Sharp Releases a Durable "Grandparent Phone" with Physical Buttons and 5G for $371
Sharp has expanded its smartphone lineup with an unusual model called the Simple Sumaho 7, designed primarily for senior citizens. This unique device boasts a durable dustproof and waterproof body, classic hardware buttons, and a simplified Android interface.
The smartphone features a 5.7-inch touchscreen display (60Hz, HD+) with dedicated buttons for quick access to the dialer, home screen, and messages, just like older Android devices. The Android 14 user interface has also been customized with large icons and high-contrast fonts for easy viewing.
Under the hood, the Simple Sumaho 7 packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Users can further expand storage capacity with a microSD card up to 1TB.
Durability is a key selling point, with the phone's casing meeting both IP68 and MIL-STD-810H standards for water and drop resistance. It also sports a 50.3MP main camera, an 8MP front-facing camera, a 4000mAh battery, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and NFC capabilities.
The Simple Sumaho 7 is currently available in Japan for ¥44,800 (approximately $371). Sharp has not yet announced availability in other regions.