Now that the AQUOS sense 3 has been released, the AQUOS sense 2 has become a previous-generation model. That said, it still supports the latest Android 9.0, and you can pick one up relatively cheaply on auction sites and Amazon, which is a big part of its appeal. This time I managed to get my hands on an AQUOS sense 2 at a low price, so I figured I'd give it a hands-on review. The unit I'm reviewing here is the au version, the "SHV43".
Spec Comparison Table
| AQUOS sense | AQUOS sense 2 | AQUOS sense 3 | |
| Display | Approx. 5.0-inch IGZO LCD 1080×1920 | Approx. 5.5-inch IGZO LCD 1080×2160 | Approx. 5.5-inch IGZO LCD 1080×2160 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 - 1.4GHz×4 cores + 1.1GHz×4 cores | Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 - 1.8GHz×8 cores | Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 - 2.2GHz×4 cores + 1.8GHz×4 cores |
| Memory | 3GB | 3GB | 4GB |
| Initial OS | Android 7.1 | Android 8.1 | Android 9 Pie |
| Battery | 2,700mAh | 2,700mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Storage | 32GB | 32GB | 64GB |
| Connectivity | Downlink up to 150Mbps, uplink up to 25Mbps / VoLTE / Wi-Fi 4 (2.4GHz only) / Bluetooth 4.2 / Felica / GPS | Downlink up to 150Mbps, uplink up to 50Mbps / VoLTE / Wi-Fi 5 / Bluetooth 4.2 / Felica / GPS | Downlink up to 350Mbps, uplink up to 75Mbps / VoLTE / Wi-Fi 5 / Bluetooth 5 / Felica / GPS |
| Rear camera | 13.1MP CMOS | 12MP CMOS | 12MP CMOS standard + 12MP CMOS wide-angle |
| Other | Fingerprint sensor / microSDXC (up to 400GB) | Fingerprint sensor / Hi-Res audio support / microSDXC (up to 512GB) | Fingerprint sensor / Hi-Res audio support / microSDXC (up to 512GB) |
| Size | Approx. 144mm×72mm×8.6mm | Approx. 148mm×71mm×8.4mm | Approx. 147mm×70mm×8.9mm |
| Weight | Approx. 148g | Approx. 155g | Approx. 167g |
| Waterproof/Dustproof | IPX5,8 / IP6X | IPX5,8 / IP6X | IPX5,8 / IP6X |
SHARP Official AQUOS sense 2
https://jp.sharp/products/shv43/spec.html
A Simple, Smart Look That Doesn't Try Too Hard
There are some imported smartphones with backs that look like the color of a bathroom stool — flashy in a way you can't unsee — but the sense 2 is finished with a simple look that doesn't try to call attention to itself. It doesn't have the premium feel of a top-end flagship, but it doesn't look cheap either, and the not-too-flashy design makes it easy for a wide range of people to live with.
The display is a 5.5-inch IGZO LCD, which is a pretty standard size these days. There's no "notch" cut out for the front camera, which has become the norm on recent smartphones — and that's a nice touch.
The "AQUOS" Name Is No Mere Branding
The "AQUOS" name is famous as SHARP's TV brand, and that DNA seems to have been inherited by the sense 2 as well.
Some other smartphones overdo the saturation — apparently in the name of vivid colors — to the point your eyes get tired, but this isn't one of them. The screen is very sharp, with calm, attractive color reproduction. Even I, who had figured that LCDs were nothing special once you'd gotten used to a nice OLED display, found myself thinking "oh, this is actually nice" when I looked at this panel. You can also switch the picture quality between modes like "Dynamic" and "Natural" depending on the scene.
So How Does the Snapdragon 450 Perform?
The Snapdragon 450 inside is a mid-range CPU. The successor model, the AQUOS sense 3, also uses a mid-range chip — the Snapdragon 630 — but the 630 has higher clock speeds and faster memory, so the 450 sits at the lower end within the mid-range bracket. All in all, it's a phone with somewhere around lower-middle performance.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench 5 returned a single-core score of 153 and a multi-core score of 961. I'd love a bit more on the score side if I'm being greedy, but it covers the bare minimum.
Antutu benchmark
The total Antutu benchmark score came out to 82,852. It loses out to high-end smartphones, but for work or everyday use there's no problem. Benchmark numbers are nothing more than a rough indicator, so please take them as reference only.
Can It Handle 3D Games?
In PUBG Mobile, for example, it's not exactly smooth, but it's perfectly playable. I was able to push the graphics settings up to "Standard" at most.
I even managed to grab a chicken dinner in a normal match, so unless you're hardcore, it doesn't seem like there'll be too much of a problem. I was also able to play "Pokémon GO" and "Dragon Quest Walk" without issues.
The Camera Is "What You Pay For"
The image above is shot straight from the sense 2 with no edits, and the camera quality itself feels about the same as a typical smartphone. Nothing especially good or bad — it gives you average results. That's plenty to handle records of trips or use at work. By default, video is recorded at an oddly specific 1920x960, so if you set it to Full HD from the settings, you can watch it filling the whole screen on a TV.
You can also configure things like image quality, mic on/off, and the "self-timer" that's handy for group photos.
A Smartphone I'd Also Recommend for Business
It's a previous-generation model, the price is low, and the performance isn't that bad either, so it's a solid pick for business use too.
I think the lowest-cost setup is to grab a unit at a marked-down price on an auction site and run it on a budget SIM. It's also a great choice for someone's first smartphone, of course. When signing up for a budget SIM, if you buy what's called an "entry package" on Amazon and use it at contract time, the contract handling fee — normally about 3,000 yen (about 20 USD) — is waived, so if you're about to sign up, definitely grab an entry package.
