Sharp’s AQUOS Crystal Android powered smartphone is certainly a stunning looking device with its ultra thin bezels.Sprint has officially announced today that they will indeed be the launch partner for this exceptionally interesting phone. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first Sharp created Android device to officially grace U.S. soil through a carrier.
The Sharp AQUOS Crystal sports a 5-inch 720p HD screen, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, SD car slot, 8MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front shooter. It will launch with Android 4.4.2 and carry a 2,040mAh battery to power it all. Â None of those specs are ‘mind blowing’ by any means, but it is a solid mid-range contender. The AQUOS offers up a few extras that make it a little more interesting. For instance, the camera software offers up a Framing Advisor that helps you in your quest for better photos by helping you with composition and framing of your shots.
There is also an interesting approach to screenshots as well with what Sharp calls Clip Now. They mention that you can take a screenshot with ‘one swipe’ which makes me thing on the Galaxy S4 and the palm swipe gesture. However, the image is saved with an embedded URL for easier sharing. We will have to play with that if we get the chance to see how it really works out.
In addition, AQUOS Crystal boasts Harman’s Clari-Fiâ„¢ technology with the ability to restore and “rebuild†music fidelity lost during audio compression. Clari-Fi yields richer, deeper and clearer sound quality for compressed digital music (like MP3 downloads or streaming services such as Spotify®). The Clari-Fi experience includes low and high frequency extension, improved realism and fidelity, and wider sound stage.
We know the Sharp AQUOS Crystal will be sold through Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile for $149.99, but availability will be announced at a later date.
