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| Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro full review: a gaming phone for the masses
Black Shark is most definitely an entertaining smartphone, and you should certainly check it out. But it still misses a few key points that really should've made this a good gaming phone.
The gaming smartphone was a phrase that was never heard during the past few years. But, since 2018 has been the year of bringing the experience on the high-end, we’ve seen the debut of some popular gaming phones. In particular, Xiaomi has brought a whole line of Black Shark gaming smartphones, the latest of which is the Black Shark 3 Pro.
With the arrival of this phone, Xiaomi is no longer the only player in the gaming smartphone game. And, having tried out the device at the launch event, I can say the company has done a fantastic job. I’ve played quite a few games on the phone, and it definitely leaves a lasting impression on me.
It isn’t the first gaming phone to be launched by Xiaomi, as the first one was the Black Shark. However, this is the first smartphone to come with a Snapdragon 845 SoC, but more importantly, it packs in a massive 10GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
Since the launch of Black Shark last year, there have been a slew of other devices. Asus has also been working on its own devices, including the ROG Phone, Asus ROG Phone Lite, and others. But that is neither here nor there.
What is important to note is that these devices come with the gaming-focused features like and display. However, many still miss out on other key points. Xiaomi’s device stands out, at least on paper, with the presence of a big battery and a VR/AR lens on the front. The main thing the phone misses, however, is a really big battery.
Design and display
I’ll be blunt, I do not have a lot of love for the design of the Black Shark. I like the idea of a device with a Kevlar back, which is transparent when you’re not playing games. But, a phone that has glass on the front and back doesn’t go with my philosophy. Moreover, I do not like the weird camera cutout.
The rear looks weird and unnatural, while the camera cutout looks like an optical illusion. I believe both the areas should have been removed to avoid the phone looking quite bizarre. Still, if you love this design, you won’t have a problem with the Black Shark 3 Pro.
The phone features a 13MP + 2MP dual-camera on the back with two LED flashes. The fingerprint scanner sits under the camera, but doesn’t light up. The power and volume buttons are on the right, and the SIM tray is placed on the left. The power button is quite hard, and the volume buttons are so far from the power button that you have to put in a bit of effort to adjust them.
The Black Shark comes with a glass-back, which can be a problem for some. The slippery back makes it hard to hold, and if you’re a gamer, you will definitely have to set the phone down on a table, as the slightest movement will cause it to slip.
On the bright side, the display is nice and bright and is quite big. The 18:9 aspect ratio might not be for everyone, but I didn’t have any problems with the viewing angles or colors. The display is covered by a 2.5D curved glass, which does a pretty good job of providing a non-slip surface. And with the green protection filter turned off, you can get a completely blue display.
The UI looks quite similar to the MIUI you see on other Xiaomi devices, and that’s what you get. But I believe the UI has been revamped for this particular device. Xiaomi has provided some gaming-focused features like ROG Phone Lite’s Game Booster and Game Village, along with a dedicated gamer mode. It’s all very well-behaved, and I think gamers will be pleased with the way the UI works.
However, I do have a few concerns with the ROG Phone Lite’s cooling solution. It seems that the heat generated from the CPU gets converted into heat through a fan inside the device. This may work fine with some phones, but for a phone with the top-end chipset, I’m not sure if it’s all that effective. Still, I believe it’s better than going for a fanless design.
Camera
The camera on the Black Shark 3 Pro is quite good. The Portrait mode is the star of the show, and it works pretty well. The blurring effect works pretty well, and is similar to what you see on phones like Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Vivo NEX. The selfie camera is just below the display, and offers a facial recognition feature as well.
The Black Shark has an interesting feature that lets you use the phone like an air hockey puck. If you turn off the air conditioner, then you will be able to play air hockey without any strain.
It’s fun, but I’m sure the phone would work just as well if the air conditioner is turned on. Still, I feel the physical air hockey puck button on the Black Shark 3 Pro is a nice touch.
Software and updates
The Black Shark 3 Pro runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. I am not a fan of Xiaomi’s MIUI, and the company tends to release custom ROMs for many of its devices. And although the ROG Phone doesn’t have MIUI, it has an always-on display feature. However, this feature is nowhere to be seen on the Black Shark 3 Pro.
With no MIUI, the phone can be updated to the latest version of Android. And it ships with Android 9 Pie out of the box. This is a good thing, as it means the phone will be updated to Android Q when it releases.