Sharp's Aquos R2 Compact doubles the notchiness

Maybe Sharp missed the memo where it stated that the Pixel 3's second notch was just a hardware glitch, or maybe they are just trying to out-notch the competition. Regardless, the new design from Sharp is an eye-sore above all else.

Source: Sharp

The Aquos R2 Compact from Sharp comes packed with all the hardware you could want from a 2018 flagship. It features the popular Snapdragon 845, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage (expandable), and a 2280 x 1080 120hz screen. A 2500 mAh battery is nothing spectacular, but as it is only powering a 5.2" display, it should be more than sufficient. All of this, coupled with a 22.6 MP rear shooter, make this poised to be a champion of smaller phones everywhere.

That is until you see what the screen looks like...

While there is still debate on whether notches are a truly necessary compromise, it is something we expect on a 2018 phone, and the screen notch projecting in to the top of the screen on the Aquos R2 Compact is certainly not egregious. It strongly resembles the O.G. notch of Essential's PH-1 with its small size and sharp edges. However, where one notch is acceptable, Sharp's inclusion of a second notch is especially heinous. Jutting in to the bottom of the screen is a second notch that is noticeably wider and distracting. Rather than move the fingerprint sensor to the back or in the screen, as every other manufacturer was smart enough to do, Sharp decided to keep their oblong scanner on the front.

Why didn't Sharp just use this to justify a chin? No one knows. If they absolutely had to keep the sensor on the front, they could have gone the Pixel route to make the bottom chin the same width as the top notch; if you blacked out the notch, it would have just looked like symmetrical bezels. At a bare minimum, if they were adamant about two notches (which they shouldn't have been), they could have at least made the notches symmetrical. However, Sharp decided to simply ignore any concept of phone functionality and aesthetics.

So, now, rather than a standard-bearer for small phones, we are left with a mismatched, poorly designed double-notcher whose widow's peak outstandingly clashes with its soul patch. While we wait for the inevitable triple-notcher, thanks for the nightmares Sharp.