As smooth as the Black Shark 4 Pro looks and feels, the biggest test for a gaming phone is its performance. While I’m typically against comparing devices through benchmarks — nothing is more accurate than real-world use — here’s a snapshot of how the Black Shark 4 Pro fares in a sea of similarly priced handsets. In fact, most smartphones on the list cost more than the 4 Pro, which makes its Single-Core score of 1,111 and Multi-Core score of 3,675 all the more impressive.
- The main sensor is what you’ll be using most of the time, with specs that far outperform the other two lenses, with headline features including a fairly decent f/1.79 aperture.
- If only a company made a device with more focused software that doesn’t feel so pressured to lean (in Black Shark’s case, very awkwardly) into the stereotypical lane of what it thinks a gamer wants in phone software.
- For starters, it has a 144Hz refresh rate compared to last years’ 90Hz.
I even found myself using them in slower-paced games because the buttons were just that comfortable. Mobile Gaming has come a long way from those Java-powered flip phone games, and holding Xiaomi’s Black Shark 4 Pro in my hands is a firm reminder.
- Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro have color options of Black, Dark Blue and Silver.
- Starting from the Black Shark 3 Pro, the physical pop-up trigger has evolved and differentiated itself from other gaming phones in the industry.
- In just minutes, the 120W Hypercharging provides long-lasting power even after a long session of performance-intensive gaming.
2.76mm ultra-small punch hole, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10+, and MEMC motion compensation make this display pleasing to the eye. The innovative mechanical magnet-lift shoulder triggers appear like magic with a gentle press for precise, customizable control stock Android firmware in competitive games. Starting from the Black Shark 3 Pro, the physical pop-up trigger has evolved and differentiated itself from other gaming phones in the industry.
It lasted almost 13 hours in our video-loop battery test, for example. In short, the Black Shark 4 Pro is a niche but excellent phone designed for mobile gamers. It starts at a relatively affordable S$790 for the 8GB/128GB version. My 12GB/256GB review set is just under S$1,000, which is still cheaper than its closest competitor, the Asus ROG Phone 5 (over S$1,200). I’m used to gaming phones having some odd touches to their software to match the maximalist approach to hardware design, but this Black Shark phone takes the cake with its built-in “Shark Chan” app. Shark Chan looks like an anime character ripped out of Genshin Impact, with a scantily clad look that leans all the way into being male-gazey.
Holding the review unit, I definitely felt that 210g weight on my hands. It’s a solid glass and metal sandwich that’s balanced just little top-heavy. Perhaps it’s just the cooling system influencing the weight distribution. It has rounded edges and it’s nearly 10mm thick, and slapping on the included grip case makes it even thicker. Most gaming class phones are thick any way, and for good reason. It didn’t feel uncomfortable playing for prolonged periods of time so that’s already a good sign.
