Nowadays, most of the flagship Android smartphones always come from the same 5 manufacturers, but there are some exceptions. One of them is the Japanese Sharp which just released the amazing Snapdragon 855-powered Aquos R3. It is known as one of the first dual-notch smartphones and it offers an astonishing specs sheet. We still do not know its listing price, but given that we know all of its specifications, we can compare it with other affordable flagships in order to give you an in-depth idea about its potentialities. For this comparison, we chose Xiaomi Mi 9 and Meizu 16s because we think they are the perfect candidates to compete with the new Sharp’s flagship in a similar price range.
Sharp Aquos R3 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Meizu 16s
| Sharp Aquos R3 | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Meizu 16s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 156 x 74 x 8.9 mm, 185 g | 157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm, 173 g | 151.9 x 73.4 x 7.6 mm, 165 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.2 inches, 1440 x 3120p (Quad HD+), Pro IGZO LCD | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED | 6.2 inches, 1080 x 2232p (Full HD+), AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie | Android 9 Pie, MIUI | Android 9 Pie, Flyme OS |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Dual 12.2 + 20 MP, f/1.7 and f/2.4 16.3 MP front camera |
Triple 48 + 16 + 12 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 48 + 20 MP, f/1.7 and f/2.6 20 MP f/2.2 front camera front camera |
| BATTERY | 3200 mAh, fast charging and Qi wireless charging | 3300 mAh, fast charging with Quick Charge 4+, wireless charging | 3600 mAh, fast charging 24W with mCharge |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot |
Design
Sharp Aquos R3, Meizu 16s and Xiaomi Mi 9 all come with premium designs as well as great build quality, so it is just a matter of tastes. While Meizu 16s has a notch-less display, Sharp Aquos R3 comes with a dual notch: one is a classic waterdrop notch on the upper side which houses the front camera, while another notch is placed at the bottom and it contains a physical Home key with a fingerprint reader embedded. On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi 9 has a classic design with a waterdrop notch. Which one would you pick?
Display
Sharp is a display manufacturer, one of the most famous ones, and it was expectable that the Aquos R3 would come with a stunning panel. Despite it is not an AMOLED display, it manages to show incredibly nice colors thanks to the HDR technology, and it even comes with the highest refresh ratio on the mobile sector: 120 Hz. Last but not least, it comes with a higher Quad HD+ resolution with 1440 x 3120 pixels. Some may not like the dual notch, but the display quality is undoubtedly amazing.
Hardware/Software
The hardware department is the key feature of these handsets. All of them come with the most powerful Qualcomm’s chipset of 2019: the Snapdragon 855. So, you would get similar (and awesome) performances in every scenario. Meizu 16s wins the hardware comparison because it comes in a higher-end memory configuration (that is also available at a higher price, obviously). We are talking about the one with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, while the most expensive configurations of Xiaomi Mi 9 and Sharp Aquos R3 are 8/128 GB and 6/128 GB. All of them come with Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Camera
At least according to the specs on the paper, Xiaomi Mi 9 boasts a more interesting rear camera setup. It has a total of three sensors on the back, including an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens. On the other hand, Meizu 16s lacks the ultrawide sensor but, unlike the Mi 9, it has both optical and electronic stabilization, as well as a brighter focal aperture. Given that I do not like how dark some photos get when there is a lot of light, I personally prefer the Xiaomi Mi 9.
Battery
Meizu 16s has the biggest battery and, with its 3600 mAh capacity, it provides a longer battery life than both Sharp Aquos R3 and Xiaomi Mi 9. Note that Meizu 16s does not support wireless charging, while Xiaomi Mi 9 and Sharp Aquos R3 do, and the Mi 9 even comes with a very fast 20W charging technology.
Price
In their base variants, Xiaomi Mi 9 and Meizu 16s are currently available with a starting price tag of €450/$505 and €420/$471 (the price of the 16s refers to China), respectively. Regarding the Sharp Aquos R3, we still do not know pricing details. And we do not even know if the Aquos R3 will hit the global market. As we do not know its official pricing, we still can not say which of these phones offers the best value for money. If the price will be similar, this would become a very hard battle. For multimedia lovers and gamers, Sharp Aquos R3 is a more interesting device due to its great display. Meizu 16s’ only advantages are its biggest battery and more storage in the most expensive configuration, but there is not a micro SD slot, (unlike the Aquos R3). Xiaomi Mi 9 looks like the most complete one with its fast wireless charging technology and amazing camera potentialities, but only for people who care about these features.
Sharp Aquos R3 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Meizu 16s: PRO and CONS
Sharp Aquos R3
PROS
- Amazing display
- Wireless charging
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- Home button
CONS
- Smaller battery
Xiaomi Mi 9
PROS
- Wireless charging
- Great build quality
- Good cameras
- Affordable price
CONS
- No micro SD
Meizu 16s
PROS
- OIS
- Six-LED flash
- Bigger battery
- Original design
CONS
- No micro SD
