Black Shark 2 PRO In-Depth Review : A Real Gaming Beast!

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Black Shark 2 Pro : Verdict + Award | Where To Buy

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Black Shark 2 Pro : Our Verdict + Award

We have been pretty effusive about the Black Shark 2 PRO, after it was launched. And why not?

It offered flagship-class performance, memory and storage with gaming-specific features at an affordable price point.

We were initially worried about its size and weight, and while it was not easy to fit into small pockets, it was definitely a good size for playing mobile games.

Some argue that the Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) is not as good a gaming platform as the ROG Phone 2, because of its 60 Hz display.

Now we do not deny that a 90 Hz or 120 Hz display would look smoother than a 60 Hz display, when they are placed side-by-side. But is it a “necessary” feature for mobile gaming?

The fact is a higher refresh rate looks better but plays no role in your gaming performance. More critically – high refresh displays suck up a lot of power, which has resulted in some gamers turning off the higher refresh rate.

But that brings us to the Ludicrous Mode. While it looks good for marketing purposes, it does nothing for your gaming performance and only wastes power and increase the heat output.

We also have to point out that while the Black Shark 2 Pro is a gaming device, it is also a smartphone. Therefore, we should comment a little on how useful it is for non-gaming tasks.

Its large display is great for work (emails, texting, etc.), but you will definitely feel its weight when you use it on the go. And despite its less than stellar work performance results, it feels just as fast as any other flagship smartphone.

It has a good set of cameras, and we like that Black Shark did not throw in useless cameras just to make up the numbers. Its 48 MP main camera is excellent, although it has a very narrow depth-of-field and a slow focus.

What we cannot understand though is why they would not allow video recording from the telephoto camera, or 4K video recording from the front camera.

It was also a shame that the Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) does not perform image stabilisation for 4K video recordings. So was the tuning of its microphones to optimise for voice, causing everything to appear too bright (too much treble).

On the other hand, Black Shark did well with its battery, delivering more battery life that we would expect with just a high-performing smartphone. And we especially like that they made it so affordable.

This brings us to the final point – value for money. The Black Shark team appears to be more focused on what’s important for gaming performance, delivering a whole package that is significantly cheaper and offers more value for your money than its competitors.

This is why we gladly award the Black Shark 2 Pro our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Keep it up!

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Price + Availability

It comes in two variants, with these recommended retail prices :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 2,499 / ~US$599 / £545 / ~A$879 / S$739
  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM 2,999 / ~US$709 / £635 / ~A$1,059 / S$869

Here are some online purchase options :

Malaysia

Singapore

United Kingdom

Australia

 

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