Sharp Aquos R8, R8 Pro: Snapdragon 8 Gen2, Leica-tuned camera announced

Sharp has unveiled its latest high-end smartphones exclusively for the Japanese market, the Aquos R8 and R8 Pro.

The Aquos R8 Pro sports a 6.6-inch Pro IGZO OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color support, Dolby Vision, and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

Meanwhile, the Aquos R8 has a 6.39-inch screen with a waterdrop notch and the same display parameters as the R8 Pro, but with a peak brightness of 1,300 nits.

They are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage.

The Aquos R8 Pro has a 47MP main camera with a 1-inch type sensor co-developed with Leica, F/1.9 aperture, and a 19mm focal length.

There’s also a 1.9MP depth sensor, however no ultrawide or telephoto lens here.

Interestingly, the Aquos R8 has a 1/1.55-inch 50.3MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide.

It is worth noting that the camera rings on both devices serve as passive coolers, helping to dissipate heat away from the motherboards.

Both phones are dust and water resistant (IP68) and come with microSD card slots and 3.5mm audio jacks.

They run Android 13 and Sharp promises three OS updates and up to five years of security updates.

The Aquos R8 Pro has a 5,000 mAh battery, while the R8 has a 4,570 mAh cell.

The Aquos R8 is available in Blue and Cream colors, while the Aquos R8 Pro comes in only Black colorway. They will be available for purchase in Japan starting July 15.