Sharp Aquos R3 announced: Two notches and 120Hz screen (Update: Euro launch)

Update, September 5, 2019 (12:05 PM ET): It only took Sharp about five months after launch, but the Aquos R3 has finally made its way to Europe. The Japanese company announced its European launch details at IFA 2019.

The Sharp Aquos R3 will retail for 729 euros (~$805) when it goes on sale in November. We didn’t get an exact launch date or specific European countries though.

In case you missed it, the Sharp flagship packs a Snapdragon 855 processor, a 6.2-inch IGZO display (QHD) with 120Hz refresh rate, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of (apparently expandable) storage, and a 3,200mAh battery. The phone also serves up two notches (one for the camera and one for the fingerprint scanner), bucking the trend of a single notch or full-screen designs seen this year.

Would you buy a Sharp Aquos R3 over other Snapdragon 855 phones? Sound off in the comments section!

Original article, May 9, 2019 (04:11 AM ET): One of the most notable trends in the smartphone space has been the migration towards full-screen displays and tiny cutouts. But Japanese company Sharp is bucking the trend with its new Sharp Aquos R3 flagship, offering two notches.

The new phone (spotted by GSMArena) offers a 6.2-inch quad-HD IGZO display with a waterdrop notch at the top and a cutout for a home button/fingerprint scanner at the bottom. Personally, I would’ve preferred a rear fingerprint scanner in lieu of the second cutout.

The Sharp Aquos R3 thankfully continues the company trend of offering a 120Hz refresh rate on its flagship displays. This is a higher refresh rate than most phones out there (with the exception of the Razer Phone line), and should result in smoother gameplay and general system navigation.

Sharp’s phone seems to deliver in the power stakes too, offering a Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of fixed storage, and a 3,200mAh battery with 11 watt wireless charging. The battery size is rather small for a flagship, especially when you take the screen size into account. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10e has a smaller, 5.8-inch display but packs a 3,100mAh battery.

Switching to the camera experience, the Sharp Aquos R3 offers a dual rear camera setup. And much like last year’s Aquos R2, we’ve got one camera for video (20MP, f/2.4, 125 degree field of view, pixel binning) and one for stills (12.2MP, f/1.7). Sharp is also offering automatic photos when users record a video. A 16MP camera in the waterdrop notch handles selfies, video calls, and face unlock.

The company hasn’t revealed pricing or availability details, so it’s too early to say whether we’re looking at a great deal. But it’s likely the only Snapdragon 855 phone with a 120Hz refresh rate for now.

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