Sharp is presenting new Aquos S3 Android One smartphone which is based on Android 8.0 Oreo. There is no interface skin that's mean you are getting pure original Android OS for a bit different experience. The Sharp S3 comes with well-built dust and a waterproof body. It is a 5.0-inch smartphone which has IGZO LCD display and 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. The other highlights are a beautiful 13MP camera and a longer life 2700mAh battery. This budget smartphone packs in 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. It is supported with 4G VoLTE, USB C, and NFC too. It seems Sharp has completely forgotten the importance of a chipset, therefore, it used Snapdragon 430 which is designed for low-end price based smartphones.
Pros:
1 – Latest Android 8.0 (Oreo)
2 – Dust, Water and Shockproof
3 – Advanced and Faster Connectivity
4 – Easily Affordable Price ($300)
Cons:
1 – Old 16:9 aspect ratio display
2 – Cheap Snapdragon 430 Chipset
3 – Fingerprint Sensor missing
Body and Design
Sharp Aquos S3 is manufactured with strong metal body. You will be pleased to know that it gets IPX5, IPX8 and IP6X certification to ensure your device is safe and sound from splashes. You can submerge device deeply up to 1 meter in liquid for 30 minutes. It has tested under the MIL-STD shock by dropping it from a height of 1.2m, and as a result, your Sharp S3 is alive and well. Look wise, it is not much attractive but elegant. It is a lightweight smartphone having a 5.0 inches diagonal screen. As we have told, the device has annoying 16:9 aspect ratio instead trendy 18:9.
Sharp Aquos S3 has thick chin bezels like its other siblings. An earpiece is mounted above the screen next to the front camera lens. Home button has gone and the touchscreen is featured with sensors. Power Key and Volume rockers are available on right side. Dual SIM tray is equipped on left side of device. At the bottom, there is a micro USB port and a mic-pinhole. The backside is armed with a primary camera and a LED flash. The aggressive fact is the missing of fingerprint sensor. In this modern era, the fingerprint scanner is available even in low priced smartphones but Sharp S3 mid-ranger has lost it.
Display and OS
Sharp Aquos S3 flaunts a 5” IGZO IPS LCD display which is perfect as compared to its competitors within this price. It is brightened up with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. Certainly, you are getting sharper, crisper and brighter display. Under the sunlight performance is cool. The Contrast ratio is also good. It is very well for watching and playing but not ideal for browsing.
Coming to the next, the most upgraded and latest Android OS 8.0 (Oreo) has installed there. As we know it is Android One smartphone so there is no overlay or UI skin which means the operating system is too simple and smart. Android 8.0 Oreo is 2x faster than previous version, and it comes with many new improvements. It supports Swift moves, Autofill, Smart text selection, Google Assistant, Picture-in-Picture mode, some pre-installed Android Apps, and Google Play Protect etc. It saves battery consumption and offers you to keep lights on of device for a long time.
Camera and CPU Performance
Sharp Aquos S3 offers with a 13MP rear camera assisted with a LED flash. Its photography performance is enough good to capture brighter pictures. The Camera interface is featured with Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, Panorama, HDR, Digital zoom, Exposure control and Self timer. It is capable of shooting 1080 pixels videos at 30fps. On the front, there is a 5MP lens and you can take good-looking selfies. Sharp promises S-pure LED back lightening of display will assist you to get beautiful vivid images.
Inside the beast of Sharp S3, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC is equipped with an Octa-core processor which runs at the 1.6GHz frequency. The processor is enough good to run multiple applications but the chipset is not powerful as it should for this device. Therefore, the overall CPU output is not much admirable but the gaming performance is excellent, thanks to its 3GB boosted RAM. Internal Storage has 32GB space to save your photos and movies.
Battery and Connectivity
Sharp Aquos S3 endows with a non-removable 2700mAh battery which is okay for a full working day. It offers you to talk on 4G network for a long time of 22 hours. It lasts after 24 days on Stand-by mode. You can recharge other devices through USB v2.0 Type C. Sharp S3 is not supported with fast charger that’s why it takes up to 155 minutes to refill battery juice from 1% to 100%.
proimage8
In terms of connectivity, Sharp Aquos S3 supports GSM, CDMA, HSPA and LTE technology. It means you are able to keep in touch with family and friends by using all networks - 2G, 3G and 4G. It provides up to 150Mbps download and up to 50Mbps upload speed on internet. You can play live streams without any pause. WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and micro USB are there for data syncing.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of Sharp and have no issue with traditional 16:9 display and Snapdragon 430 then you can purchase the latest Sharp Aquos S3 for a budget-friendly price of $300.