The Sharp AQUOS R11 has appeared in fresh benchmark results and a hands-on video review, confirming that the device ships with an unannounced hexa-core variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 platform. Qualcomm has never publicly detailed this SM8735Q configuration, though the same chip had previously surfaced in pre-release benchmark databases for the same smartphone.
Shared Prime Core and Graphics
Both the standard octa-core and the hexa-core editions of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 use an identical Cortex-X4 prime core running at 3.21 GHz and the same Adreno 825 GPU. Graphics clock speeds remain unchanged between the two versions, pointing to a deliberate reworking of the CPU layout rather than a broader platform redesign.
Where the CPU Clusters Diverge
The standard configuration follows a 1+3+2+2 design: a single Cortex-X4 core, three Cortex-A720 cores at 3 GHz, two Cortex-A720 cores at 2.8 GHz, and two Cortex-A720 cores at 2.02 GHz. The variant inside the AQUOS R11 trims this to a 1+4+1 arrangement. The entire 3 GHz cluster is removed. One of its three cores is discarded entirely, while the remaining two are merged into the 2.8 GHz tier, expanding that group to four cores. The efficiency-oriented 2.02 GHz cluster also shrinks from two cores down to one, yielding a total of six high-performance ARMv9 cores.
Performance Measured
Geekbench 6.7 scores offer a direct comparison. The OnePlus Nord 6, equipped with the full octa-core Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, records 1,893 points in single-core testing and 6,260 points in multi-core workloads. The Sharp AQUOS R11 and its hexa-core SM8735Q manage a higher single-core result of 2,070 but post a lower multi-core tally of 5,846, a shortfall of roughly 6.6 percent. Even so, the new phone outperforms the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 inside its predecessor, the AQUOS R10.
Yield Management and Market Pressures
Interpreting the choice remains speculative because Qualcomm has not officially acknowledged this die variant. Industry analysts point to cost optimization and manufacturing yield strategies as plausible factors, especially as smartphone supply chains continue to navigate the period some component buyers have begun calling “RAMmageddon.” In that environment, repurposing partially functional silicon into a validated hexa-core SKU can help Sharp balance performance targets with tighter bill-of-materials constraints without waiting for a formal launch tier.
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