Google Pixels have really gained popularity in Japan in recent quarters, and while they’re mostly eating away at Apple’s market share, local brands may be worried as well. With that in mind, check out the new Sharp Sense8, just launched at JPY 62,150 (while a Pixel 7a costs JPY 62,700).
According to Sharp, the phone was designed primarily for two things: a good, easy-to-use camera and a long-lasting battery. For the latter, the battery capacity has been increased to 5,000 mAh (compared to the Sense7’s 4,570 mAh), not bad for a phone that weighs just 159 g.
This is a relatively compact device, measuring 153 x 71 x 8.4 g, and despite its mid-range status, it has a premium aluminum unibody design and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
As for the display, it is a 6.1-inch IGZO OLED panel with 1,080 x 2,432 px. It has a variable refresh rate, 1-90Hz, with the inclusion of a black frame (which Sharp says makes it look like a 180Hz display). The brightness reaches 1,300 nits. The Sense7 from a couple of months ago had a 60Hz display, so that’s one of the upgrades.
Another is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, which has a 36% faster CPU and 33% faster GPU than the Snapdragon 695 found inside the Sense7 (based on Sharp testing). The chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, expandable with a microSD card up to 1TB.
Then we get to the cameras. The new model has a 50MP sensor in the main camera (1/1.55”) with 1.0μm pixels, 2.0μm if binning is used. There is no camera, but the main sensor supports 2x native zoom. Although it is the same sensor as the Sense7, the new model also features OIS. The other camera on the back is an 8MP ultra-wide module.
The Sense8 features a microSD slot as we already mentioned, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB-C port boots via DisplayPort. The only thing missing is fast charging: the official specifications put the charging time at 160 minutes. Wireless charging is not available.
This is a dual-SIM phone with nano-SIM and eSIM. It supports 5G (2.1Gbps) along with WiMAX 2+ (WiMAX is still a thing in Japan, apparently). Additional wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5 (ac), Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC. Another thing to mention is the side-mount fingerprint reader.
Sharp Sense8 in blue, pale green, light copper and cobalt black
The Sharp Sense8 is only available in Japan (at least for now, but Sharp isn’t really targeting the global market). You can also pick it up with contract, check DoCoMo and UQ for more information. The phone is also expected to be available through other major Japanese carriers.
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