In today's article, we will introduce in detail the functions of an available gaming smartphone BlackShark 4. It is equipped with an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor, 144 Hz AMOLED display as well as physical and slide-out game buttons.
In our editorial office, we decided to test this gaming smartphone so that we could evaluate for ourselves what equipment it actually offers. This is his just beginning review.
Black Shark 4: Where to buy?
We are a model Black Shark 4 received directly from the manufacturer, from China. At present, it is not yet officially sold in Slovakia or the Czech Republic, but you can use the offer of the official store on the well-known Aliexpress portal, which has a smartphone in stock in nearby Poland.
It means fast and duty-free delivery by courier to the door of your house. Postage is for a symbolic fee.
Packaging and practical accessories
smartphone Black Shark 4 arrives in a box of standard dimensions. In our case, it depicted a design line with the logo of the subsidiary brand and its text was in Chinese. After opening the box, there is a paper envelope with accessories on the top itself.
In this case, the accessories include a high-quality plastic package with the necessary cut-outs, brief instructions for use and also a set of stickers with the manufacturer's logo. Below is the smartphone itself wrapped in a protective foil.
The lower part of the box contains a cable with a USB type C connector for charging and also for connection to a computer. The package also includes a fast up to 120W charger terminal. In our case, however, it contained a Chinese ending, so you will also need a reduction to the European socket.
The second box of slightly smaller dimensions, which came to us for testing together with a smartphone, contains an active external fan FanCooler 2.0 designed for cooling. The interior includes the fan itself covered with a protective film, a type C USB cable for power and paper basic information about this product.
Gaming smartphone design
At first glance, we can see that this is not a completely standard 400-euro smartphone. The construction is a bit heavier and thicker than the standard models. The dimensions of this product were stopped at 163,83 x 76,35 x 10,42 millimeters. The weight (without packaging) is then 210 grams and with the packaged packaging up to 235 grams.
Device layout
The front features a large 6,67 ”AMOLED display with minimal frames (a few millimeters extra has only a" chin "smartphone). The display has a glued protective film at the factory and also includes a space with a front camera. Above it is a speaker designed for telephony, which is of standard quality. There is also an LED diode directly in the speaker grille.
On the left side there is a socket intended for a pair of nanosSIM cards, the microSD memory card slot is not included. Below it is unusually one of the microphones, but also the volume control. There are also three plastic partitions for the passage of the signal from the antennas.
The right side also contains the same plastic parts, but this is a bit more interesting. It also includes an integrated fingerprint reader for the device on / off button. This button is conveniently located, also due to the unique elements - sliding physical game buttons with the designation Master Trigger.
These are found in the years (when you turn the phone horizontally) and are easy to feel. However, they need to be manually extended and retracted using a pair of sliding physical switches, also located on this side of the device.
The bottom edge is home to the primary microphone for telephony, but there is also a 3,5 mm audio connector for connecting wired headphones, a USB type C connector for charging and also the first of a pair of linear stereo speakers. The mentioned signal passage plastic parts are not located here.
On the upper edge we find the second of a pair of loud and high-quality stereo speakers, as well as another microphone, which will be used, for example, for video recording. Unlike other Xiaomi models, we can't find an infrared port here that someone may be missing.
Three rear cameras
The glass-metal body underlines the gradient treatment of the back with an interesting X-shaped design. This design changes its color according to the incident light. However, the center of this wall is the module of a trio of integrated rear cameras placed horizontally next to each other. There is also an LED flash, and if you want to call this protruding camera module, the included plastic case will help. Below is only the logo and the brand name of the manufacturer Black Shark.
The construction is very well made, it is solid and the manufacturer has also chosen a pleasant gradient coloration of the rear wall. However, it is not waterproof and therefore do not expect any IP certification in the equipment. However, it will please the flat display without bending, which also renders game details in the corners and sides of the screen very well.
Display: 144 Hz AMOLED
The big attraction of the gaming smartphone is also the fast, large and delicate display. In this case, we have a 6,67 ″ AMOLED panel with a 20: 9 aspect ratio and space for the front camera.
Full HD+ resolution is available (2400 x 1080 pixels, 394 ppi fineness), there is also a high refresh rate of up to 144 Hz (it isnamick, adapts to the watched content as needed) and a high sampling frequency of up to 720 Hz, which will be appreciated especially by players playing through a touch screen.
The display offers standard brightness at the level of 500 nits (up to 1300 nits at the maximum level) and a 105% color gamut of the DCI-P3. In use, we recorded the refresh rate almost immediately, the reactions of this panel were really lightning fast.
However, we would like the maximum brightness to be even higher, especially when used in direct sunlight. The minimum brightness was fine, even when used in complete darkness. We were pleased with the eye-saving mode as well as the ability to adjust the color spectrum of the display panel as needed. It is also possible to wake up the screen by lifting or double-tapping, and there is also a so-called active mode (known as always-on) and various designs for its display, including the Black Shark logo.
Performance: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G
In this case, we will divide the chapter on smartphone performance into two parts - general use and gaming use of this smartphone. The Black Shark 4 model will offer an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G processor (manufactured with 7 nm technology, clocked up to 3,42 GHz or 1 x 3,2 GHz Kryo 585 + 3 x 2,42 GHz Kryo 585 + 4 x 1,80 , 585 GHz Cryo XNUMX).
The processor is also complemented by the Adreno 650 graphics chip, which is flagship and will also be suitable for graphics-intensive mobile applications and games. As for the standard use of the smartphone, we did not notice a problem in terms of performance. Responses are fast even with demanding multitasking, and this was not the case with the use of several applications on the display. If you want to compare the performance of the processor with your smartphone, the results of AnTuTu tests can help you. According to our tests, the Black Shark 4 smartphone scored more than 540 points.
If the smartphone was hesitant, it was more of a software imperfection, which we will comprehensively describe in a separate chapter below, the operating system. A nice bonus is the mode for increasing performance, especially in games, and we will specifically address the gaming experience in the next chapter.
Game mode and cooling from the Black Shark workshop
Mobile gaming, practically the main marketing, but also the structural pull of this model. The smartphone, equipped with a fast display with a 720 Hz sampling frequency, high power in AnTuT, external active cooling and physical slide-out game buttons (Master Trigger), is predestined for high loads.
Let's start with the software experience. Yes, the superstructure has several imperfections and also several pre-installed applications. From them, we must highlight the special application Shark Space, which brings together various functions and shortcuts that every player will appreciate. You can turn off notifications, monitor fps (frames per second), free up RAM, map physical buttons to selected games, and much more.
However, this is not the end of the software, the main attraction is the physical buttons. The real fun begins when they are pulled out and especially the specific sound that accompanies it. Do you want to drift in Asphalt 9 via a physical button? No problem. You will appreciate their advantage, sticking to the style of a portable console and also your faster reactions only during a shootout in PUBG or GTA. Yes, that's where we have to commend these buttons for their exemplary processing and also their reactions.
In terms of cooling, the integrated liquid-based cooling technology that is updated, of the so-called "sandwich". If it seems to you that despite this, your smartphone overheats too much at high performance, the manufacturer entices you with optional accessories directly in the application.
It also includes an external FanCooler 2.0 fan, which shows you the temperature of your smartphone on the display and holds it firmly in place thanks to a pair of handles. The game does not interfere with and in addition has power from the side via a USB connector type C.
The manufacturer also attracts other accessories such as a mechanical keyboard or gamepad, so in terms of optional gaming accessories, we definitely have something to look forward to.
Memory: LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 in the lead role
In terms of memory, the Chinese manufacturer also left nothing to chance. The equipment of this regulation includes 8/12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM as well as 128/256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. After the first boot, you have approximately 100 GB of free space, while the system itself takes up more than 14 GB.
We were given a configuration of 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for testing. Due to the fact that it is not possible to expand the storage with a microSD memory card, we recommend that you re-evaluate the capacity before the purchase itself. However, 128 GB was enough for us, and when it comes to RAM, 8 GB of RAM will suffice for a high load and active use of game functions.
Fingerprint reader
The fingerprint sensor is an equally important part of this smartphone, especially from a security point of view. Unlocking your face through the front camera is not very recommended, so try a combination of biometrics via fingerprint + PIN.
In this case, the sensor is integrated directly into the on / off button of the device. It is an elongated and conveniently located button, which also contains a standard capacitive sensor with really fast responses to unlocking. We did not notice the problem even with slightly damp or greasy fingers, and the reactions of the reader were really exemplary. If you have a problem with recognition, we recommend a simple trick with dual scanning of the same finger for better evaluation of the result.
The location of the button is a bit lower, due to the game buttons of the smartphone. However, with higher dimensions of the device itself, this is rather an advantage. On the contrary, the disadvantage is the volume control buttons, on the left side, directly opposite the button with the fingerprint reader. We have occasionally inadvertently pressed the button for regulation, especially with a stronger grip on the device, and left-handers can have the same problem. This is a detail that is important from our point of view.
Software: Android and JoyUI extension
At the time of testing, we updated the smartphone to the latest software and the result is the Android 11 operating system (assembly number PROS2104300OS00MP1), with a security update to 01.03.2021. We expect the manufacturer to bring April or May security enhancements from Google in one of the upcoming updates. However, they are still missing.
The operating system itself is then supplemented by a graphical extension of JOY UI 12.5 (version 12.5 21.04.30). This superstructure seems to have fallen out of the eye of the original MIUI 12.5 from Xiaomi and also shares similar functions with a slightly different design of the basic screen or settings. The icons, the center of shortcuts and notifications are different, but it also offers settings. However, these are optical changes, tuned to the color green, which can be used, and there is also an advanced dark mode, which especially highlights the green elements of the JOY UI superstructure from Black Shark. Google services and their seamless synchronization are also missing.
But how was the system controlled? We have to evaluate that it has several software bugs right away, but all of them can be solved by a possible future software update. The application menu itself or the settings menu respond quickly, but you can search for some elements for longer (for example, battery settings under security) and some elements are also unique, you will not find them on other models (game button settings, performance overview, etc.).
We noticed the main shortcomings with some camera launches, the Camera application simply hesitated for a second or two. The smartphone had enough RAM and the background applications were not active in this case. The problem was also the distortion of the sound in several game titles, directly during repeated play (for example, repetition of races). Restarting the application solved this problem and the sound was clear again, again this is a software error.
Finally, the smartphone does not offer NFC settings, due to the temporary software unavailability of this service (hardware for NFC includes). The manufacturer has already promised an update that should make this service available during August 2021. So far we have mixed feelings about the software, but we believe that future software updates will solve minor shortcomings.
Camera: An ultra-wide angle sensor is included
Photo features aren't exactly the primary feature. This is, of course, especially with a gaming device like the Black Shark 4. Nevertheless, the manufacturer left nothing to chance and installed a main 48 MPx sensor (f / 1.8) with PDAF focusing and HDR in the protruding rear module of the cameras.
This sensor is also complemented by a secondary 8 MPx (f / 2.2) ultra-wide sensor and also a 5 MPx (f / 2.4) macro sensor or LED flash. It will also please support the recording of up to 4K video (30/60 fps). The front camera then offers a resolution of 20 MPx (f / 2.45), is placed in a space in the display and also offers AI mode for beautification.
When it comes to photos in daylight, these are decent results for which your smartphone definitely doesn't have to be ashamed. In automatic mode, it is a standard 12 MPx photo with a sufficient level of detail, good depth of field and true colors. With an ultra-wide-angle camera, we already see a wide angle of photography with AI intervention, and we can also observe a slightly different color spectrum compared to the primary camera. You can also use the 5x zoom, but the results are average.
Full-size original photos are available at the following link.
We were surprised by photos in twilight, low light or in the dark, where the camera turned on enough light and the photos are not too blurry. Pay attention to the controls, you have to activate the ultra-wide photo with a special button in the lower corner of the application environment.
Other modes such as VLOG from Xiaomi, Pro mode or the mentioned night mode will also please. In the end, none of the photographic activities do this smartphone perfectly, but it does a good job and, given the price of the device, you don't have to be ashamed of the resulting photos.
Connectivity + Stereo audio experience
In terms of connectivity, it offers Black Shark 4 practically standard equipment modeled on competing smartphones. There is no connection via Wi-Fi 6, but also 5G SA / NSA (only one SIM, 5G and quick launch via the shortcut center), will also be pleased with the presence of Bluetooth 5.2 and GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS or BDS localization systems.
The smartphone also contains a pair of symmetrically placed stereo speakers with high volume and a good ratio of high or bass tones, which will be appreciated especially by players of mobile game titles. We must also highlight a high-quality vibrating motor with an exemplary response to notifications or games. There is also a 3,5 mm audio connector for connecting standard wired headphones, and microphones are also available for high-quality audio track capture, whether recording video, streaming content or making phone calls.
On the contrary, the equipment does not include elements such as infrared port, FM radio or payments using the NFC chip or. Google Pay. Even if the smartphone itself contains an NFC chip, the service is not yet available and you simply cannot pay with your phone. The manufacturer promises an update in August 2021, but currently the smartphone simply does not offer this feature, even in settings, in developer mode.
Battery: Incredibly fast 120W charging
As far as battery life is concerned, we have to divide this chapter into two parts in the case of a gaming smartphone. If you are a gamer and often use graphically demanding game titles, you can discharge the 4500 mAh integrated battery in just a few hours (we managed to do it in 4 hours with the display on).
However, this is not a problem, because the package contains a very fast, up to 120W charger, which charges the battery to full capacity in just 17 minutes via the USB type C connector, according to the manufacturer (HyperCharge technology). What is our testing like? The European 230V charger took about 20 minutes to fully charge, which is also a great value.
As for the global version, the manufacturer revealed on its official website that the version officially intended for Europe will probably get a different, 67W fast charger with a local European tip in the package. You will not need a reduction, but you will charge more slowly. However, we will find out the exact wording of the global packaging only after the official presentation.
Due to the thickness and weight of the device, you may have expected a higher battery capacity. However, the manufacturer did what he could, and the battery technology is very interesting. In reality, it is a pair of identical 2250 mAh batteries, which are connected in the bowels of the device separately.
If you are not a demanding user, we have good news for you. The JOY UI extension is really gentle on applications running in the background and closes them only when necessary (if you need performance). The battery life in standard use (e-mail, web, telephony and watching videos) is one full working day without any problems.
Price and availability of a smartphone
Game novelty Black Shark 4 it is not yet officially available on the Slovak and Czech market. However, the selling price in the official distribution should start at € 499, according to the manufacturer's official website. However, if you want to save some more euros, do not hesitate and take advantage of the offer of international sellers with discount coupons.
Final rating: Black Shark 4
What are the main advantages of this device? It is clearly a gaming experience which, thanks to the game's physical buttons (Master Trigger), is truly incomparable to playing only on the touch screen. In addition, the buttons can be customized in the Shark Space game application. Together with a special fan, Black Shark 4 will provide a really good dose of gaming fun.
In addition, a very good choice is the 144 Hz AMOLED panel and also high-quality audio, which together with the vibration responses is a very good element. Conversely, it will freeze out-of-tune software and missing NFC functionality, but the manufacturer can improve all this in one of the found software updates.
How do you like the gaming smartphone from the workshop of the subsidiary brand Black Shark? If you have any questions about this product, you can feel free to write them to us below in the discussion below the article. Follow our Facebook and also our portal China Planet and learn more.
