Xiaomi-backed 'Black Shark' Gaming Phone Revealed
While there were a few unconfirmed leaks circulating online, little was known about the mysterious Black Shark, except that it is a gaming smartphone from Black Shark Technology, a Chinese gaming company backed by Xiaomi. The veil was finally lifted yesterday when the whole device was revealed, complete with specs and accessories:
Some of the new device's specs are as follows:
- 5.99” 18:9 IPS LCD with Full HD+ resolution
- Snapdragon 845 chip
- Adreno 630 GPU
- 4,000 mAh battery
- Up to 8GB of RAM
- Up to 128 GB Internal Storage
- An integrated multi-stage liquid cooling system that brings the CPU temperature 8° C down
- Android Oreo OS with JOY UI custom launcher
- Dual camera on the back: 12 MP f/1.75 + 20 MP f/1.75 with 6P lens and a dual-LED flash
- Front camera: 20MP sensor but slower f/2.2 lens
- 109g weight
To stand out as a gaming smartphone, the Black Shark has a few dedicated features to back its claim. The gaming phone's most striking feature is its dedicated detachable gamepad. The latter is somewhat akin to the Nintendo Switch's joy-con as it attaches on one side of the phone. The gamepad itself packs a 340 mAh and can connect via Bluetooth. While this peripheral will be sold separately, the first 50,000 buyers will get it for free. It is a quite peculiar gamepad as it is only one-sided, offering only one analogue stick and a shoulder button but no directional keys nor any A/B/X/Y buttons.
Another "game-y" feature is its "Shark" key located on its left side. This will allow the phone to go all out, dedicating all resources for optimal performance.
Gaming smartphones might sound like a niche market but they are slowly picking up. That's especially the case in China where online mobile games are a huge hit. There is even a growing competition among hardware companies to bring gaming smartphones to consumers. Razer recently unveiled its Razer phone and another gaming phone, the Red Magic, is in the works. The smartphone gaming market has also been welcoming console titles like PUBG and Fortnite that will soon follow suit and might attract more gamers worldwide.
The Black Shark is now available for pre-order on JD.com, with the 8GB RAM/128GB storage version costing CNY3,499 (€452/$557) and the 6GB RAM/64 GB version priced at CNY2,999 (€387/$477). The Black Shark Gamepad is sold separately at CNY179 (€23/$28).
Black Shark Official Website