Review SHARP Z2

The main reasons why we paid attention to the SHARP Z2 smartphone are a low price with quite good specifications. Moreover, the brand SHARP itself. It is worth noting that in 2016 it was bought by a well-known company Foxconn, and now SHARP is its subsidiary. Foxconn has a tremendous experience in the production of smartphones and various electronics. The company collaborates with such brands as Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei, etc. Before us is extensive brand with a full staff and unlimited production capacities.

Sharp Z2 is very old, its announcement took place in August 2016, but it was sold exclusively in China and Taiwan for about $300. More than 1.5 years later, the manufactures decided to give it a second life, reducing the price and releasing it to the European market.

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Packaging and components included in delivery

Quality compact packaging with SHARP logo in the center. “LeEco inside” inscription at the bottom of the box surprised the most. Most likely, this company was attracted for localization and software development, since initially the smartphone was sold only in the domestic market (in China and Taiwan) and most likely it hadn’t English language.

Standard package contents cell phone, power adapter, USB cable, SIM needle, back case and user guide.

The back case made of soft flexible silicone is good. It fits perfectly and does not spoil the look.

Design and ergonomics

The screen is great in here. Its size is 5.5inch and resolution - 1920x1080 (FHD). Screen type is IPS. Most likely, Sharp itself produces screens. They have a lot of experience in this, but we will not say for sure, because we did not find any information on this issue. 

The design of the front is quite controversial - on the sides of the screen, there are large bezels that look bad on a light background. Here is onscreen buttons, although there is enough space at the bottom.  

Receiver has an unusual look. To the right of it is RGB LED indicator of missed events. To the left - the front camera lens. At the top, there is 3,5 mm headphone jack (right) and an IR remote control (center) for home appliances, like Xiaomi or LeEco. 

The back of the device is made of anodized aluminum and looks very neat. In the upper and lower part of the back, there are plastic inserts, behind which the antennas are located. The back-camera was placed in the center, under which there is a flash consisting of two light-emitting diodes of different shades. Good brightness allows using it as a flashlight, or for highlighting the nearest object when using the camera in the dark. A little below, you can find a fingerprint scanner - it works great.

The slot on the left is hybrid and supports the work with two Nano SIM Card, or one SIM card can be replaced with a SD card.

The volume control buttons are located separately; the power button is located under them. The location is familiar - the upper part of the right side.

On the bottom side, there is a USB Type-C connector and it's cool, considering that many modern cell phones are still available with micro USB. To the left of Type-C is a small microphone.

Hardware

1. The CPU - Helio X20. At the time of the of device release, it was a pre-flagship processor. The best of MTK was Helio X25. However, even today, it is still competitive - in terms of power and graphics, it is stronger than Snapdragon 625, which is the standard of the middle range. The Helio X20 has 10 cores and clocks at 2.31 Ghz. 
2. Graphics – quad-core Mali T880. For today, it copes with all the games on the average graphics settings. 
3. RAM - 4 GB. It great option that copes with daily operations. 
4. ROM – 32 GB. Built-in 32 GB is quite standard, although even now some manufacturers manage to sell cell phones with 16 GB ROM.

Performance

The Antutu showed 92,000 points, which is 20,000 points more than modern Snapdragon 625 and Helio P23, which are installed in smartphones costing $150 and more. Smartphones cheaper than $150 are equipped with simpler MT6737, MT6750T, Snapdragon 425, etc. 

Camera

The back-camera shoots very well, surpassing devices that are even more expensive. If believe the information from HW info, the main camera module is a rare sensor from Samsung S5K4H8 with 16 MP.

Focus is very fast and almost error-free, good sharpness throughout the picture.

A good dynamic range - clouds in the sky and objects in the shade are well visible.

Front-camera is relatively good and can be used not only for video calls, but also for selfies.

Battery 

It is also not a strong suit of the model. 3000 mAh battery in the flagship with an ultra-modern and energy-efficient processor is one thing, 3000 mAh battery in a smartphone with a processor that is over 2 years old is another. 

Conclusion

It is good one for you to buy. It has good performance, nice camera, normal battery and beautiful design.