The smartphone is no longer just for making phone calls, surfing the World Wide Web and using messenger services. It is also increasingly becoming a real gaming machine. It is therefore hardly surprising that more and more manufacturers are focusing on devices that meet the requirements of demanding gamers. This also applies to the Black Shark company, which is rather unknown in this country. They already launched the promising Black Shark 4 Pro in the Far East last year. Now the genuine gamer machine in pocket format is finally to come to Germany.
Design in striking gaming optics
Black Shark immediately makes it clear that its 4 Pro is gaming hardware. Especially the so-called X-Core design should make the smartphone a real eye-catcher in public transport. The manufacturer relies on a color that is supposed to look different depending on the lighting conditions and viewing angle. The whole thing is not only supposed to be chic, but also resistant. According to Black Shark, it uses a special metal frame and a glass back.
What is gaming hardware without RGB lighting? If Black Shark and many other gaming manufacturers have their way, quite obviously nothing. For this reason, the Black Shark 4 Pro also comes with special RGB lighting. The corresponding LEDs are located on the back underneath the camera. The illumination should not necessarily only perfect the gaming experience. On top of that, you should be able to use it for visualizing notifications.
Power hardware with a lot of endurance
Under the hood of the Black Shark 4 pro is a Snapdragon 888 5G from Qualcomm. This is the chip manufacturer’s flagship, which is not only indicated by the 5nm manufacturing process, but also by the number of eight cores. It is supported by 8 GB or 12 GB of working memory. A blazing fast flash storage with 128 GB or 256 GB is supposed to provide storage space. To prevent the processor from overheating, Black Shark uses a water cooling system called “Sandwich”.
The manufacturer places its cooling elements around the three biggest heat sources: the 5G chip, the processor and the charging zone for the battery. Speaking of the battery. Black Shark promises a lot of endurance here. The battery is supposed to be an impressive 4,500 mAh. If this giant is once empty, it should be possible to bring it back to 100 percent in less than 15 minutes with the help of blazingly fast Hyper Charge – 120 watts of power make it possible.
Display with 144 Hz
A high refresh rate is becoming increasingly important in the smartphone sector. After all, there is nothing more annoying than distorted images when scrolling. However, you do not only benefit from a high Hertz number in the browser, but also when gaming. Accordingly, Black Shark relies on a 720p AMOLED display that is supposed to offer 144 Hz. A punchhole camera is embedded in the display. It has a resolution of 20 megapixels.
On the back, Black Shark installs a camera module that holds a total of three lenses. In addition to the main camera, which resolves with 64 megapixels, there is also a wide-angle lens with 8 megapixels and a macro lens with 5 megapixels of resolution here. Features like a special night mode, but also 4K images and recordings in 60 fps should also make photography fans happy.
Special gaming features
Away from the powerful hardware, Black Shark obviously also wants to install suitable input features in its 4 Pro that are supposed to maximize gaming enjoyment. For one, there is “Magic Press”. The display should be able to recognize two inputs at the same time. This should pay off especially in first-person shooters that require fast movements of both thumbs. Furthermore, Black Shark offers “Magnetic Pop-Up Triggers”. These should please all those who don’t like imprecise touch inputs.
A magnet-lift technology is supposed to enable the retraction and extension of special shoulder buttons. The Big Advantage of the principle is that the buttons disappear when you don’t need them. Last but not least, the manufacturer also emphasizes the gaming smartphone’s great audio performance. An outstanding sound is promised here, which is emitted by two stereo speakers. Since this will probably not be able to move mountains, you can alternatively connect headphones via the classic 3.5 mm jack.
What is Siri on Apple, goes by the name Shark Chan on the Black Shark 4 Pro. The personal assistant is supposed to be able to perform everyday settings such as setting an alarm clock. Not only its own assistant, but also its own operating system is on board. Shark Space 4.0 is also supposed to focus on gaming and opens up possibilities like clearing the cache to keep all resources ready for the gaming session. In the so-called “Diving Mode”, you literally dive under and are not distracted from gaming by calls or messages.
Technical details
| Colors | Shadow Black, Misty Grey, Cosmos Black |
| CPU | Snapdragon 888 5G |
| Memory | 8GB＋128GB, 12GB＋256GB |
| Size | 163.83mm x 76.35mm x 9.9mm, 220g |
| Battery | 4500mAh(typ), 120W, USB Type-C |
| Display | AMOLED, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak), 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels, DCI-P3 111% TYPE, MEMC Dynamic Motion, Master Touch, 720Hz Reporting Rate |
| Connectivity | Dual nano SIM Card, 2 ✕ CA, 3 ✕ CA, 4 ✕ CA, 5 ✕ CA; EN-DC, SIM-1 supports 5G NR SA& NSA / TD LTE／FDD LTE／WCDMA／CDMA／GSM, SIM-2 supports 5G NR SA&NSA / TD LTE／FDD LTE／WCDMA／CDMA／GSM, Support wifi: 802. 11a/b/g/n/ac/ax; 2.4G&5.0G, Supports 2*2 mimo, MU MIMO, Supports WIFI Display, WIFI Direct, WIFI hotspot, Supports Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology, supports aptX & aptX HD & aptX Adaptive & LDAC audio transfer, NFC |
| Sensors | Gravity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Compass, fingerprint sensor |
| Price (MSRP) | from 579 euros |
Price and availability
As early as February 18, you can order the Black Shark 4 Pro from the official website of the manufacturer. The MSRP of the gaming smartphone is 579 Euros for the basic version with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB flash storage. The variant with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB flash storage will cost 679 Euros. Users who buy from the manufacturer can save another 30 Euros thanks to a coupon. The Black Shark 4 Pro will also be available on Amazon from February 25. Here, the device costs 559.00 euros or 649 euros in the flash sale. Furthermore, an order is possible on Goboo.
