The latest flagship device by gaming smartphone manufacturer Black Shark, the Black Shark 5 Pro, has been made available outside of China a few months ago. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-equipped phone comes with the beefy specs characteristic of the company’s latest devices and these come at a premium price tag. The Black Shark 5 Pro starts at £639 for the 8GB + 128GB model on the official Black Shark online store, and there are two coloured variants to choose from, the Nebula White and the Stellar Black. 

Contents & Specs

The model under review today is the £729 12GB + 256GB Stellar Black model, and comes with the following items:

• Black Shark 5 Pro smartphone
• Fast Charge Power Adapter (120W)
• USB-C cable
• SIM TrayEjector 
• Protective Case 
• Screen Protector
• Quick Start Guide

 

Detailed specs of the Black Shark 5 Pro can be found below:

Hardware features

As with most phones nowadays, the 5 Pro bears the familiar rectangular black slab design. When it comes to Black Shark phones though, there are some noteworthy differences in the latest model. For one, the array of rear cameras is now arranged in a wider rectangular bump on the left side, as opposed to a horizontal arrangement in the Black Shark 4. The back cover is also different, with a matte finish and a blue tint that gives the device a classy, sleek look.

Next to the camera array is a notification indicator. This feature was introduced in the Black Shark 4 Pro and I was thrilled to see it returning in the 5 Pro as it helps to let the user know if they missed any notifications. The indicator is also customisable, allowing you to tune the lighting colour based on the type of notification (call, music, app notification).

On the right flank of the phone are the activators for the mechanical triggers. The activators on the Black Shark 5 Pro are more recessed than on the Black Shark 4 where they were as tall as the mechanical triggers that they activate. The activators aren’t fully flushed with the body and I think it’s for the best as being recessed enables them to be reached while still being low profile. 

As for the mechanical triggers themselves, they are a joy to use, as physical controls always up the gaming experience. This is more so as you can map these buttons to on-screen touch controls via the Shark Space app. The latter provides further fine-tuning for your gaming experience, be it to monitor performance, calibrate palm recognition to prevent mistouching of the edges and use the pressure-sensitive display or motion to map controls.

However, while there are some welcome changes in Black Shark’s latest phone, there are others that may be divisive. The most glaring one is the lack of a 3.5mm jack which was present on all Black Shark phones up to the previous Series 4. While you can still connect headphones via the USB-C port or Bluetooth, the 3.5mm jack would still be welcome by many, including myself. This is particularly the case as both the 5 Pro and thee 4 Pro have the same thickness. A compromise for a thinner device could have somewhat made up for this missing feature but this is not the case here.

In addition, I found the power button (that integrates a fingerprint sensor) to be rather up on the right flank. Depending on how you hold the phone and your hand size, this might require some reach to access.

Despite those few setbacks, the Black Shark 5 Pro’s hardware build quality reflects the price tag. It looks and feels premium in the hands, without screaming GAMER and this is always a welcome approach. The fact that it comes packed with a screen protector and bumper is also welcome as an all-rounder package.

It’s easily usable as a daily driver, especially considering its inconspicuous look and quality camera that will help you get some rather eye-catching shots. Watching movies on the 6.67” OLED  display is a treat coupled with the vibrant speakers on either end of the device. As it comes with the 120W fast charger, you’ll be able to get a full charge within 15 minutes and this has always been a standout feature of Black Shark phones.

 

Sample pictures taken with the Black Shark 5 Pro's camera

Gaming & emulation performance

Of course, you won’t just be watching videos, taking pictures and calls with the Black Shark 5 Pro but will likely use it for mobile gaming. So let’s turn our attention to its main draw. Running some benchmarks on Geekbench places the 5 Pro in the top-tier with some of the highest scores for both CPU and Compute benchmarks. These results are further reflected on the performance of games on the device.

   

Every game that I’ve thrown at it runs flawlessly thanks to the snappy Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Max Payne Mobile and Pascal’s Wager both run fluidly at 60 fps, and you can expect similar performance for practically every Android game.

 

You can also expect pretty good emulation on the Black Shark 5 Pro. Every system I’ve tested worked without any issues and played marvellously well on the handheld. For Dreamcast via Redream, I would get Crazy Taxi to run at a steady 60fps. Similarly, for PSP via PPSSPP, Ridge Racer would run at 60fps while Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker at the capped 20 fps.

 

More demanding systems also fared well on the phone. Gamecube via Dolphin Emulator would yield fluid performance for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at 30fps and Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes at 60fps. Emulating PS2 via AetherSX2 would also give steady 60 fps for both Shadow of the Colossus and Zone of the Enders.

  

Black Shark Accessories

As usual with every phone launch, Black Shark expands its ecosystem with accessories. Here we’ll check out the Black Shark FunCooler 3 Pro and the Black Shark JoyBuds Pro.

Black Shark FunCooler 3 Pro

This accessory, currently available on the Black Shark AliExpress store for $48, is to remedy your warm phone woes with a clip-on module. It is easily inserted at the back of the device and once powered on, With its 7-blade fan design, it can cool down the phone by up to 30°C. This can come in handy when your power-hungry games start to cause the phone to warm up and become uncomfortable to hold. The FunCooler 3 Pro will fix this in a jiffy as you can feel the cooling effect within seconds.

This add-on can be a recommended purchase if you play such demanding games regularly. It’s also well designed to be a plug and play affair to use and the air ducts are positioned to direct air away from the hands. For those craving for some of that gamer aesthetic, the cooler also incorporates lighting effects while in use.

  

However, it does add some extra weight and a considerable bump to the phone which you’ll have to make peace with. In addition, the FunCooler 3 Pro needs to be powered by an external power source, which is not very ideal for a handheld that’s meant to be used on the go.

Black Shark JoyBuds Pro

Black Shark also launched an upgraded version of its wireless earbuds, the JoyBuds Pro. Retailing for £67.90 on the online Black Shark store, it brings some new features compared to the non-Pro version. The main improvement is the inclusion of different eartips to better fit the user’s ears. 

Once I found one that suits me, the JoyBuds Pro felt comfortable and I can easily wear them for long stretches of time as they are very light.

 

On the audio side, these earbuds lean more towards the bass, especially when the Gaming Mode is activated. However, they can easily be used for music listening and video streaming purposes as the audio is clear, crisp and faithfully delivers subtle cues. 

They also include features such as active noise cancellation, noise filtering microphones and quick charge that can deliver up to 3 hours of playback from just 15 minutes of charging. This will of course vary based on the usage and features employed but the Black Shark JoyBuds Pro offer a more than decent audio experience.

This is aided by the fact that the touch controls can be customised in the Shark Space app. I personally prefer being able to adjust the volume right from the earbuds and, even if this was not a default control, the app allowed me to map it to the earbuds and this really caters to most preferences.

 

Conclusion

My experience with the Black Shark 5 Pro quickly indicated that this is an all-rounder phone. Even if it plays into the incremental upgrade marketing scheme and is quite pricey upfront, it is easily a sleek-looking daily driver that doubles as an on-the-go gaming powerhouse if you decide to invest in one. The mechanical triggers are a joy to use and the dedicated Shark Space app helps to further customise the mobile gaming experience.

However - and I will never tire of pointing this out - gaming smartphones sorely lack physical controls. Even if Black Shark is the only company that has been steadily integrating physical, mechanical triggers in its smartphones that can actually be used as general purpose phones, this still doesn’t feel enough despite having an app to give controls beyond the touchscreen. Maybe they could integrate other magnetic systems to hide a D-pad and face buttons, or come up with a new design like the increasingly popular foldables with a clamshell design to house the physical buttons. This might be wishful thinking from my part but I am sure I’m not the only one with such wishes. Until then, the Black Shark 5 Pro can satisfy your mobile gaming needs with its powerful emulation and Android gaming capacities.