There"s no doubt that 2018 is the year of notched smartphones, what with large phone companies including Huawei, OPPO, LG, OnePlus, Google, and HMD Global having unveiled their own versions of that design choice. While the latest handsets from these companies are sporting displays with a single notch only, Japanese electronics giant Sharp is bucking that trend with the Aquos R2 Compact unveiled today.
The device is Sharp"s latest flagship phone and it has dual notches. It is the successor to last year"s Aquos R, whose main selling point was arguably its artificial intelligence feature. However, the Aquos R"s large bezel on the bottom may not have sat well with those who have grown used to a slim bezel. The Aquos R2 Compact tries to address that concern by increasing the screen size with the addition of two notches placed on the top and bottom of the display.
The device offers a huge design improvement from its predecessor and it keeps the front-mounted fingerprint sensor. Additionally, it"s a powerhouse in terms of its specs, which are listed below:
- Display: 5.2-inch Full HD+ (2280×1080) IGZO LCD with 19:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 845
- Memory: 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage expandable up to 512GB with a microSD card slot
- Operating System: Android 9.0 Pie
- Battery: 2,500mAh
- Rear camera: 22.6MP with optical image stabilization (f/1.9)
- Front camera: 8MP (f/2.2)
- External connection: USB Type-C
The Aquos R2 Compact is expected to be sold in Japan only, like Sharp"s other smartphone offerings. There"s no word on pricing and availability at this time, however.