Before we begin, let me ask you a question.

Does your phone have an imaging collaboration?

I'm asking this for a reason,

After all, it's no longer newsworthy for smartphone manufacturers to collaborate with major camera brands or imaging studios to enhance their imaging capabilities. We've seen collaborations like Xiaomi with Leica, OnePlus with Hasselblad, OPPO with Hasselblad, and vivo with Zeiss. Even Honor, which once claimed that collaborations offered limited improvements, has been heavily promoting its "Elegant Portraits" this year.

(Source: Honor)

Although there are rumors that various manufacturers are privately preparing their own imaging brands, judging from the currently released flagship products, the mainstream industry practice will still be to guarantee their imaging capabilities by collaborating with these well-established camera brands that have rich cultural backgrounds and start at tens of thousands of yuan.

Of course, these collaborations are ultimately just collaborations.

Even if the Leica CEO attends the launch event, the Xiaomi 15 series will always be a Xiaomi flagship; the promotion of professional Hasselblad portraits cannot change the mediocre imaging algorithms of OnePlus; and specialized Zeiss coatings cannot resolve the controversy surrounding the vivo X200 series.

At this point, someone might ask, why do these major camera brands engage in collaborations when launching their own products would presumably be more profitable?

I don't know if Leica thinks this way, but they certainly act this way.

Since 2021, Leica has released a "true Leica phone" every year. These phones have no other brand logos on the entire body, only featuring the LEICA logo and the iconic red dot on the back. They have already released three generations.

Not only that, but the "base" for the fourth-generation product has also been released.

Recently, Japanese manufacturer Sharp held its 2024 Autumn/Winter AQUOS new product launch event, officially unveiling two new series: the Sharp AQUOS sense9, aimed at the mid-range market, and the Sharp AQUOS R9 pro, aimed at the imaging flagship market. They are expected to be first launched in Japan in early December.

Well, it seems that Leica's latest true Leica flagship—the Leitz Phone 4—is not far off. After all, each generation of Leitz Phone is actually based on Sharp's aquos R series.

The fourth-generation Leica phone offers a generous serving of imaging

As a standard tech enthusiast, I've always kept a close eye on Sharp's devices.

For example, the Sharp AQUOS R9 released earlier this year was an interesting product. Its lens module, designed by "miyake design" (founded by Issey Miyake), features a free-form curve and irregular design, standing out amidst the ubiquitous circular designs.

However, the price on second-hand platforms is still over 4,000 yuan, making it a bit out of reach for me.

(Source: Sharp)

Who would have thought that just a few months later,

The Sharp AQUOS R9 pro immediately abandoned its interesting design and reverted to the ubiquitous circular design.

(Source: Sharp)

Well, let's not mention whether the design of this large circular module with a silver decorative ring looks similar to a certain imaging flagship that collaborates with Zeiss.

Just looking at the promotional images, I can sense an inexplicable similarity.

It's a bit hard to swallow.

The good news is that with the largest module design ever, the imaging configuration of the Sharp AQUOS R9 pro has also been upgraded to flagship levels.

Readers who have read my reviews of the Leitz Phone/Leitz Phone 2 (search "Leitech" online to view) should still remember the imaging configurations of these two products.

That's right, previous generations of the Leitz Phone used a single-camera design, with only a one-inch main camera. All focal lengths were captured using this main camera, with some software algorithms added at most, but the results were only satisfactory.

Put another way, it's a pure prime lens compact camera.

(Source: Leitech)

This time, the Sharp AQUOS R9 pro truly covers multiple focal lengths as expected of a flagship, and each camera has decent quality.

The Sharp AQUOS R9 pro features a Leica Vario-Summicron triple-camera setup, all with 50.3 megapixels. The main camera is a 1/0.98" F1.8 sensor with an equivalent focal length of 23mm, the periscope telephoto is a 1/1.56" sensor with a 2.8x equivalent focal length of 65mm, and the ultra-wide-angle is a 1/2.5" sensor with an equivalent focal length of 13mm.

Although the official did not specify the sensor models, based on the specific specifications, the main camera is likely the LYT-900/IMX989, the periscope telephoto is probably similar to the IMX890/IMX766, and the ultra-wide-angle is highly likely the IMX858 found in the Honor Magic4 Pro.

Let me tell you, this configuration is a bit absurd.

For example, let's first look at a standard domestic flagship, the OPPO Find X8, which features a triple-camera setup with a 50MP Sony LYT-700 1/1.56" main camera, a 50MP Sony LYT-600 1/2" periscope telephoto, and a 50MP Samsung JN5 1/2.76" ultra-wide-angle camera.

Compared to the Sharp Aquos R9 pro, there is a gap.

In fact, even in the domestic market, few Pro version flagships released this year can match this configuration.

Keep in mind that the vivo X200 Pro this year uses a triple-camera setup with a 50MP Sony LYT-818 1/1.28" main camera, a 200MP Samsung HP9 1/1.4" periscope telephoto, and a 50MP Samsung JN1 1/2.76" ultra-wide-angle camera.

(Source: vivo)

Well, when you put it that way, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

Solid configuration, standing out among Japanese flagships

Moreover, let's not forget that the front of this device doesn't have any flashy designs; it adopts the standard answer—a pure flat screen.

(Source: Sharp)

This 6.7-inch IGZO OLED high-refresh-rate screen supports 2K resolution and can achieve up to 240Hz refresh rate through frame interpolation, which is also a Sharp tradition. In short, the screen display quality is definitely better than a 1.5K screen.

As for fingerprint recognition? Do you understand the value of being one of only two companies globally still using wide-area ultrasonic fingerprint recognition?

This unlocking efficiency is unmatched by short-focus sensors.

Reading this, I really feel a bit disoriented.

When it comes to the Japanese mobile phone market, it's widely acknowledged that it's collectively slacking. I won't even mention the lack of Android flagship options; it's surreal that many people still find the significantly outdated Google Pixel series, with its outdated configurations, quite usable.

(Source: Sharp)

Among these products, the Sharp Aquos R9 pro stands out as a true flagship with its imaging configuration, screen quality, and even wide-area ultrasonic fingerprint recognition, which is not always found in flagships...

Could this really be the script for "recasting the glory of Japanese technology, a duty we cannot shirk"?

Well, you're thinking too much.

Why do I say that? Just take a look at the phone's core configuration.

That's right. At the end of October 2024, the Sharp Aquos R9 pro does not use the Snapdragon 8 Supreme Edition, nor the Dimensity 9400, or even the previous-generation flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen3 or Dimensity 9300. Instead, it uses—

The Snapdragon 8s Gen3.

(Source: Sharp)

That's right, it's the "secondary flagship processor" released by Qualcomm in the middle of this year, which has been successively equipped in the Xiaomi Civi4 Pro, iQOO Z9 Turbo, realme GT Neo6, and Redmi Turbo3. The current lowest price for a new phone equipped with this processor is around 1,300 yuan.

Is this a bad processor?

Of course not. With an AnTuTu score of over 1.5 million, CPU performance close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen2, and GPU performance surpassing the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, it is undoubtedly a cost-effective high-performance chip.

But it definitely shouldn't be found in a top-tier flagship.

As for fast charging and battery capacity...

(Source: Sharp)

At least the Sharp Aquos R9 pro has a 5,000mAh battery, but the charging power is not specified and is expected to be no more than 30W.

Well, it's back to the familiar taste of Japanese flagships.

Will the fourth-generation Leica phone compete with the Xiaomi 14U?

It's undeniable that Sharp has put in a lot of effort to stack up the specs for the newly released AQUOS R9 pro.

Don't believe me? Just look at the unchanged single-camera module of the previous three generations.

The question is, why would Sharp suddenly change after three generations of making do?

In my opinion, it's mainly because the Japanese carrier market was too entrenched before. Even without making any changes, Sharp could still rely on its local brand power and relatively decent hardware to secure the second position in market share.

Especially the Leitz Phone, sold by SoftBank, supervised by Leica, and manufactured by Sharp, managed to sell the same single-camera design for three years with a high premium.

Don't like it? Well, you don't have many other options.

(Source: Sharp)

Well, you know what? This year, there are actually options.

In early May, Lu Weibing announced the official launch of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in Japan.

The Japanese version of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is only available in a 16+512GB configuration, with the battery reduced from 5,300mAh to 5,000mAh and no satellite communication support. The price is even higher at 199,900 yen (approximately 9,295 yuan), much more expensive than the domestic price of 6,999 yuan.

But do you know how much the Leitz Phone 3 costs?

The current price on eBay is $1,739.99 (approximately 12,403.17 yuan).

(Source: eBay)

I have to say, the cost-effectiveness is immediately apparent.

As for this newly released AQUOS R9 pro, it is expected to be launched in Japan in collaboration with DoCoMo, with an estimated price of 190,000 yen (approximately 8,861.65 yuan).

With this comparison, it's no wonder Xiaomi was able to rank among the top three in the Japanese market in the second quarter of this year.

As for whether the Sharp AQUOS R9 pro is worth buying...

Don't worry, we'll see you on second-hand platforms in two years. The review will definitely be out by then.

Source: Leitech