By Kathrina Ysabel Pineda
The Aquos S2 is a reminder that Sharp has a nice portfolio of smartphones. Many of them are well-built and have impressive specs sheets. Not to mention, the Japanese company has also been developing edge-to-edge displays for years now and the Aquos S2 is only one of their newest in the portfolio.
Sharp has decades invested in developing screens, specifically LCDs. So naturally, with the Aquos S2, it’s only expected for Sharp to use an LCD on the Aquos 2, and it is very impressive. It features 1080x2040 resolution and 420ppi. The colors are both bright and vibrant. The responsiveness is smooth and buttery as you would find in flagship devices.
The ergonomics of the phone is pretty much what you can expect from any 5.5-inch slab.The side and top bezels are so slim, giving a wider screen size. The front camera placement is just a little odd at first, being in the middle of the screen and all. But it grows onto you, and besides, the front 8MP camera takes excellent selfies.
The Aquos S2 is powered with the popular Snapdragon 630, a mid-range octa-core processor, which is pretty nifty. The 630 was built with gaming and photography in mind. And yes, the Aquos S2 manages to run gaming apps like Mobile Legends fairly smoothly. The 630 was designed to consume less energy as well, to allow the Aquos S2’s 3020mAh to last longer.
The Aquos S2 features a 12MP and an 8MP rear cameras. Picture quality is tremendous and snappy. The vertical placement and design of the two cameras are
It uses a type-C USB port, which makes files transfer faster and includes fast charging. The fingerprint sensor in the front capacitive home works like a charm, fast and responsive. And no, the Aquos S2 doesn’t have a face recognition security, and that’s just fine in our book.
The Aquos S2 is framed in an aluminum body, giving it that sleek and premium look. However, the black version, well, suffers same issues in many darker colored phones, it has a powerful magnetic pull for fingerprints. One touch and you’ll get it all smudged up.
The Sharp Aquos S2 is an excellent mid-range phone. It’s best used with a wireless Bluetooth headset, because, who uses loud speakers anyway, these days, right? Okay, maybe not everyone. But seriously, you might want to check in with a wireless headphones if you listen and watch stuff, simply because the Aquos S2 doesn’t have a headphone jack. It’s in the deepest and darkest corner of the “what’s new-ish” in smartphones that is, gradually, gaining momentum. Cutting the cords, well, is a preparation for a more wireless future. Who likes cords anyway? They almost-always get tangled up no matter how neatly you coil them. Well, for the record, I like cords, they’ve saved my phone from hitting the floor more than once. In any instance, Sharp is helping drive wireless connectivity forward.
The Sharp Aquos S2 is a pretty phone with a decent specs sheet. If you’re ever out hunting for a new phone and want a brand that lets you stand out, the Aquos S2 is the sharpest bet yet.