WTF?! It's fair to say that most Android users aren't fans of the notch, but that hasn't stopped virtually every manufacturer adding them to their handsets. Sharp, however, doesn't seem to think just one notch is enough: the Japanese firm's Aquos R2 Compact has two of them.
The successor to last year's notch-sporting Aquos R Compact, it appears that Sharp was determined to increase the new version's display size without removing the front fingerprint sensor. The solution is a handset with what are essentially two notches invading the screen.
Both Aquos phones use a less invasive waterdrop-style top notch seen in phones such as the OnePlus 6T and Mate 20, but the R2's fingerprint sensor, which doubles as a home button, doesn't look very pleasing to the eye. Surely moving it to the rear would have been a better option?
Unlike the majority of today's Android handsets, the Aquos R2 Compact's screen is quite small, measuring just 5.2 inches, but despite the questionable looks, it packs some high-end tech into that tiny body.
The 2280 x 1080 IGZO LCD boasts the same 120Hz refresh rate as the Razer Phones. It's powered by the Snapdragon 845 platform found in flagships such as the Galaxy Note 9, S9, and Google Pixel 3. It also comes with 4GB of RAM, Android 9 Pie, a 22.6-megapixel rear camera, and a 8MP selfie cam. The battery, however, is a pretty small 2,500mAh model.
So, it's mostly a very powerful phone for its size. Unfortunately for those who don't care about having two notches, the Aquos R2 Compact is unlikely to expand outside of Japan when it launches next year. But there's always ZTE's Iceberg concept, or the Pixel 3 bug that randomly places digital notches around the screen.