Sharp Aquos S3 set for January reveal, Aquos S3 mini (FS8018) leaked

You might remember that a new Sharp phone popped up in a TENAA listing at the tail end of December which looked a lot like the Aquos S2. It turns out that there’s a good reason it looks so similar, as Sharp has now sent event invites out to Japanese media emblazoned with the name Aquos S3.

Judging by the leaked invite (below), Sharp will unveil the (near) bezel-less phone, previously known as FS8015, on January 16th in Taiwan. In addition to the Aquos S3, a Google Play Help support terminal also appears to have confirmed previous rumors that Sharp is preparing a smaller version of its flagship which may break cover at the same event.

The updated page, first spotted by DealnTech, lists the Sharp Aquos S3 mini with a model number FS8018, which tallies with another TENAA listing which surfaced a few weeks prior.

According to the listing, the Aquos S3 mini will sport a 5.48-inch display with a resolution of 2040 x 1080 pixels a 17:9 aspect ratio – no that’s not a typo, it’s really 17:9, and yes, Sharp is really pushing the definition of “mini” with this one.

The base model will reportedly be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 SoC backed by 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB internal storage, and a 2930 mAh battery. Like its larger sibling, the Aquos S3 mini is also likely to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box rather than Oreo.

Instead of the dual-camera setup expected on the regular Aquos S3, the mini version will allegedly come with a single 16 megapixel rear sensor and a whopping 20 megapixel shooter on the front.

Sharp is attending CES 2018, so there’s a very slim chance that we could see the two devices a little earlier than the January date listed on the invite. Either way, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for pricing and availability details.