[Masahiro Yamaguchi’s e-book touch and try]IGZO OLED adopted, 6.1 type but 158g lightweight smartphone “Sharp AQUOS sense7”-PC Watch

Sharp’s “AQUOS sense7” is a middle-class smartphone equipped with Android 12.

At 6.1 inches, this product can be said to be a standard size for current smartphones, but because it is nominally lightweight at 158g, it is extremely suitable for e-book use that must be held for a long time with one hand.

This screen size and weight are almost the same as the conventional model “AQUOS sense6”, so it is not dramatically lighter, but in addition to being handled by many carriers such as docomo and au, SIM-free models are also available, so availability is high. The actual sales price is around 50,000 yen, but you can’t miss the fact that the campaigns of each company often have a cheaper price than that.

This time, using the SIM-free model “SH-M24” purchased by the author, we will check the usability centered on e-book use.

Same 6.1 type as the iPhone 14, but a lightweight housing of 158g

As a 6.1-inch smartphone, Apple’s “iPhone 14” is probably the most sold model among the current models. Here, we will first compare the main specifications with the iPhone 14.

As mentioned at the beginning, the major strength of this product is its light weight. Compared with the same 6.1-inch screen size, the iPhone 14 weighs 172g and the iPhone 14 Pro weighs 206g, while this product is nominally 158g. It is a very lightweight model for the screen size.

Among the smartphones currently on sale, there is an iPhone SE (144g) that is lighter than this product, but this is a 4.7-inch model. “Zenfone 9”, which emphasizes compactness on Android, is 5.9 type and weighs 169g, which is heavier than this product. It is noticeable that the “Xperia 10 IV”, which has a similar standing position to this product, is close to 161g, and it can be seen that the lightness of this product, which is about 158g for the 6.1 type, has a considerable advantage.

The screen resolution is 1,080 x 2,432 dots, which exceeds full HD, the memory is 6GB, and the storage is 128GB, which is sufficient for a current smartphone. It supports both face authentication and fingerprint authentication, and face authentication supports masks. NFC is also available. In addition, there are many people who feel that it supports memory cards of up to 1TB and that it has an earphone jack.

On the other hand, it is not a high-end smartphone with everything in it, so it is not all inclusive, such as not supporting wireless charging or omitting the telephoto camera that was in the conventional model. The CPU is also middle class, and the speaker is also monaural. It doesn’t have much to do with e-book use, but if you use it as your main smartphone, you should check what is omitted.

The actual selling price is less than 50,000 yen in many sales channels, and MVNO operators often offer large discounts under certain conditions. There is no doubt that it is a product with high cost performance in general.

Small for a 6.1 inch.Button placement is quirky

Let’s take a look at e-book use. The sample uses Ume’s “Tokyo Toy Boxes Volume 1” and the text is Natsume Soseki’s “Botchan”.

The resolution is 436ppi, so the display performance is sufficient. The display uses IGZO OLED and has good color development. Colors can also be selected from four picture quality modes. In terms of display quality, I would say that there is no problem.

However, as mentioned above, the width of the screen is 62mm, which is clearly slim compared to the 64mm of the iPhone 14, and pages with fixed layouts such as comics are somewhat cramped. You might think it’s only a 2mm difference, but since it shrinks the whole page, it makes a huge difference. It’s like the magic of numbers.

Of course, it is much more comfortable than small terminals such as the iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini, but since the 6.1-inch does not have the width, if you do not see the actual device in advance, you will be confused. Become. If you were originally looking for a large smartphone in the latter half of the 6-inch type and ultimately chose this product with priority given to lightness, you may feel a considerable gap, so be careful.

I just displayed a comic.It’s bigger than the iPhone 13 mini on the right, but not as big as you might imagine from the 6.1-inch screen size.

The width of the screen is 62mm. Even with the same 6.1 type, the iPhone 14 is 64 mm, so it has a large impact on the size of the entire page. By the way, iPhone 13 mini is 57mm

I just displayed the text.It becomes quite vertical, but the balance is not bad

Another thing that seems to divide preferences is the layout of the buttons. The buttons on this product are arranged in order from the top on the right side, the volume control button, the power button, and the fingerprint authentication sensor. The in-screen fingerprint sensor of the conventional model “AQUOS sense6” has been abolished and the physical sensor (physical) is installed on the side, giving the impression that it is quite crowded.

The operability of page turning is greatly affected by this. Many Android e-book apps allow you to turn pages using the volume buttons, but the volume adjustment button on this product is located at the top of the right side, which is quite extreme, so it is extremely difficult to hold the top. I have to.

As a result, you need to hold it differently when you are reading and when you are not. Also, even when using the same e-book app, the appropriate way to hold it differs between when reading and when selecting a book from the library.

Of course, there is no problem if you tap the screen, but if you are holding it with one hand (especially with your left hand) and often use the volume control button to turn pages, the button layout may be a little difficult to use. However, it should be noted that the buttons themselves are not too hard and are easy to press repeatedly.

The volume control button is located at the top of the right side of the main unit (the part held by the thumb in this photo).It’s a pretty extreme layout.

If you hold it with your left hand and turn the page with the volume adjustment button, you will hold the upper part like this and press it with your index finger.

Even with the same e-book, you will have a little more control over store and library operations

If you hold it in your right hand, you press the volume control button with your thumb.It’s not as strong as the left hand, but the position to hold it is still up.

In the case of the right hand, you can operate the store and library without changing the way you hold it so drastically.

Another thing that bothers me when using it is that there is a slight hitch when scrolling. There is no problem with turning page by page, but depending on the application, it may be quite difficult to search for a book by scrolling up and down the screen in an e-book store, or to search for a desired book from the library. As far as I tried, this tendency is remarkable in Kindle.

In addition, this product has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is quite normal for current smartphones, so vertical scrolling comics that often follow the screen while scrolling can lead to eye fatigue without realizing it. There is a nature. These parts give the impression that there is a difference compared to the 90Hz and 120Hz products that are common in high-end machines.

On the other hand, it is lightweight and slim, so it is easy to operate while lying on your back and holding it up. This product, which can be held in this way without a smartphone ring or belt, will have certain advantages for users who often lie down and read.

As a trick to use e-books conveniently, there is a trick to assign the e-book application to the “Pay trigger” that can launch the application by pressing and holding the fingerprint sensor so that it can be started immediately. As you can see from the name, it is originally a function for quickly launching electronic money applications, but it can also be assigned to e-book applications. If you don’t use electronic money apps, you might want to try using them for these purposes.

It’s not too difficult to turn the pages while lying on your back and holding it with one hand.This is the style when held with the left hand

This is the style when held in the right hand.You can smoothly turn pages using buttons

The app assigned to the “Pay trigger” can be launched immediately by pressing and holding the fingerprint sensor.It is also possible to register multiple folders and open them.

There are some concerns, but the potential is high.

Speaking of Sharp’s lightweight smartphone, I remember the “AQUOS zero” series of 6.2 type and 146 g, but it was too light and had to be handled with care, whereas this 6.1 type / 158 g product , Although it is a slight difference of 12g of the same product, it has a presence in a good sense and is easy to handle.

As mentioned above, although the page size is not so large for a 6.1-inch model, there are models that are even longer than this product in the same 6.1-inch model, so it cannot be said to be unconditionally disadvantageous. Scrolling stuttering is also a bit noticeable on the Kindle (and Twitter) in my testing, but it doesn’t happen with every app. With that in mind, how do you make a general decision?

Forest green back in SIM-free limited color.The texture is high because it is made of aluminum

The actual sales price is around 50,000 yen, and some MVNO operators may drop the price to around 30,000 yen on a spot basis. Comes to target. Although it is not a high-end product, it is an absolute requirement that it has the potential to be used as a main smartphone, and it can be said that it is a perfect product for users who value cost performance.

This product has a large screen model called “AQUOS sense7 plus”, which is 6.4 type, lightweight at 172g, and has a high refresh rate. The SIM-free model is not available in the lineup and is only handled by Softbank, but as far as the specifications are concerned, it is suitable for e-book use, so if the conditions are met, we recommend considering this as well.