Sharp is about to introduce the most bezel-less phone you’ve ever seen

Sharp was one of the first manufacturers to begin producing bezel-less phones, and ever since it’s been trying to take it one step further. Now, the company has announced what it claims will be the “largest full-screen smartphone” on the market, the Sharp Aquos S2.

In a press release issued late yesterday, Sharp said that the Aquos S2 will arrive with an 84.95% screen-to-body ratio, beating the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus (83.6% and 84% respectively) and the Xiaomi Mi Mix (83.6%) — some of the more popular bezel-less devices available right now. The company also said that the Aquos S2 would feature a 5.5-inch display that feels like a 5-inch handset when held. Thus, the Sharp quote above seemingly refers to largest screen-to-body ratio rather than display size — the S8 Plus panel comes in at 6.2-inches.

Just because the Aquos S2 will feature a lot of screen, though, doesn’t mean there won’t be a selfie camera. Sharp says it has used its own Free Form Display (FDD) technology to cut precise holes into the display panel itself, so it can fit the selfie camera and the earpiece inside.

We’re curious to see how exactly that will work, but Sharp says that the Aquos S2 will have “slim bezels on three sides,” so we know it will either come with a “forehead” or “chin” bezel (it won’t look like the previously rumored Sharp devices seen above, sadly). Sharp also said that its ultimate goal is to produce a “100% bezel-less screen” but noted that there are still a few things standing in the way of achieving that, such as the placement of the front facing camera and fingerprint scanner.

As for the phone’s specs, previous rumors suggest it would come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 or 660 and 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM, depending on the model. There’s also said to be a dual 12 MP camera on the back and an 8 MP selfie snapper, but take these specs with a pinch of salt until the device is revealed next week.

The Aquos S2 will be unveiled at a product launch event in Beijing on August 8 and it will be available in China starting August 14. Sharp hasn’t commented on a wider release just yet, however.

What are your thoughts on the Aquos S2’s potential? Let us know in the comments.