Review: Sharp FX
Screen
The FX has a 3-inch display with a miserly 240 x 400 pixels. Given the sheer volume of this device, the display is disappointingly small. It is surrounded by a huge bezel that makes it look tinier than it really is. Beyond the size, the pixel density just stinks. Everything has ragged edges and looks hazy. Last, brightness is abysmal. Set to maximum brightness, it just barely gets the job done indoors. Forget about using it outside. Fighting reflections, glare and grime is a losing battle.
Signal
Signal, as reported by the bars at the top of the phone, ranged all over the place. It swung wildly from zero to 5 to 3 to 1 to 4 to 2 bars as I walked around my house. Taking it to the basement killed the signal entirely (though other AT&T devices fare just fine down there). How did that affect phone calls? The FX has some trouble connecting calls. I was forced to re-dial a handful of calls that simply never went through. The FX never dropped a call, however. As far as data goes, browsing speeds were inconsistent. Sometimes it was fast, sometimes it was slow.
Sound
Call quality was as inconsistent as the signal. At times calls were crystal clear, and other times they were an indecipherable mess. I noticed static from time to time, as well as a digitized or artificial rendering of voices in the earpiece. Volume of the earpiece was acceptable for most indoor uses, but loud coffee shops, bars, or city streets will make for trouble. I'd prefer a louder earpiece. Similarly, the speakerphone is good for indoor use with no problems. You'll have to take care to leave the FX on its side or front, however, as the speaker is placed on the back and will be muffled if laid flat. Ringers and alert tones were reasonably loud, but again I would have preferred them to be louder.
Battery
Battery life was fairly decent for the FX. With normal use, I was able to get through two full days with charge to spare. That included some calls, some email and messaging, and some browsing. Watch some mobile TV, however, and the battery drains very quickly. I was able to kill off a full charge in just over two hours of TV time. Ouch. Better bring a charger if you want to watch TV on the go.
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Sharp FX
