Smartisan has taken the wraps off its latest flagship, the Smartisan R1. Not only is it an amazing piece of mobile device, it has also set a world record, one that we may not see any other manufacturer break anytime soon.
Smartisan R1 Design
Smartisan is one manufacturer that stands out with its design and the R1 doesn’t disappoint. In a world where notches reign supreme, Smartisan has embraced the trend but has decided to follow the path of the Essential PH-1.
The display practically reaches the top with a cut-out for the front-facing camera and a slit for the earpiece. There is a moderately-sized bezel at the bottom which gives the Smartisan R1 an 84% screen-to-body ratio.
The rear of the phone is covered in 3D glass and the grade 7 aluminum frame has that thin line we have come to see on recent Smartisan phones. The fingerprint scanner is buried under the Smartisan logo and the buttons are circular.
Smartisan R1 Specs
Smartisan has packed flagship specs into this device but has also set a record with it. For the first time in the history of mobile phones, we have a device with 1TB of built-in storage! Yes, the Smartisan R1 has 1 terabyte of internal storage and its UFS 2.1. The rest of the specs are also impressive.
It has a 6.17-inch pressure sensitive display with a 2242 x 1080 resolution and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. It is covered with Gorilla Glass 3, has a 1500:1 contrast ratio, and a 96% color gamut (DCI-P3).
There is a Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood clocked at 2.8GHz paired with an Adreno 630 GPU. It comes in four variants:
- 6GB RAM + 64GB storage
- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 1TB storage.
The Smartisan R1 has dual rear cameras. The primary sensor is a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor with a f/1.8 aperture, 1.4 μm pixel size, 4-axis OIS, and dual PD extreme focus. The second is a 20MP Sony IMX350 with a f/1.75 aperture, 1μm pixel size, and 6P lens.
The front camera is a 24MP sensor with a f/2.0 aperture ArcSoft ray algorithm and AI real-time beauty mode.
The R1 has support for Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC+eSE, and has a USB-C port with Display Port 1.4. It also has dual SIM support (nano only) and global LTE band support.
The Smartisan R1 joins the very short list of devices that support Quick Charge 4+. That means you should be able to refill its 3600mAh battery as fast as possible. It also supports Power Delivery 3.0 and 10W wireless charging. Sadly, it doesn’t have an IP-rating and also ditches the audio jack.
READ MORE: Smartisan Nut Pro 2 Special Edition Launched, Gets New Processor
Smartisan R1 Price and Availability
The Smartisan R1 comes in Pure White and Carbon Black. However, the Pure White variant is limited to the 6GB RAM + 128GB and the 8GB RAM + 128GB models.
When Smartisan’s CEO told us the price of the R1 will fall between ¥3000 and ¥15,000 a few weeks ago, he wasn’t kidding. Below are the prices for the different variants:
6GB RAM + 64GB = ¥3,499 (~$549)
6GB RAM + 128GB = ¥3,999 (~$627)
8GB RAM + 128GB = ¥4,499 (~$705)
8GB RAM + 1TB = ¥8,848 (~$1388)
The Smartisan R1 is available for purchase on the official site and also on JD.com. Included in the box is a USB-C to USB-C cable, a Quick Charge 4+ charger, a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, and a SIM ejector tool. There are also a bunch of colorful cases that start are priced at ¥99 (~$15).
