The Sharp Aquos R is among the first phones with the Snapdragon 835

By Christian de Looper April 21, 2017

sharp aquos r news — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sharp may not be the best-known smartphone manufacturer out there, but that doesn’t mean its phones aren’t good. Case in point: the new Aquos R phone, which boasts the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM.

The device was just unveiled by Sharp, and is the first Aquos phone to be launched since the Aquos XX3 Mini, which was unveiled in October 2016.

Apart from the Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM, the device comes with a 5.3-inch QHD display, HDR 10 capabilities, and a battery with a capacity of 3,160mAh. The camera on the back sits in at 22.6MP with an f/1.9 aperture and a wide-angle lens, and a 16MP front-facing camera. The cameras also feature optical image stabilization.

As a new device, the Aquos R also comes equipped with a USB-C port with Quick Charge 3.0, so you can recharge that 3,160mAh battery nice and quickly.

One interesting accessory for the phone is a charging dock, which actually has a few somewhat creepy features. For example, it uses EMOP AI assistant to listen to the user’s voice — so when you get a phone call the dock with automatically turn to face the owner of the phone.

Pricing and availability of the Sharp Aquos R have yet to be revealed, and we don’t yet know if that AI-powered dock will actually come with the phone or if it will be sold as a standalone accessory.

Of course, if you’re looking for a phone with the new Snapdragon 835, you can also either get the new Samsung Galaxy S8, or wait for the slew of phones with the chip that are set to be released over the next year or so. Sony and OnePlus will both likely step into the Snapdragon 835 ring over the next few months, and eventually we’ll also probably get phones from the likes of Google, LG, HTC, and more — all featuring the top-of-the-line processor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

Mobile

Using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 showed me that 2023 phones will be monsters

Iqoo 11 held in a person's hand.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the processor that’s almost certainly going to be inside the top smartphones in 2023, and it’s sure to be a great performer, particularly given the success of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. We’ve been using the Iqoo 11, one of the very first phones to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, to try and understand just what effect it will have on next year’s phones. Will it have more power, better efficiency? That's we want to find out.

Rather than rely on anecdotes or a single comparative benchmark, we put the Iqoo 11 through a series of tests over a single day alongside the OnePlus 10T with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip to get an idea of what to expect from the new processor on a daily basis. Here’s what happened.
Meet the Iqoo 11

Mobile

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 and 4 Gen 1 chips are big deals for cheap phones

qualcomm snapdragon 6 gen 1 4 news new chips

Following in the footsteps of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Qualcomm has today introduced two low-end mobile processors that add the “Gen” naming mantra to the Snapdragon 400 and 600 series. Alongside a few notable upgrades in the camera and connectivity departments, Qualcomm's latest chips have a lot going for them.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1
First in line is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, which takes over the mid-tier reins from the Snapdragon 695. Interestingly, this chip is based on the 4nm fabrication process, making it one of the first non-flagship mobile processors to rely on the 4nm die that offers better performance and higher energy efficiency. In comparison, Apple’s A15 Bionic inside the iPhone 13 series is based on TSMC’s 5nm process.

Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is the first chip in the series to bring computational HDR video capture chops to the table. It’s also the first in the family to get the new 7th Gen AI engine that brings a 3x performance uptake for AI and ML-based tasks. Motorola is among the first brands to embrace the new Qualcomm chip, while phones powered by it will hit the shelves early next year.

Mobile

You have to see the Sharp Aquos R7’s massive camera

sharp aquos r7 announcement lens

Sharp has announced the Aquos R7, the company's premier smartphone for 2022, which features a massive 1-inch camera that's as technically impressive as it is eye-catching. The massive back camera is a 47.2-megapixel Leica Summicron lens that has an f/1.9 aperture. Its focal length of 19mm allows it to absorb 1.8x more light than Sharp's previous 1-inch camera featured on the Aquos R6, making it one of the best mobile cameras on the market.

If you're not familiar with Sharp as a company or any of its products, you're not alone. Sharp is a rather niche smartphone producer that usually launches its devices exclusively in Japan and the Aquos R7 doesn't appear to be an exception.