Japanese company Sharp has announced a new smartphone that’s unlike any other on the market currently. The Aquos R6 flaunts the biggest camera sensor ever seen on a handset, a higher dynamic refresh rate than competing products, and the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max under-display fingerprint scanner.
Aquos R6 features a Leica-branded camera system with a one-inch sensor
The Sharp Aquos R6 allegedly features a one-inch Sony sensor. Image Credits – Engadget
The Aquos R6 comes with a one-inch smartphone sensor, and if you count out the Panasonic Lumix CM1, which was marketed as a communication camera capable of running Android, it is the first handset to feature a module of this size purpose-built for a smartphone.
It’s the only sensor on the phone’s back, probably because the company thinks it’s enough for all the heavy lifting. The downside is that the device only offers digital zooming. Leica worked closely with Sharp on the camera system, and this is all the more indication that the optics company no longer works exclusively with Huawei in the smartphone space.
The one-inch unit is a wide-angle camera, with a resolution of 20MP, aperture of f/1.9, and a focal length of 19mm. It boasts a 7-element “Summicron” lens made for it exclusively by Leica. Sharp claims that it has one-tenth the distortion of conventional lenses, which should lead to sharper images.
The lens is much wider compared to the main camera on most other phones but still not as wide as ultra-wide cameras. The camera unsurprisingly takes up a lot of space but it’s not too chunky. It is accompanied by an LED flash and a time-of-flight module.
Aquos R6 comes with a Pro IGZO OLED
The Aquos R6 sports a 6.6 inches proprietary display with a resolution of 2,730 x 1,260 and a refresh rate as high as 240Hz. The refresh rate is dynamic and can go as low as 1Hz, depending on the content being displayed. The screen has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.
On paper, it sounds like one of the best smartphones of the year. Unfortunately, it will likely only be released in Japan. Nonetheless, it provides a window into what’s to come from other smartphone manufacturers.
The phone is set to ship in June when pricing details will likely be announced. Color options include black and white.
