Sharp Aquos SH-12C 3D Android phone launches next week in Japan

Sharp's Android-powered Aquos SH-12C 3D-capable phone will launch in Japan next week. The SH-12C includes a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor, a 4.2-inch 3D touchscreen, and dual 8-megapixel cameras.

The 14mm-thin SH-12C is capable of high-definition video recording and has a built-in HDMI port for connecting the phone to a big screen. The 540x960-pixel screen isn't too far off the resolution of the iPhone 4's 640x960-pixel display, and it has a substantially higher resolution than the 240x800-pixel screen on the Nintendo 3DS. 

Although the original Japanese press release is difficult to decipher, the Aquos element of the phone's name suggests that Sharp has put some of its TV technology into the display. It's not the first company to try and convince us that the small screen can benefit from big-screen tech -- Sony is touting its Bravia Engine technology in the Xperia Arc and Xperia mini.

Besides improving image quality, Aquos tech may ensure the phone plays well with Sharp's own range of TVs via Aquos Link, although HDMI connectivity should ensure this happens anyway.

The phone's high-spec cameras should be put to good use, thanks to the built-in 'ProPix' image-processing engine, scene-recognition feature and automatic focus tracking. Photos, video and data are stored on microSD cards of up to 32GB in capacity.

Sharp is a big player in the global mobile-phone market, but we see precious little evidence of the company's wares in the UK. The Galapagos 3D handsets we reported on last year haven't graced us with their presence, and we wouldn't be surprised if the same is true of this handset.

That's a shame. Although you'll soon be able to get hold of other 3D-ready phones, such as the LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D, which both have twin 5-megapixel cameras, we'd like to see Sharp's latest little number here too. 

There's no mention of pricing. If we do ever see the handset in Britain, expect it to cost twice as much as in Japan.