Maintaining its solid track record in the Japanese mobile phone market, Sharp continues its previous corporate strategy of introducing all Japan-sold mobile phones into the Taiwanese market. In line with this, the newest addition to the lineup, the AQUOS sense7 plus, is set to make its official debut in Taiwan. This piece will provide an introduction to this latest mobile device and share initial user experiences.
Along with the phone, the box contains charging cables, USB adapters, a charger, and a user-friendly guide. In an effort to embrace environmental sustainability, the packaging for mobile phones, including the AQUOS sense7 plus, is becoming increasingly compact. The package includes the phone, a USB Type-A/Type-C power cable, an adapter, and a DC 5V 2A (10W) charger, as well as a quick start guide.
The Sharp AQUOS sense7 Plus is currently offered in a single color variant named White Moon Silver, lending a silver hue to the entire back cover and frame. Although it might appear to be plastic at first glance, it is, in fact, crafted from metal. The back cover is matte-finished, providing a comfortable grip and resistance to visible wear and tear. The use of metal materials doesn’t weigh the device down; the entire phone weighs a mere 172 grams, feeling exceptionally light in hand and unobtrusive in pockets or bags.
The right side of the device features standard volume control and power buttons, making it highly user-friendly for those familiar with Android phones. It also has a distinctive standalone fingerprint scanner. The phone can be unlocked using either the fingerprint scanner or face recognition, offering flexibility and convenience. The fingerprint recognition function is particularly quick and handy. The design would be further enhanced if the fingerprint scanner could be incorporated with the power button.
The SIM and memory card slots are located at the top of the device. The slot doesn’t require a card eject pin but features a small groove that allows you to use your fingernail to remove the cards. While there’s space for a nano-SIM and a microSD memory card, installation isn’t straightforward. Notably, the card slot features a waterproof rubber ring, offering added protection against water damage.
The AQUOS sense7 Plus supports dual numbers (5G+4G), however, the card slot only has room for one SIM and a memory card. So, how does it manage dual numbers? The phone uses an eSIM for the second number. While telecommunication providers currently charge for this service, its practical application may be somewhat limited for daily use. Nonetheless, it proves extremely convenient when traveling overseas, as it allows you to switch numbers without having to remove the original SIM card, keeping your primary number available when necessary.
The bottom of the device houses a USB Type-C port, serving purposes such as charging, data transfer (USB 2.0), and connecting peripheral devices. At a time when many smartphones are doing away with the headphone jack, the AQUOS sense7 plus retains a 3.5mm jack at the bottom. This feature allows users to pair their favorite wired headphones with the device, a thoughtful design indeed.
The construction of the AQUOS sense7 plus is robust, boasting IP65/68 dust and water resistance. It has successfully undergone 16 tests based on the US military standard MIL-STD-810G, which includes drop tests, further affirming the device’s durability. Under regular circumstances, short exposures to water, like during hand-washing, won’t cause any damage, though it’s advised not to submerge the device for extended periods. Additionally, the device has passed a bend test, which means individuals who habitually store their phones in their back pockets can rest easy. They don’t need to worry about their phones bending and subsequently decreasing their lifespan when they sit down.
The AQUOS sense7 plus comes with a 6.4-inch screen, offering a resolution of 2340×1080 (FHD+) and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Its design incorporates narrow bezels, and other than the semi-circular cut-out for the front camera lens, it offers a high screen-to-body ratio. As a Sharp product, the device uses Sharp’s proprietary IGZO OLED display technology for an intensely vivid and color-saturated visual experience, with a maximum brightness of up to 1300nits. In everyday use, you’ll notice that the color display is unique compared to other standard OLED models when using the default factory settings, offering superior results for video watching and gaming.
When it comes to media consumption, the AQUOS sense7 plus is the first to boast a dedicated image processor. While watching videos on YouTube or Netflix, it uses LSI motion compensation technology for frame interpolation at 120fps, ensuring smoother playback in fast-paced scenes, such as races or sports.
The device’s screen can support a refresh rate of up to 240Hz, providing an impressively smooth visual effect. To balance this with battery life, the phone has a variable refresh rate function, where the system adjusts the refresh rate according to usage, such as during inactivity, video watching, or social media browsing. This feature contributes to both superior display performance and enhanced battery longevity.
Complementing the superior image display, the AQUOS sense7 plus incorporates a newly-developed stereo speaker system with larger speaker units in a box structure, boosting the bass output by approximately 2.1 times. The sizeable speakers, situated on either side, reduce interference between left and right audio, thus providing a wider sound field with better bass. This enhances the audio experience, whether you’re listening to music or watching films. For a more immersive experience or to avoid disturbing others, connecting headphones or external speakers is an optimal choice.
A standout feature for many new smartphones is the camera, and the AQUOS sense7 plus is no exception. It offers a useful yet unexaggerated setup to meet most users’ needs. The main camera features a dual-lens configuration, consisting of a primary lens (equivalent to a 23mm wide-angle) and an ultra-wide-angle lens (equivalent to 15mm). This setup is fairly standard, as most smartphone users rarely utilize telephoto capabilities.
To facilitate ease of photo and video capture, the AQUOS sense7 plus is designed with the main lens positioned along the central axis of the device, making it simpler to center a shot. The primary lens is equipped with a 1/1.55-inch 50.3-megapixel image sensor, which is significantly larger than those found in previous models, leading to higher resolution and better light sensitivity. Utilizing a four-in-one pixel function, the device considerably enhances its capability for low-light photography. As for the ultra-wide-angle lens, it comes with an 8-megapixel image sensor, offering a 0.6x viewing angle ideal for shooting landscapes and similar subjects.
Besides boasting a high-resolution, light-sensitive image sensor, the AQUOS sense7 Plus is also powered by the new ProPix 4 image engine. This, combined with the All PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) technology, significantly improves the speed of focusing.
Upon hands-on usage of the camera function, the device’s camera software offers standard features including general video and photo shooting, alongside additional modes such as portrait, night shot, time-lapse, and slow-motion. Notably, the portrait mode includes adjustable settings for skin beautification and depth of field control (for achieving background blur), making it easy for users to capture photos with a wide-aperture and shallow depth-of-field effect.
The camera function settings are straightforward, offering common aspect ratios and sizes including 4:3, 16:9, and 1:1. Particularly, the 4:3 ratio provides two size options: 50M (8192×6144) and 12.5M (4096×3072). During practical use, it was observed that selecting the 50.0M size, although offering high resolution, takes some time to process each shot. Furthermore, when adjusting the focal length at this setting, only digital zoom above 1.0x can be selected and the ultra-wide-angle function is unavailable. Hence, for regular use with a 4:3 ratio, it’s advisable to set the size to 12.5M. This configuration will significantly speed up processing times and reduce the likelihood of the phone heating up.
Upon utilizing the night mode in low-light conditions, it’s been noted that the AQUOS sense7 plus excels in color accuracy and noise suppression for nighttime photos, rivaling even the performance of higher-priced flagship phones. Overall, the camera and video recording functionalities of this device are quite commendable.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G mobile platform, the AQUOS sense7 plus is equipped with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, with the option to expand storage via a microSD memory card. This offers flexibility, for instance, when saving photos or videos directly to the memory card. Considering its price, the device delivers excellent performance, handling common applications like social networking, video streaming, or casual gaming without any issues.
The device houses a 5050mAh battery, one of the larger ones available in the market, and employs Sharp’s exclusive patented frequency modulation technology, including an automatic screen refresh rate adjustment, to enhance battery life. It also features a smart charging function that effectively mitigates battery degradation, ensuring good battery capacity even after three years of usage. This is significant at a time when consumers’ phone replacement cycles are being extended. During testing, under normal usage, the device’s battery performance was found to be satisfactory.
While the official specs do not specify fast charging support, if we use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 as a reference, it should support QC4+ fast charging. However, the included charger and cable do not seem to activate fast charging at higher voltages (above DC9V). For fast charging to reduce charging time, you will need to use a compatible charger and cable.
The AQUOS sense7 Plus comes with the Android 13 operating system pre-installed, with no significant alterations made by Sharp. Pre-installed software is mainly Google-related, allowing users to customize the device with their preferred apps. Android 13 defaults to gesture-based navigation, which may feel unfamiliar to those used to the traditional three-button navigation, but can be reverted in the settings. As for the overall settings and functionalities, they are quite similar to other models, allowing for quick familiarization. However, some terminology in the settings might differ from commonly used phrases.
Considering its audio-visual capabilities, camera functions, and system performance, the AQUOS sense7 Plus is a valuable mid-range model, priced at less than 15,000. It’s a commendable choice for those seeking an all-around performer at a reasonable cost.
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Title: The Sharp AQUOS sense7 Plus, which is notably lightweight, boasts outstanding capabilities in terms of its camera and video performance
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