Sharp Aquos R9 reviews by real users Sharp Aquos R9

Using the Aquos R9 is a joy to experience. At last, gone are the display issues from past R series from R3 to R8. As an avid Aquos user, I can say that this is a great leap towards a more balanced experience.

The display is plenty bright and gone are the awkward bezels from past iterations. The sound quality is now louder compared to the past models. The UI is simple and even barebones for some, but this is how I want my phone to use.

As for the cameras, the Leica Hektor sensor clearly paid off. As I have the global variant however, there were no Leica branding to be seen in my unit because of exclusive branding rights imposed by Xiaomi outside Japan. 5G now works outside Japan which is a delight to have.

The photos were sharp, full of color and detail without being over contrasted. The video are finally great and fluid. The zoom is very good compared to the R8 and R7 while the camera app is intuitive to use. My days using GCam for my R7 has finally come to an end.

The charging is plenty fast at 36W and the battery is very efficient. I charge every days during medium usage. I don't game that much anymore on my devices but I can say that the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is reliable and stable on days in which I tested it to play PS2 games (God of War 2, Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain, GTA: San Andreas) via emulation.

Lastly, a quick shoutout for the design. At first, I don't like it because it feels like it strayed away from the utalitarian design in favor of a gentler, artistic approach with their collaboration with Miyake Design. It has since grown on me. I have the white variant which is great, but I wish I have the green one.

That's all.