Created: 14 May 2014 · Last edited: 16 September 2026

Part of the Summer 2014 collection, Docomo's AQUOS Zeta SH-04F is featured as a separate model because, while it shares the same hardware internals as the SoftBank and au models, it has a slightly larger, 5.4" display.

If size matters, then the SH-04F is even more superb than the 304SH and the SHL25.

This AQUOS, ahem... phone (after Sharp officially dropped "Phone" from the brand name), is of the EDGEST series – having a very thin bezel and allowing the display to occupy 81% of the phone's surface — versus 78% on the 304SH and 80% on the SHL25! The 5.4-inch display has a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, is built using the IGZO technology, but now Sharp have added PureLED display backlight technology – to not only deliver more vivid colours and deeper contrast but also ensure reduced power consumption. The SH-04F should get three full days of normal user with one charge of its 3300 mAh battery (the largest of all three).

Unlike all Sharp smartphones of the past, the new AQUOS EDGEST finally come with an aluminium frame (but the back panel is still plastic).

The SH-04F employs a novel design for its long sides, the so-called “Hexa Grip” shape, which makes the phone look like a... well... a hexagon. The result is a phone that is remarkably easy to hold with one hand and almost impossible to slip out of your grasp. I've tested this personally: even when I tilt my hand down to 45°, the phone remains practically "glued" to my palm.

One clever new function we find on it is the "with one hand" quick launcher feature, where, tapping the dedicated button located in the bottom right corner, the screen is "compacted" to enable one-hand operation. The "reduced screen" contains links to frequently visited apps and functions, history and favourites.

The camera is a 13.1-megapixel shooter that features the new generation NightCatch II flash and BrightEye f/1.9 aperture technology for shooting in the dark, real-time HDR that automatically adjusts the sensor to the backlight level. The camera also features burst mode for up to 999 consecutive shots in full resolution, and framing advisor to help correctly frame the photo, as well as omnidirectional shooting (Photosphere). It can record 4K2K videos! Unfortunately, the camera doesn't support optical image stabilisation – it only features software image stabilisation (shake correction) and only for still images.

A new feature of the camera is NAVITIME – an improvement of the Augment Reality features from before – which can advise you what the distance to a selected destination is, and what is nearby, such as ATMs, PoIs etc.

The front-facing camera is still the humble 2.1 megapixels but now has enhanced zoom functionality called "beauty zoom".

The Aquos Zeta SH-04F has Full-Seg support for terrestrial digital television for viewing, recording and broadcasting. The phone has DTS Surround Sound technology for immersive hearing experience. The built-in Video Player app supports playback of 4K2K resolution video with the option to zoom to a chosen segment of the screen image.

This device is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974AB processor humming at 2.3 GHz, the amount of RAM is 2 GB, and the onboard storage (ROM) is 32 GB. This can be expanded using microSDXC cards of up to 128 GB.

The pre-installed OS is Android 4.4. An upgrade to Android 5 Lollipop was released.

The Aquos Zeta SH-04F weighs 154 grams, measures 140 mm x 74 mm x 9.3 mm, and is available in orange, white and black.

[March 2016]

Although this phone was released before the new SIM unlock policy went into effect, the phone can apparently be unlocked. Some sellers on Yahoo Auctions Japan offer the unlocking service for 5000 Yen. But it is only done by sending the phone to the unlocked by mail.

[November 2016]

The SIM unlocking service for this and other models now costs 8000 Yen but does not require shipping the phone, it's done online.