‘Star Wars’ smartphone caters to your fandom
How much do you like Star Wars? Enough that you’d buy a phone that revolves around it? If so, we have good news… at least, if you’re living in Japan. Sharp is marking the imminent arrival of Rogue One with a SoftBank-exclusive Star Wars smartphone that’s clearly designed for the most devoted of fans. The slick-looking, color-shifting Light Side and Dark Side designs are just the start. The real party starts when you dive into the software. Whichever model you choose, you get a heavily customized take on Android with starfighter-based live wallpaper, custom apps and sounds, special emoji and a collectable card game. And did we mention that a free app lets you watch The Force Awakens as much as you like until December 1st, 2019?
The device itself is more powerful than some of Sharp’s other novelty phones, but you won’t get one just for the specs. The 5.3-inch handset packs a 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a 22.6-megapixel rear camera — very capable, but not the absolute best. It’s ‘only’ rated for IP58 protection against the elements (it’s water-resistant, but not dust-resistant), and its biggest stand-out is the TV tuner you frequently find in Japanese smartphones.
Most likely, the biggest obstacle will be availability. Sharp’s Star Wars phone goes on sale at SoftBank on December 2nd for ¥97,920 (about $865), and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see it officially on sale outside of its home country. As it is, the smartphone would lose some of its appeal if you tried to import it. There’s no guarantee that it’ll fully support your carrier of choice, and the free movie streaming only works in its native market. Unless you live in Japan, you’ll have to make do customizing the phone you already have.
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