Sharp Aquos R8 and R8 Pro With Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC Announced

Sharp has announced the Aquos R8 lineup of smartphones in Japan. The Sharp Aquos R8 series comprises the vanilla Aquos R8 and the Aquos R8 Pro. The smartphones succeed last year's Aquos R7, which was also exclusive to Japan.

While last year only saw the debut of the basic R7 model, 2023's Aquos series includes a Pro version as well. Here's a closer look at the Sharp Aquos R8 and R8 Pro.

Sharp Aquos R8 Series: Features

The high-end Sharp Aquos R8 Pro inherits quite a few features from the R7, accompanied by a few upgrades. Meanwhile, the vanilla Aquos R8 debuts as a slightly watered-down version of its predecessor.

The Aquos R8 Pro features a 6.6-inch Pro IGZO OLED panel with a resolution of 1,260 x 2,730 pixels. The display has a variable refresh rate of 240Hz, Dolby Vision, 10-bit color support, and 2,000 nits peak brightness.

Meanwhile, the Aquos R8 sports a smaller 6.4-inch panel with 1,300 nits of peak brightness and an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. Other display features remain the same as the R8 Pro.

Sharp Aquos R8 Series: Camera

When it comes to imaging, the Sharp Aquos R8 Pro and Aquos R8 feature Leica-tuned cameras. Interestingly, both the smartphones sport a large camera ring which helps with heat dissipation.

At the rear, the Aquos R8 Pro features a 47MP main camera and a 1.9MP depth sensor. There's also a 12MP selfie camera at the front. Meanwhile, the Aquos R8 features a 50MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide sensor. It also features an 8MP front shooter for selfies and video calls.

Sharp Aquos R8 Series: Processor and Software Support

The Aquos R8 series is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is accompanied by 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage. While the Pro model features a 5,000 mAh battery, the basic Aquos R8 features a slightly smaller 4,570 mAh battery.

Both the Aquos R8 and R8 Pro come with an IP68-rating for water and dust resistance. They ship with Android 13 and will reportedly get three Android updates and up to five years of security updates. The smartphones will be available for purchase in Japan from July 15.