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Sharp might have quietly launched an Android One version of the Aquos S3
- A Reddit user spotted what looks like the Android One version of the Sharp Aquos S3.
- The phone is available through South Korea’s SK Telecom.
- Sharp announced the Aquos S3 back in March and was originally available in Taiwan.
Announced in March, the Sharp Aquos S3 and its display notch were only available in Taiwan. A Reddit user noticed that the phone is now available in South Korea through SK Telecom, but they also noticed that some of the press renders show a clean build of Android.
Based on the images, it looks like Sharp opted to go with Android One for the Aquos S3 in South Korea. According to the listing, the phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. This runs contrast to the Taiwanese version, which runs Android 8.0 Oreo under Sharp’s Smile UI.
The listing certainly looks legitimate, along with the screenshot that features the Aquos S3 and the Android One logo. The phone does not appear in any of the Android One landing pages, though that should change soon.
This would not be the first time Sharp launched an Android One smartphone. Announced in January, the Android One S3 is Sharp’s low-end Android offering and is only available in Japan.
By comparison, the Aquos S3 is a big step up in just about every category. As a refresher, the smartphone features a 6.0-inch 18:9 display with a 2,160 x 1,080 resolution, dual 12MP and 13MP primary cameras, Snapdragon 630 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 3,200mAh non-removable battery.
The Aquos S3 will likely not launch in many more regions, since Sharp tends to stick to the Asia-Pacific for its smartphone releases. You are more than welcome to import the phone, though band support might be lacking.