mi Mix in terms of design, just with a much smaller chin. The FS8010 and FS8016 will be identical in all respects but one - the chipset chosen to power them.

While the FS8016 will go with the Snapdragon 660, the FS8010 will settle for the Snapdragon 630. Both of these chips were made official last month.

The other specs for the new FS phones are as follows: a 5.5-inch 2,048x1,080 display, at least a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, dual 12 MP rear cameras, and 4 or 6GB of RAM. They will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

All of the above specs have basically been confirmed by an AnTuTu benchmark run performed by the FS8010, except for a slight discrepancy in screen resolution - the benchmark says it's 2,040x1,080. AnTuTu also adds new elements to the puzzle, revealing that the selfie camera is an 8 MP unit and internal storage will be 64GB.

The Sharp FS8010 and FS8016 are expected to become official at an event on July 17.

Source 1 (in Chinese) | Source 2 (in Chinese) | Via 1 | Via 2

Nougat-powered Sharp FS8016 spotted in benchmark listing

A new Sharp smartphone has been spotted in a listing on Geekbench. Listed as FS8016, the device is powered by Snapdragon 660 SoC with octa-core, 1.84 GHz processor, and packs in 4GB RAM.

The listing also reveals the handset runs Android Nougat (version 7.1.1 to be specific). Sadly, nothing else is currently known about the FS8016. However, given that it has started appearing in benchmark listings, we expect to hear more about it sooner than later.

Source | Via

Sharp unveils Star Wars-themed phone for SoftBank

Verizon typically has dibs on Star Wars-themed smartphones - they even licensed the word “Droid” from George Lucas. Now Sharp is stepping into their territory with a phone for SoftBank.

The phone comes in two versions - Light side and Dark side, naturally, and features live wallpapers and themes that turn its screen into the cockpit of an X-Wing or a Tie fighter respectively. Star Wars-themed ringtones, emoji and an alarm clock are also included.

   
The Light and the Dark side

You also get to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens for free. We’re not sure but you may have to bring your own lightsaber, though.

  
Custom emoji • Star Wars alarm clock

As for the Android smartphone qualities of the handset, it features a 5.3” IGZO display (1080p resolution), a Snapdragon 820 chipset with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage (plus a microSD slot) and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Like so many of Sharp’s phones, this one is waterproof (IP58).

It has a 22.6MP main camera and a 5MP selfie cam, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi ac connectivity and a 3,000mAh battery.

 
Fancy Star Wars box may include an action figure (supplies limited)

If you want one (and are in Japan, obviously), you can pre-order it today, shipments begin December 2. The first few to order will also get an action figure (spoiler: it’s Darth Vader).

Source | Via

Sharp Aquos Xx3 mini announced with a 4.7-inch FullHD display, Snapdragon 617

Sharp has announced the Aquos Xx3 mini smartphone in Japan. The unfortunately named device is otherwise pretty interestingly specced and is likely to entice compact phone fans.

For starters, it has a 4.7-inch FullHD IGZO display which makes for a 469ppi density, while the Sony Xperia X Compact sticks with 720p resolution on its 4.6-inch diagonal, hence 319ppi.

     
Sharp Aquos Xx3 mini

The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 617 chipset, its octa-core CPU coupled with 3GB of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB, but there's a microSD slot for when that inevitably gets filled up. The Aquos Xx3 mini is equipped with a 21MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture lens. On the front there's an 8MP shooter for selfies.

     
Sharp Aquos Xx3 mini

In the connectivity section the phone lists VoLTE, 4G LTE with speeds up to 187.5Mbps down and 37.5Mbps up, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and NFC. Measuring 135x67x8.6mm, the phone weighs 135g, while packing a 2,400mAh battery.

Out of the box, the Xx3 mini will run on Android 7.0 Nougat. No wonder, since it will make it to stores four months from now in February 2017.

Source 1 • Source 2 (both in Japanese) | Via 1 • Via 2

Sharp Aquos 507SH is Japan's first Android One phone

Japan just got its first Android One device, the Sharp Aquos 507SH, a compact mid-range device. It's not as kick-ass as Sharps other recent mini, but it's a solid alternative to the Nexus 5X that we wish was available worldwide.

The 507SH has a 5" screen, an IGZO LCD with 720p resolution. Both it and the back are covered with rounded 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4. The phone isn'tthat tiny, at least not by Sharp standards - it measures 142 x 71 x 8.8mm and weighs 135g.

It is dust and water resistant - IP58 rating means it can go beyond 1m underwater for longer than 30 minutes. And it packs a surprisingly big battery too, 3,010mAh. It's Quick Charge enabled to boot (though it's sold with a regular 1A charger).

The Sharp Aquos 507SH runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, of course, and shouldn't have to wait long for the Nougat update. It doesn't have the most powerful chipset in the world - a Snapdragon 617 with 2GB of RAM - but clean Android tends to run great even on modest hardware. There's 16GB of storage and a microSD slot.

   
Sharp Aquos 507SH Android One phone

The phone is equipped with a 13MP main camera (1080p video) and a 5MP selfie cam. There's no pricing yet and it goes without saying that we'll probably never see the 507SH leave Japan.

Source (in Japanese) | Via