News

Sharp launches the AQUOS R6 with a 1-inch camera sensor, Leica optics

It also has a super fluid 240Hz display

Published

May 18, 2021

Vincenz

Image by GadgetMatch

Sharp offers a lot of products that are known by a lot of globally. While they may not be a popular smartphone brand, the AQUOS line is pretty big in Japan. In line with their existing AQUOS-branded smartphones, they unveiled the AQUOS R6. It may look like any other smartphone, but this is one of a kind.

1-inch Camera Sensor with Leica

2021 is a year where rear cameras multiplied in a lot of smartphones. But the Sharp AQUOS R6 only has one large 20MP 1-inch camera sensor. For an ideal comparison, that’s the same camera sensor size you’ll find on the Sony RX100 VII and the RX0 II. This means that there’s minimal crop when shooting photos and results to better image quality.

Let’s be clear. It’s actually not the first smartphone with a 1-inch camera sensor. In fact, Panasonic managed to put it in the Lumix DMC-CM1 way back in 2014 but it’s more of a smart camera rather than a smartphone with a large camera sensor. Currently, Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra has the closest sensor size at 1/1.12-inches.

Image by GadgetMatch

With the recent news of Leica ending its partnership with Huawei, Sharp has managed to grab it with its new 7P (seven-element) Summicron lens. Not only does it have a wider f/1.9 aperture, it also features a 19mm focal length which is closer to an ultra-wide Field of View.

Other features worth noting are the lack of OIS as they rely on Sharp and Leica’s EIS technology as well as the inclusion of a ToF sensor and a flash module. For farther subjects, you need to rely on digital zoom instead.

Super Fluid 240Hz Display

Image by GadgetMatch

Another highlight of the AQUOS R6 is its super smooth and responsive 6.67-inch Pro IGZO Display with a 240Hz refresh rate — double than the usual 120Hz displays on most 2021 flagships. It’s not the first 240Hz smartphone display, rather Sharp’s AQUOS zero2 smartphone from May 2020.

Just like in Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series and OnePlus’ 9 Pro, it features a display with a variable refresh rate that goes as low as 1Hz to save battery power. But unlike their AMOLED displays, this one is based on OLED that lacks that extra thin layer of TFTs to achieve better colors.

It also has a WUXGA+ resolution of 2,730 x 1,260 pixels, a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, as well as a max brightness of 2,000 nits — making it one of the most advanced smartphone displays ever made.

Beneath the display is where the under-display fingerprint sensor lies. It’s equipped with Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Max ultrasonic fingerprint sensor which is the largest in the world and it’s 11 times larger than the conventional scanner.

Flagship-grade

Image by GadgetMatch

Just like any other 2021 flagship, Sharp’s AQUOS R6 offers the latest 2021 hardware in a smartphone. That includes the Snapdragon 888 chipset with 5G support, as well as 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a measly 128GB UFS 3.1 storage with an option to expand via a microSDXC card of up to 1TB.

If you always worry about battery, it has a large 5,000mAh battery that would be fine for a day. It also has an IPX8 certification which isn’t tested for dust resistance. Instead, it’s better than IP68 in terms of water resistance as it can be submerged into water deeper than 1 meter.

Image by GadgetMatch

There’s also a dedicated key for Google Assistant at the side of the phone so you don’t have to always say “Hey Google” and wait for the assistant to open.

Pricing and Availability

Image by GadgetMatch

The Sharp AQUOS R6 is offered only in two colors: black and white.

There’s currently no word about pricing and global availability but in Japan, the AQUOS R6 will be available in June 2021 through their popular carriers Softbank and NTT DoCoMo.

Related Topics:Sharp sharp aquos Sharp AQUOS R6

Apps

Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity

Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more

Published

August 8, 2026

GadgetMatch

Canva Philippines has joined forces with SB19 and Sony Music Entertainment to launch the “Kaya sa Canva” campaign.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is aimed at transforming the popular Filipino boy band’s fanbase into creators by giving them access to official design assets, exclusive templates, and powerful creative tools.

That’s of course as fans have a way of creating artwork, banners, and more outputs to honor their idols.

As such, the partnership enables the A’TIN (SB19’s fanbase) to access the Canva-exclusive SB19’s Creative Hub.

This dedicated space lets fans access assets, including SB19-inspired sticker packs, custom typography, and editable templates inspired by the group.

Fans around the world will initially have access to templates for photo-booth strips, wallpapers, posters, and videos.

The campaign will then expand with Canva-exclusive assets celebrating the group’s New Era, as well as their latest single, “Lawless”.

Meanwhile, the original song “KAYA” is accompanied with an upbeat music video, doubling as a love letter to A’TIN and a masterclass in Canva’s tools.

Every visual and animation is fan-inspired, a celebration of the creativity, passion, and dedication that’s defined in the community from day one.

News

The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

News

These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.