Sorry, I like it better than AQUOS R8 pro (lol)
I borrowed the Android smartphone “AQUOS sense8” from SHARP, so I will review it. Please note that this firmware is not yet released, so there may be some differences from the actual product.
This machine is a mid-range model priced in the low 50,000 yen range including consumption tax (the manufacturer’s estimated price announced at the SHARP new product announcement).
What is surprising is how light it is. Although it is a highly durable machine that is waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and MIL standard compliant and equipped with a 5000mAh large capacity battery, it actually weighs only 159.1g! (Almost the same as the nominal value) It’s ridiculously light. It’s also comfortable to hold.
By the way, the Xperia 10 V, which is not highly durable, is also at the same level of lightness. The trend among domestic mid-range bikes is to compete for lightness.
This time I borrowed green. The exquisite color looks like silver under the warm lights. This is the best color in this work.
The width is 71mm. It’s slightly thicker than the iPhone 15 Pro and significantly narrower than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
FeliCa is the camera part. This is the best option since it has a metal casing.
The earphone jack and speaker are on the bottom. The fingerprint authentication sensor is on the side. The in-screen fingerprint authentication also gives the impression of being advanced, but it’s the side placement that makes it easier to place your finger on the phone and unlock it. What’s more, in the previous model, the power button and fingerprint authentication were separated, and the fingerprint authentication was oddly located at the bottom, making it difficult to use, but it has been changed to a properly integrated type and is placed in the center. This is a big point.
It continues to support “Pay Trigger,” which allows you to launch any app by continuing to unlock the phone with fingerprint authentication. It’s easy to use, as it no longer requires the tedious movements of “pressing the power button, then replacing your finger, placing it on the fingerprint scanner, and holding it down.”
Moreover, with this Pay trigger, it is now possible to specify shortcuts for multiple apps. You no longer have to worry about which app to choose.
The Pay trigger rarely fails to fire, but you can set it to “use the Pay trigger even when the home screen is displayed” in the settings, so if you turn on this setting, you can reduce the probability of failure.
The screen is a 6.1-inch IGZO OLED (organic EL) with 1 billion colors and a peak brightness of 1300 nits. There is also an option to increase the brightness only when using the camera, and by activating HBM, you can ensure visibility even outdoors.
For AQUOS, which has continued to hold the top spot in the domestic Android market share, its biggest rival is the rising star Google Pixel series. High drive speeds are progressing even in the low price range, and the Pixel 7a supports 90Hz drive at a price of 60,000 yen, but now the AQUOS sense8 also supports 90Hz drive, and also supports pseudo 180Hz drive with 90 frames inserted in black. . Personally, scrolling at 60Hz is no longer a pain, so I think it’s a good thing.
AQUOS sense8 90Hz + black insertion 90 frames (*recorded in slow motion mode) pic.twitter.com/TYHQakRNys
— Sumahon!! (@sm_hn) October 27, 2023
It supports variable drive and also saves power by idling at 1Hz when the screen is stationary. Battery life is good as the battery capacity has been increased to 5000mAh.
It supports the virtual HDR function that allows you to watch SDR videos like HDR videos. It’s definitely a bright and rich color.
Original HDR video contains not only color but also brightness information. It only becomes meaningful when a large amount of information is recorded over a wide dynamic range from the time of recording, such as by preserving dark gradations, and is also displayed on the playback side. In the first place, SDR videos lack such information, so there are limits to conversion. It’s just a “video with an HDR video-like atmosphere.”
Also, unlike AQUOS sense7, this unit supports HDR video in the first place . Even detailed brightness and darkness can be reproduced in HDR-compatible videos on YouTube and SVOD, allowing you to watch videos with a beautiful and realistic feel.
In addition, AQUOS sense6 also supported HDR videos, and AQUOS sense7 does not support HDR videos, but the panel itself supports HDR.Although it was equipped with the same panel as AQUOS sense8 , it is not compatible with the “Snapdragon 695” that uses sense7. ”, sense7 was not compatible with HDR video itself. For this reason, I believe that the reality is that the AQUOS sense7 has a difficult time promoting the “Virtual HDR” function, which was supported in the previous model.
However, if you want to enjoy a beautiful high-definition video with a wide dynamic range that includes brightness information of HDR video with AQUOS sense8, and then immediately watch a slightly sleepy and boring color-toned video, such as an SDR TV program, it will be quite a difference. I feel it. In the sense that it alleviates this sense of discomfort, virtual HDR also has a purpose.
Now, if you’ve read this far and are thinking, “Well, the panel can’t be the same as AQUOS sense7, the refresh rate of sense7 is 60Hz, so it’s different,” you’re sharp. In order to bring out the true value of a panel that was already compatible with 90Hz, AQUOS sense8 has changed the display IC instead of the panel . No matter how good a particular part is, it is meaningless if other parts are not consistent.
n that sense, the evolution of SoC in every respect is probably a big factor. Yes, it’s different from Snapdragon 695. Check out the performance of Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 installed in this device. From Snapdragon 695, graphics are improved by 35%, gaming performance is improved by 40%, and AI performance is up to 3 times higher. Even in benchmark measurements, it’s a huge leap forward, with performance comparable to mid-high performance from two years ago.
- AnTuTu v10.0.7: 509,464 points
- Geekbench 6 Single-Core: 937
- Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: 2693
- Geekbench 6 GPU: 1326
- Sling Shot Extreme OpenGL ES 3.1:4021
- Wild Life Extreme Unlimited: 605, average 3.63fps
- Wild Life Extreme Stress Test:Best loop 613, Lowest loop 544, Stability 88.7%
- Solar Bay: Unmeasurable
- PCMark Work 3.0: 10932
at the time) was very comfortable on the AQUOS R5G, but in later high-end models with improved specs, there were some slightly questionable aspects, and I wondered if the unique scrolling inertia was holding me back. I was a little worried about the 90Hz drive support in the sense series, especially with the X, but for the most part my fears were unfounded. The unique scrolling inertia was considerably weakened, so we assume that improvements and adjustments to the basic specs were effective. By the way, I think black insertion is done on the display IC side, not the SoC, so it shouldn’t be a factor in the processing load.
The tremendous performance improvement is not limited to CPU/GPU performance. ISP performance has also improved dramatically, and videos now support not only FHD/60fps but also 4K/30fps.
As a low-priced model, it is equipped with a large image sensor. You can get a moderate amount of bokeh.
Since it is an optical bokeh that is not a pseudo-reproduction, it blurs not only the depth of field but also the foreground.
What impressed me was the color tone of the camera. Since partnering with Leica, AQUOS has significantly improved its image quality processing, and the results are trickling down to the sense series.
For example, when taking pictures of food, you can take a series of “meshiuma” photos.
It also supports optical image stabilization. It was possible to take stable still images without blur.
AQUOS seems to have a slightly narrower dynamic range when shooting outdoors during the day, but I guess that’s done on purpose. Here’s one that probably went as well as I intended.
What I thought was especially wonderful was the night view.
Areas with large differences in brightness and darkness can be captured, and the exposure knob comes out after tapping, so you can adjust it.
Up until now, the color of AQUOS was a slightly yellowish and flashy image that made you think that it was an “A/B test on ordinary people”, but this is a change. I think this example at the famous location of Tokyo Station is easy to understand. The image has changed drastically to a calm and luxurious image that is reminiscent of the Leica Authentic Look of the continental version of Leica Xiaomi’s high-end model . It’s irresistibly good.
I think it is a wonderful image that is suitable for everyone and has the goodness of traditional photography, with a taste that is right between Sense7 and Xiaomi Leica. For reference, the following is the same location of sense7 and Xiaomi MIX Fold2 (taken on different days).
In lower-light locations, the details in shadow areas are also well rendered and are of a high standard.
In this work, I usually use pixel binning (pixel mixing), and when zooming more than 2x, I use remosaic (pixel mixing cancellation).
The image on the left is pixel binning at 1.9x, and the image on the right is extracted from a 2x remosaic. The remosaic is slightly more detailed, but it may be rare to notice a difference outdoors during the day.
In fact, there were scenes where the effect was felt to be greater in low light. The example below at Tokyo Station is easy to understand. The details of the bricks are more detailed.
I’m impressed by how much detail has been tried to be drawn in the shadow areas. Since the amount of light per pixel pitch decreases, a single pixel requires higher sensitivity, which increases noise. It’s really amazing that a low-priced model can do this much. Going beyond this would require a larger image sensor and a more advanced SoC.
The problem was that the white balance was inconsistent when switching between 1.9x and below and 2x and above, often resulting in noticeable inversions from cool to warm colors and vice versa. I hope for improvements in updates.
Perhaps the sensor and lens are not good for the ultra-wide angle, but the lack of optical performance cannot be compensated for even in HDR/Night Scenery mode, and even during the day and outdoors there is often a lack of resolution, especially sweet edges, purple fringing, etc. In addition to being concerned about noise, the use of the ultra-wide angle is restricted when background processing such as saving when using the wide-angle camera is running, so I did not want to actively use the ultra-wide angle. When you want to take a dynamic composition that can only be taken with a camera, you will definitely want to use it in special situations. Super wide angle is simply fun.
In addition, the conventional AQUOS camera was difficult to use and had a terrible UI, but it has been greatly improved with AQUOS R7, and the results trickle down to the sense series as well. Not only does it have a relatively good UI, including a zoom function that is easy to use with one hand, but this game also allows for the “free placement of a spare shutter button,” further increasing the ease of one-handed operation.
The AI’s scene classification ranged from cases where the reason for misidentification is unknown, such as seeing a Braille block illuminated as “dusk” or “fireworks” on a street glowing in the rain, to “animals” as Tokyo Station. , there are some rare judgments that are completely incomprehensible, so if the AI judgment is incorrect, turn it off as appropriate.
As for the speakers, the sound quality is reasonable for the AQUOS sense series, with the exception of special audio-visual speakers like the sense7 plus.
However, if you take into consideration the fact that it is a Sense series and evaluate it flatly, the overall sound feels a little veiled and dry. Especially in the low range, many layers are applied, and the sound pressure and resolution are completely lacking. The mid-range is coming out, and I can feel some effort in the high-end, but metal sounds and gimbal crashes feel thin and pointed. Since it is monaural to begin with, it is not of a quality that you will want to actively use unless you only enjoy vertical video SNS.
It’s a low-priced model, but to be honest, it’s not enough considering the current price, which has reached the low 50,000 yen range due to the worst exchange rate. At the very least, I believe that raising the sound to a level where you can hear clearly from the edge of the shower while taking a shower will strengthen the product’s characteristics and increase the satisfaction level of continued users. Even if wireless audio equipment such as TWS can cover most of the problems, it is difficult to do so in the bathroom, and if improvements can be made, this will be a strength of the sense series, which claims to be “waterproof for baths.”
At best, the vibrator on this device is gentle, but at worst, it lacks a solid feel, and the sound it makes from the vibrations is cheap, and when you press the power button twice to start up the camera, the vibrating sound is annoying. Since it is a low-priced model, it is probably a rotary type rather than a linear type.
As for charging, it can’t be helped because it’s a low-priced model, but while it doesn’t support quick charging, it does have features such as the “stop charging at about 90%” function, which is familiar to notebook PCs, so it can conserve battery life for a long time. can.
The update promise is “up to 3 OS updates and up to 5 years of security updates.” The shape is similar to the high-end model AQUOS R8 / R8 pro. It can be said that it is not only sturdy, but also has a specification that can be used for a long time. It seems that we can expect to be able to maintain the decline in performance over a long period of time by improving basic performance.
Although I think the Sense series is doing well as a low-priced model, I have never wanted to use it myself.
However, the screen refresh rate, which had been a problem, had improved, and I was strongly attracted to the high-quality balance of high durability, lightness, and large-capacity battery, as well as the camera. I felt that this is the latest installment of the National Machine Sense series, and is likely to sell more widely.
If you are considering a model in this price range and don’t mind the weak points and feel you can compromise, this is the one you should pick up.