Japan remains to this day a very special country, despite the ongoing processes in the world, anyway blurs the distinction between the different cultures and peoples – the use of similar technology, similar food, watching the world-famous films and TV series, reading popular books and other things. Smartphones and other electronics – one of the “Bastion”, which gradually fades in Japanese life. In this country still, albeit not so much already, a huge popular clamshell with button keypad, as well as unusual smartphones production of their companies. Here, incidentally, generally loved and respected all made in Japan.
Made in Japan Sharp Aquos Crystal
In this article I want to tell you about one of these unusual devices, smartphone, designed and manufactured in Japan and for Japanese, first of all, the market (although the model and is available, in addition to Japan, the United States), – Sharp Aquos Crystal.
Scope of delivery
Immediately it should be noted that the Japanese version of the Aquos Crystal 305SH has a very modest package. I do not know how things are with the version for the United States, but in the Japanese box to my smartphone, besides the devices were only a couple of paper instructions and microSD-card 4GB. Charging unit, cables, headphones here.
Design Sharp Aquos Crystal
Design – that’s exactly what you can immediately fall in love with Sharp Aquos Crystal. In fact, it was the design 305HS can serve as the impetus for you to buy this model, because in terms of the characteristics of the smartphone Ad interim, but it is complicated by buying the original lock under a single operator, the high cost and the need to first find a seller would satisfy you. But will not the bad news, first let’s talk about design.
The highlight of this model – the screen, which occupies almost the entire front plane. Moreover, we often use this phrase in the surveys, referring to the presence of even a small, but still indentation from the screen in all directions, here we are talking about something else. Screen Sharp Aquos Crystal really takes almost all the space, no frames and padding on the left, right, and top of the display there is only a small panel for sensors and cameras underneath.
If you could take the glass protecting the screen of the smartphone, remove and view a cut – we would see a trapeze. It is this form of the element, with levels at the edges, due to what seems like a Aquos Crystal there are no limitations, but the screen is literally bites into the edge of the case.
In fact, the framework, of course, but they are really minimal, and create forms glass effect causes a persistent feeling that the front panel of the smartphone – a continuous display.
It is due to this decision, as well as the absence of any elements above the screen smartphone looks very unusual, beautiful and spectacular. I use the Sharp Aquos Crystal as the main unit from time to time, and whenever I see it in the hands of friends, each of them expresses his surprise and admiration. The design is absolutely not leave indifferent anybody!
As I said in the beginning, it was the design is the hallmark of this device, and such beauty could be forgiven machine a lot. Its design can be described by the set of simple words: magical, fantastic, spectacular, spectacular. Believe me, even if the photos and pictures smartphone does not seem unusual to you, it is worth to see it live, and your opinion is likely to change.
The smartphone is available in four colors: white, black, pink and blue, the last two colors are very quiet, not flashy, bright. In the selected color painted “back” on the device, the front panel and the side faces of the same in all models.
Body Materials
Housing smartphone except faceplate coated with a protective glass is made of plastic. Removable battery cover is made of plastic has a “pattern” in the form of a perforated grid in the center of the solution is as simple as it is elegant. Due to a common plastic cover looks not so boring.
Side faces also made of plastic, a quality imitation “under the metal”, and it is difficult to immediately recognize. When you take only smartphone in hand, it seems that the scope of the metal.
As part of the materials used Sharp Aquos Crystal just not unusual or premium smartphone. There is no aluminum, stainless steel or other metal, but the entire housing is in fact made of plastic. However, the device in your hands does not feel like something cheap and “plastic”, and this is probably the most important thing you need to know about the device, when we discuss the case materials.
Assembly
The build quality of the smartphone no complaints – all very high quality and reliable. Felt as a monolithic housing despite a removable lid. No backlash, the volume keys and power dense “sit” in their places.
Dimensions
Due to the minimal framework left, right and top of the screen smartphone has one of the smallest among the models with displays 5 ”.
Across the width of the body, namely the parameter most seriously affect the user experience with a smartphone, Sharp Aquos Crystal – best of five-inch models, a similar width of the housing Apple iPhone 6, but the device with a smaller diagonal. Than Crystal loses almost all counterparts, so it’s thick shell, although here it should be noted that due to the beveled edges of the “back” device in your hands does not feel thick.
Controls
Sensory and hardware buttons below the screen in no Aquos Crystal. The only hardware buttons – the power button on the top right and the volume button on the left edge of the top. Include smartphone tapom on the screen or in any other way except the power button is pressed, it is impossible, but in spite of its location on the top edge, use this key comfortably. Mainly due to the compact dimensions of the device.
At the top end, in addition to the power button, located 3.5 mm mini-jack on the bottom – microUSB connector and the microphone hole.
Slot for memory card format microSD, as well as under nanoSIM-card is located under the battery cover.
A small area below the display is reserved for eye front camera, light sensor, and proximity, as well as the indicator light. Yes, the place above the screen in a smartphone not, so that the front camera is located under the display, and the earpiece in the conventional sense at all.
Voice interlocutor Sharp Aquos Crystal technology is used direct transfer of sound in the middle ear with the help of special vibration screen. In this technology, Sharp was named HD Voice, but it has already been used previously. In 2012, as the Japanese company, Kyocera, introduced a smartphone Kyocera Urbano Progresso, and its main chip was just the sound transmission technology using bone conduction effect, called Smart Sonic Receiver Technology. Today, this technology is used by a variety of devices.
Its main advantages over the traditional method of transmitting the sound through the speaker:
Sound transmission in two ways at once – in the middle ear and the air
Mute background noise when talking
Ability to locate anywhere on the ear during conversation smartphone
In practice, this method provides not so good and loud voice of the caller, as is the case with the usual speaker, if we are talking about the implementation of technology in the Sharp Aquos Crystal. But overall, the quality of sound transmission, I would call good, just a little lacking volume. And here’s another minus for more than the obvious – while talking machine need to apply directly to the ear what to do in the winter in Russia is not always convenient. Agree, sometimes walking down the street, you simply apply the smartphone to the ear through the cap to talk and hear at the same time good companion. In the case of a Sharp Aquos Crystal this option will not work – hearing will be bad, so will need to put the unit directly to the ear.
Screen
In Sharp Aquos, Crystal mounted display with a diagonal of 5” and a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, made by technology Super-CG Silicon from Sharp (IGZO technology is the earlier of the company). Over the protective glass screen, and the display of the characteristics of one of the best if we are talking about smartphones with HD-screens. There is a very good supply of brightness, maximum viewing angles and color reproduction, natural.
Screen provides four profiles: Standard, Natural, Relax, and Dynamic. In the first three set a fixed color temperature of the display, in the latter it varies depending on the ambient lighting conditions.
Camera – Sharp Aquos Crystal
Both cameras in the smartphone as the primary with a resolution of 8 MP and front, 1.2 MP, very weak, and talk about them in detail, I do not see the point. Shooting “SEB Yash Ek” in Crystal hampered by the fact that the camera is located under the screen, rather than above it, which makes it an unusual angle shooting. Near the main camera has an LED flash.
The smartphone is very nice and easy to use interface to work with the camera – at the touch of a screen button will remove virtually all the settings and just call them up quickly. In this case, all configured directly on the screen, without any extra clicks on the menu and call additional windows.
There is a variety of shooting modes, the ability to select the resolution, HDR-mode, several types of focus and shutter. Generally, in terms of setting the camera is good, but, as I said above, the very image quality is low, which is why a detailed discussion of the camera I will not. The following are examples of images with the main and front cameras, as well as an example of video recorded in FullHD-resolution.
Work Offline
The phone has a removable Li-Ion battery capacity 2040 mAh. Despite its small size (for a smartphone with a screen 5 ”) container, I always have enough battery for all day operation. Perhaps the reason is still in use cases. Usually the main smartphone I have to constantly display on literally all day, that is 5-6 hours of pure time I am looking for something on your phone, read, reply to emails or chat. In the remaining time, the machine is used for shooting and all day long and still plays music in headphones.
Sharp Aquos Crystal I use more as a beautiful phone for calls, sometimes listening to music on it or doing something else. I can not explain why specifically for this device so I changed the script use, just noticed it for themselves. If you work with Crystal as actively as well as with other devices, the charge to be missed on average until the afternoon peak, I think.
Platform memory performance
The smartphone is built on Qualcomm Snapdragon platform 400 (MSM8926) with a quad-core processor 1.2 GHz, the graphics subsystem (GPU) – Adreno 305. The phone 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory and a card slot for microSD.
In synthetic tests (Antti) Sharp Aquos Crystal shows poor results, on the other hand, it is a fashion phone (I do not like this word, but it is appropriate here), it is not for gaming, not to watch the video in 4K resolution, but in everyday use power quad-core enough.
Interfaces
There are two versions of the Sharp Aquos Crystal – 305SH for Japanese operator SoftBank 306SH and for US Sprint, Virgin and Boost Mobile. In the first, in addition to LTE, supports frequencies of GSM / WCDMA, allowing to work unlocked smartphone including Russian networks. In the second (US), in addition to LTE, there are only CDMA. In this review, we are talking about the Japanese modification – 305SH. Initially, the device “is locked” by a single operator, in this case, the Japanese SoftBank and does not work with SIM-cards of other operators, but after a software unlock this restriction is lifted. I use the Sharp Aquos Crystal with SIM-card MegaFon, and LTE support me, unfortunately, no, just 3G. If you use a SIM-card MTS is likely to work and LTE at 1800 MHz, but personally I have not tested.
When connected to a PC the smartphone is defined as a multimedia device with the ability to view the contents of a separate internal memory and memory card.
Navigation
The smartphone has support for GPS (as well as A-GPS), the module operates entirely correct. I always use Google Maps, and no major differences in the accuracy of the data or the speed of the satellite between Sharp Aquos Crystal and, for example, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 did not notice.
Software features, the interface
The smartphone runs on Android 4.4. Initially, in the Japanese version preinstalled just two proprietary shell to choose from – Feel UX and SH Home. I will not describe each of them for one simple reason – one way or another, both interfaces are sharpened by Japanese market, Japanese users and Japanese service, all tied to the built-in programs and in general looks pretty strange and uncomfortable, what could hide.
For myself, I found the solution right away – thanks to pure Android Google Start, Download Google Play. There are all familiar and comfortable.
However, Google Start changing not all the elements of the menu and stays changed. Manager running applications, for example, or blind notifications.
Unpleasant moment, connected with the fact that the smartphone was created only for Japan – curves Cyrillic fonts in some menus. I have this problem manifests itself in the Google Now, in Gmail, a standard browser (Chrome’s all fine) and some other programs.
The solution probably lies in getting on the smartphone route rights and then install third-party or simply additional fonts in the system, but I have not yet studied it.
Conclusion Sharp Aquos Crystal
I do not regret buying a Sharp Aquos Crystal, despite the fact that the device appeared to me not so cheap and spent several months in a box until it was “unlock”. Yes, 305SH can not I use LTE, I almost never use it on the camera (too bad) and less likely to use other functions besides calls than any other smartphone. But sometimes it’s just nice to take the unit for a week as the core, to get away from the powerful multifunctional “irons” and he borrowed an unusual device that is different from anything currently on the market. And for the same reason I can not recommend buying Sharp Aquos Crystal just as the main smartphone too much but in this machine.
Source: Sharp USA
Japanese smartphone Sharp Aquos Crystal (305SH) review
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