Sharp Aquos Mini
Sharp loves to
launch mini phones with stunningly
thin bezels, but they rarely leave Japan. The new Sharp Aquos Mini has a
4.7" screen framed in just 126 x 66 x 9 mm of phone. It's lightweight too,
120 gr, despite its solid IPX68 waterproofing.
The screen is a 4.7"
IGZO unit of 1080p resolution. It's driven at double speed - 120Hz - for
smoother animation and reduced blur from residual images. The screen can go the
other way too and refresh at 1Hz when the phone is idling to preserve power.
The Mini has a unique
notification system called Emopa, it has lights in the bottom corners of the
phone. They also pulse as breathing lights. Another surprise is that the sides
are pressure sensitive so you can squeeze the phone to confirm an action
instead of tapping the screen. The Aquos Mini is
decently powerful too. It uses an older but high-end Snapdragon 808 chipset
with 3GB of RAM and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
There's a 13 MP camera on
the back with a bright f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilization. You can
shoot 720p @ 120fps videos to view on that double speed screen as well. On the
front is a 5MP selfie cam with an 83° lens, it's in a slightly odd position.
You can snag a Sharp
Aquos Mini from Rakuten Mobile for
JPY 44,800 or JPY 2,016 a month for two years. No clue if it will ever be
available outside of Japan (fingers crossed).
