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There’s a (relatively) new kid in Singapore’s mobile market and it is none other than Sharp itself! While Sharp is always known for its home appliances, don’t be surprised that they actually do make phones as well. Sharp phones are somewhat new in Singapore’s market, with the first introduction of their range of phones about 2 years ago! So, for now, they have loaned us their latest release in their midrange line, the sense9.
The sense9 Deets
The sense9 is currently retailing at SGD$599 online at Cocorolife.sg and at Challenger. Over at Shopee however, it’s retailing at a much cheaper price of SGD$569. After this introductory price, the retail price of the sense9 would go up to SGD$639.
There are four colours currently available; blue, coral, white and black. Sharp has loaned us the sense9 in Black. Before we continue, let’s watch the unboxing!
The sense9 comes with a 32MP Front Camera and 50.3MP Wide and Standard Back Camera. I’m extremely keen to try their camera, especially the Macro shots and to put their ProPix Image Engine to the test. The Propix Image Engine is supposed to “process the RAW data and pays close attention to the texture of hair to create a high-quality finish.”
In their press release (here), Sharp not only boasts about the fact that the sense9 conforms to Military Standard but that it has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This means that even using the sense9 under bright sunlight would ensure that you are able to see the screen clearly.
Let’s look at the specifications:
| Operating System | Android 14 |
| CPU | Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 Mobile Platform |
| Dimensions | 73 x 149 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 166g |
Frankly speaking, the sense9 did feel a little weird in my hands. Probably because I’m used to slightly bigger phone sizes so the smaller size did throw me off a little bit. The 166g really did have a difference when I held my personal phone (Samsung Galaxy Flip6) and the sense9. That 20g somehow is noticeable. Then, there’s also the fact that the aluminium body makes touching the sense9 so, so good. It feels so smooth and, hmm, pleasing? I can’t seem to find the right words to how nice the finish feels against my hand, HAH.
Aside from all these though, let’s move on to the tests and see how the sense9 fares.
The Tests!
Before I move on to the test, there was something that I noticed in the design of the phone that did irk me a little. The lock button and the volume button is significantly further to each other as compared to other phones. This results in me having a little difficulty when I was taking screenshots of the results. The distance did make doing it one-handed not as easy as usual.
Aside from that, there was something I did like though. When I wanted do a longer screenshot, I was able to pull it down to the exact part of the screen. This is different from the other phones that I had reviewed, where to do a longer screenshot, I would have scroll down. It’s a small but significant difference that I noticed and appreciated.
For the 3DMark and PCMark tests, I will be comparing it to the midrange phones that I recently reviewed.
First, the battery life test. The battery is supposed to last around 20 hours; I rounded the minutes up to the nearest hour. That’s actually pretty comparable to alot of phones on the market, not just midrange phones.
Next is the Work Test. The work test results surprised me as the score is actually better as compared to the previous two midrange phones that I reviewed. In fact, its score is just below a recent thousand dollar phone that I reviewed. For a phone that costs about $600, this is actually a pretty decent!
After, we ran the Wild Life Stress Test. While the score is not able to compete with most of the phones of the market, it does score quite well for a midrange phone. No complaints there.
Lastly, the Sling Shot Stress Test. This result is definitely much higher than the Wild Life; with the sense9 scoring better than 86% of the phones in the market. I was pleasantly surprised as I was expecting a lower score, maybe in the 60s range. So to get the high 80s is definitely a win for the Sense9!
The Camera Test – Jurong Lake Gardens
I initially did not like how the camera produced the pictures. During the initial processing, it seemed like my husband’s skin became quite orange. However, in the midst of writing this review, I realised the photos actually looked quite sharp and crisp! The colours of the greenery, the neon orange of my daughter’s hat and the blue skies was just *chef’s kiss*.
Bringing the sense9 to Jurong Lake Gardens was a great idea. Since it really brought out how well the camera took the photos. For a midrange phone, I do have to admit that the photos taken showed me that I underestimated the sense9.
I really liked how the camera picked up on the grey skies on the first photo. It really shows the overcast weather of that day. Yet in the third photo, the camera showed just how blue and clear the sky was at the same time. You could also see the murkiness of the water in the first photo. Do you spot the ripples created by the otter swimming? Of course, some might say, the otter is not easily spotted which is not wrong. I did not focus on the otter, choosing instead to focus on the surrounding colours. Also, otters are supposed to be able to blend into their surroundings! The brown fur really does help to blend into the murky water!
Lastly, the orange of my daughter’s hat. I cannot get over how neon the orange turned out. It stands out in the second photo. It literally stands out. You cannot deny how loud and orange that hat is, lol.
Camera Test – Macro Shots
Next up was the Macro shots. I focused on the red rose but I was still impressed with how the camera also focused on the surrounding flowers in the second photo. While the first photo, the camera blurred the surrounding flowers. I really liked how the purple of the smaller filler flowers were still vibrant even against the bright red of the rose.
Overall, I really enjoyed using sense9’s camera. The colours of the photos are all bright and vibrant. The camera focus was also pretty fast and I was able to quickly capture the shot I wanted.
Final Thoughts
Sharp showed that one should never underestimate a midrange phone. The sense9 proved to be a phone that lives up to the boasts that Sharp has claimed. Usually we tend to take these claims with a grain of salt. However, the sense9 made me believe that this phone is well-worth the price that you are paying for.
If you are looking for a midrange phone that won’t break your bank, the sense9 should be in your list of possibilities. Lastly, never underestimate a midrange phone because we’ve been so spoiled by all the other popular, big-name phones!
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