Sharp gives Aquos R2 Compact smartphone a dual-notch design

Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp took the tech world by surprise with its new smartphone, the Aquos R2 Compact, which has not one but two notches -- an interesting choice. One notch is located at the top of the screen to make way for the camera, while the second cutout at the bottom of the display contours the fingerprint reader.

Two separate notches are cut into this smartphone's virtually borderless 5.2-inch LCD display (2.280x1.080 pixels), making way for the device's front-facing camera and fingerprint reader. But this handset's originality doesn't end there, since is it also happens to be one of the most powerful smartphones of its size on the market.

The Aquos R2 Compact runs on a Snapdragon 845 processor and 4GB RAM, and uses the latest version of the Android mobile operating system (Pie). It has a 22.6-Megapixel main camera and a 2,500 mAh battery. This surprising smartphone is currently only announced for release in Japan.