Tag Archives: Black Shark

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

The Black Shark 2 Pro really impressed us when it came out, and we finally had the chance to try it out for ourselves.

In this review, we will take an in-depth look at its performance and capabilities. Find out why we gave it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Colour Options

Black Shark offers five colour options globally :

  • Myth Ray
  • Racing
  • Gulf Blue (aka Racing)
  • Iceberg Grey (aka Freezing Blade)
  • Shadow Black (aka Black Bolt)

However, only these three colours will be available in Malaysia :

  • Shadow Black / Black Bolt
  • Iceberg Grey / Freezing Blade
  • Gulf Blue / Racing

 

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

 

Unboxing The Black Shark 2 Pro

It comes in a premium black box that really looks luxurious. Let’s take a quick look and unbox it!

Once you fully unbox it, you will find the following items :

  • Black Shark 2 Pro smartphone
  • Hard and clear TPU bumper case
  • Black Shark 2 Pro User Guide
  • 27W fast charger
  • USB Type C data and power cable
  • USB Type C to 3.5 mm audio jack adapter
  • Left-Side Gamepad + Stand

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Up Close | Specifications | Setting It Up

 

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The Black Shark 2 Pro Gaming Smartphone

Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) is a mid-cycle update of the excellent Black Shark 2 gaming smartphone that launched in April.

Like the ASUS ROG Phone 2, it mainly features an upgrade to the Snapdragon 855 Plus mobile platform.

The Volume control buttons are on the left side, with an LED light strip.

On the right side is another LED light strip, with the Power button, and the Shark Key switch.

The top is clean, with a second microphone located at the top of the back.

The SIM tray is located at the bottom, next to the USB Type C port. You will note, by now, that there is no 3.5 mm audio jack.

But fortunately, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+, Black Shark provides a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter in the package! So you can still use your existing 3.5 mm earphones with it.

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Specifications

For your convenience, we compare its specifications against the Black Shark 2.

Specifications Black Shark 2 Pro Black Shark 2
Display 6.39-inch AMOLED display (1080 x 2340 pixels, 403 ppi)
– 108.9% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 430 nits max brightness
System Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Processor 1 x Kryo 485 Gold core (2.96 GHz)
3 x Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
1 x Kryo 485 Gold core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 640 (672 MHz) Qualcomm Adreno 640 (585 MHz)
RAM 8 GB / 12 GB LPDDR4X-2133 (Dual Channel)
Storage 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.0 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 2.1
Front Camera 20 MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
Rear Cameras 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.75 aperture
12 MP telephoto camera with f/2.2 aperture
Connectivity 4G : LTE Cat18 – 211 Mbps UL, 1.2 Gbps DL
WiFi : 802.11ac, 4×4 MIMO
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
Audio Dual, front facing speakers
Vibration Sense Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display Optical Sensor
Other Sensors Gyroscope, geomagnetism, gravity, distance, ambient light and ForceTouch sensors
Battery 4,000 mAh battery
Charger 27 watt, with USB-C cable
Dimensions 75.01 mm wide x 163.61 mm tall x 8.77 mm thick
Weight 205 g

 

Setting Up The Black Shark 2 Pro

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5-7 minutes to finish the setup process.

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Performance + Gaming Features 

 

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Black Shark 2 Pro Performance Features

Now, let’s go through its key features, and see why it’s designed to deliver the best possible mobile gaming experience.

Flagship Class Performance

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus mobile platform, which delivers a 4% boost in CPU performance and a 15% boost in GPU performance over the “regular” Snapdragon 855.

  • its single prime Kryo 485 Gold CPU core has a slightly faster clock speed of 2.96 GHz
  • its Adreno 640 GPU is clocked at 672 MHz, instead of 585 MHz

Recommended : The Snapdragon 855 Plus vs Snapdragon 855 Comparison!

Ludicrous Mode

If you are a professional gamer who cannot abide even the possibility of dropped frames, you can turn on the Ludicrous Mode, which locks the CPU and GPU into their maximum clock speeds.

This delivers the best-possible gaming performance, at the expense of battery life and greater heat output.

Mille-Feuille Full Area Liquid Cooling System

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) features a Mille-Feuille full area liquid cooling system that keeps the entire device cool, as opposed to just cooling the CPU and GPU.

The Black Shark team claims this is far superior to that of the ROG Phone 2.

Device CPU Temp. GPU Temp. RAM Temp. Chassis Temp.
Black Shark 2 PRO 65.7 °C 51.2 °C 52.0 °C 35.7 °C
ASUS ROG Phone 2 77.5 °C 54.6 °C 55.0 °C 47.1 °C
Difference + 11.8 °C + 3.4 °C + 3.0 °C + 11.4 °C

AMOLED Display With DC Dimming

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) eschewed the 120 Hz display of the ROG Phone 2, opting instead to use DC dimming for its large 6.38-inch AMOLED display to reduce eyestrain.

It also boasts an integrated DSP with MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) capabilities to eliminate unwanted judder and blur.

Low Latency Touch Screen

Black Shark also focused on reducing the latency of the touch screen display, with 240 Hz report rate even with three fingers.

In fact, they claim it has the “world’s lowest latency touch screen“, with a response time of only 43.5 ms, slightly less than the iPhone XS at 45 ms and the Galaxy S10 at 60 ms.

This is, arguably, far more important for competitive gaming than a 120 Hz display.

Touch Report Rate Black Shark 2 PRO ASUS ROG Phone 2 Difference
1 Finger 240 Hz 195 Hz – 45 Hz / 18.75 %
2 Fingers 240 Hz 145 Hz – 95 Hz / 39.58 %
3 Fingers 240 Hz 135 Hz – 105 Hz / 43.75%

They also claim that the Black Shark 2 Pro  has a significantly lower touch latency than the ROG Phone 2.

Touch Latency Black Shark 2 PRO ASUS ROG Phone 2 Difference
Not Shooting 30.7 ms 41.6 ms + 10.9 ms / 35.5 %
Shooting 48.6 ms 70.0 ms + 21.4 ms / 44.0 %

4D Gaming Experience

Unlike regular smartphones, it can recognise different environments, weapons, movements and actions (e.g. hits), and can automatically vibrate itself to create a 4D gaming experience.

Black Shark 2 Pro Host Mode

If you want to play on a larger display, you can connect it to a TV or monitor using a HDMI cable. Play your games like a console with the optional GamePad 3.0 accessory.

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Camera, Audio, Memory + Storage, Battery + Storage

 

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Black Shark 2 Pro Rear Cameras

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) is not just a gaming smartphone. Like any other flagship-class smartphone, it comes with a great set of high-resolution cameras.

At the back, it has two cameras supported by a single LED flash :

  • 48 MP main camera, with f/1.75 aperture and 6p lens
  • 12 MP 2X telephoto camera, with f/2.2 aperture and 6p lens

The main camera uses the Sony IMX586 sensor, which is used in the Xiaomi Mi 9 and Mi 9T Pro smartphones as well.

This 48 MP sensor defaults to 12 MP, combining 4 pixels into a large pixel for better low-light performance. But you can switch to 48 MP whenever you need the higher resolution.

Recommended : Sony IMX586 vs Sony IMX582 Comparison – Which Is Better?

Black Shark 2 Pro Front Camera

In the front, it boasts a 20 MP front camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture and 5P lens.

Its sensor has 0.9 µm pixels, with the ability to combine four pixels to create a larger pixel for significantly better low-light photos and videos.

Black Shark 2 Pro Gaming Audio

Its audio system is designed specifically for gamers, with dual front-facing speakers. They are also 25% larger than speakers of a standard smartphone.

It also comes with three gaming microphones – two of them noise-cancelling microphones in the front to  ensure clear in-game voice chats.

Dual Nano SIM Cards

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) comes with a SIM tray that supports two nano SIM cards. However, it does NOT come with a microSD card tray, so you cannot add storage.

Black Shark 2 Pro Memory + Storage

Our review sample came with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, of which 5.9 GB (74%) is available for use. That’s really more than enough for even the most serious of gamers.

After all, high-end mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 use less than 1.2 GB of RAM!

Our unit also came with just 128 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, which is about 2X faster than the UFS 2.1 storage in Black Shark 2. Just over 113 GB is available for your use – more than enough for most users.

Unless you are using it to take lots of photos and videos, it’s enough to install 50-60 large games. Even PUBG Mobile only takes up 1.54 GB of space.

5-Hour Battery Life?

Despite its powerful components, the Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) only comes with a 4,000 mAh battery, which Black Shark claims will let you game for up to 5 hours.

Fast Charging While Gaming

It supports 27 watt fast charging, which gives you 30 minutes playing time with a quick 5-minute charge, and one full hour of gaming with just 10 minutes of charging.

You don’t even have to stop playing. Even if, for example, you are playing PUBG, it will recharge to 50% in just 30 minutes.

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Camera Performance

 

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Black Shark 2 Pro Camera Performance

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) uses the Sony IMX586 sensor, which is notable for its high resolution of 48 MP.

But it defaults to 12 MP – combining four pixels into one for better image quality, especially in low-light conditions.

The maximum 12 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio, with 4000 x 3000 pixels, and a file size of between 4 MB and 6 MB.

Here are 10 high-resolution unedited samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.

The Sony IMX586 sensor is good, almost as good as the 12 MP Samsung ISOCELL Fast SAK2L4 used in the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ smartphones.

However, its main camera has a very narrow depth-of-field, and a problem focusing on objects that are too close.

You can tap on the display to “focus”, and it’s quite slow in this aspect, taking a second or two. But while it looks sharp in the preview, the actual picture appears out-of-focus. So try not to take macro shots with this camera.

Take a closer look at the broccoli picture, for example. Look at how only a narrow section of florets are in focus, with the rest quickly going out-of-focus.

But otherwise – the Black Shark 2 Pro can take pretty good photos. Just don’t bother with the 48 MP mode. It works best in the default 12 MP mode.

Recommended : HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro Photo Showcase : Macau!

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Video Recording Performance

 

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Black Shark 2 Pro Video Recording Performance

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) is capable of recording 4K from its 48 MP main camera, but curiously does not record video from its telephoto camera at all.

That means you do not have the ability to switch from the main camera to the telephoto camera. You can only record videos with the main camera.

Also odd is the fact that while the front 20 MP camera is more than capable of recording 4K videos, it’s limited to 1080p video recording.

Well, let’s take a look at some 1080p and 4K video samples from the main camera!

Video Sample #1 : Piano (1080p)

The image quality at 1080p is very good, and while its exposure is a little too dim, it has good control – allowing you to see right to the back of the store in the background.

It also appears to use electronic image stabilisation to get rid of hand shake, and keep everything steady.

Its noise cancellation was pretty good, but it was marred by an overly bright audio recording. It also seems to be recording some wind noise.

Video Sample #2 : Piano (4K)

Its 4K image quality is very good, and it actually seems to have better exposure control. However, the image is no longer stabilised at 4K. You can see the hand shake very clearly.

Yet again, its audio recording is way, way too bright. Which is a shame, because it seems to have very good noise cancelling capability.

Video Sample #3 : Street Market (1080p)

In this test of its image stabilisation capabilities, you can see that at 1080p, it does a pretty good job of cancelling out hand shake as we walked.

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) appears to be optimised for recording voices – you can clearly people’s voices even as we walk past them.

Video Sample #4 : Street Market (4K)

Again, there was no image stabilisation at 4K – so you get to see and experience every shake and jerk. We definitely do NOT advise you recording videos at 4K when you are on-the-move.

Next Page > Black Shark 2 Pro Work + Gaming Performance

 

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Black Shark 2 Pro Work Performance

We tested its performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Why work performance? Because even though it’s designed to be a gaming smartphone – you can actually use it like, well, a regular smartphone for work too! 🙂

Work 2.0 Xiaomi Mi 9 Samsung
Galaxy Note10+
Black Shark 2 Pro Samsung
Galaxy S10+
Mobile Platform Snapdragon 855 Exynos 9825 Snapdragon 855+ Exynos 9820
Performance Score
(Average)
9471 8981 8384 7846
Web Browsing 7792 8293 6768 8583
Video Editing 6038 9166 5948 5524
Writing 10919 9579 9226 9076
Photo Editing 20161 19376 17595 10710
Data Manipulation 7356 6155 6339 6450
Review Links Xiaomi Mi 9 Galaxy Note10+ Galaxy S10+
Price Check US | UK | MY USUKMY UKMY | SG | AU US | UK | MY

Surprisingly, the Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) has a lower work performance than the Xiaomi Mi 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Note10+.

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Gaming Performance

We tested the its gaming performance using 3DMark, with these results.

Work 2.0 Black Shark 2 Pro Xiaomi Mi 9 Samsung
Galaxy Note10+
Samsung
Galaxy S10+
Mobile Platform Snapdragon 855+ Snapdragon 855 Exynos 9825 Exynos 9820
Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL) 6258 5487 5037 4470
Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) 5386 4808 4794 4314
Sling Shot 8127 7241 4883 4343
Review Links Xiaomi Mi 9 Galaxy Note10+ Galaxy S10+
Price Check UKMY | SG | AU US | UK | MY USUKMY US | UK | MY

There is no doubt that the Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) has a distinct performance advantage over its competitors, including the Xiaomi Mi 9, which uses the Snapdragon 855.

  • 14% faster in Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL)
  • 12% faster in Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan)
  • 12% faster in Sling Shot

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Battery Life

We then tested the its battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.

Work 2.0 Black Shark 2 Pro Xiaomi Mi 9 Samsung
Galaxy Note10+
Samsung
Galaxy S10+
Battery Capacity 4,000 mAh 3,300 mAh 4,300 mAh 4,100 mAh
Battery Life 12 hours 25 mins 12 hours 12 mins 10 hours 32 mins 10 hours 17 mins
Battery Utilisation 4.30 mAh / min. 3.61 mAh / min. 5.44 mAh / min. 5.32 mAh / min.
Review Links Xiaomi Mi 9 Galaxy Note10+ Galaxy S10+
Price Check UKMY | SG | AU US | UK | MY USUKMY US | UK | MY

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) did well, lasting almost 12.5 hours of non-stop work, just ahead of the Xiaomi Mi 9.

It actually lasted about two hours longer than the Galaxy Note10+ and Galaxy S10+ smartphones!

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Battery Recharging Speed

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) comes with a 27 watt fast charger. Let’s find out just how fast it recharges its 4,000 mAh battery.

Work 2.0 Samsung
Galaxy Note10+
Black Shark 2 Pro Samsung
Galaxy S10+
Xiaomi Mi 9
Battery Capacity 4,300 mAh 4,000 mAh 4,100 mAh 3,300 mAh
Charger Output 25 watts 27 watts 15 watts 18 watts
Recharging Time 63 minutes 67 minutes 91.6 minutes 84.5 minutes
Recharging Speed 54.6 mAh / min. 47.8 mAh / min. 35.8 mAh / min. 31.2 mAh / min.
Review Links Galaxy Note10+ Galaxy S10+ Xiaomi Mi 9
Price Check USUKMY UKMY | SG | AU US | UK | MY US | UK | MY

Thanks to its 27W faster charger, the Black Shark 2 Pro fully recharged its battery from 20% to 100% in just 67 minutes. That is 27% faster than the Galaxy S10+, which has a similar-sized battery, but uses a 15W charger.

But it didn’t do as well as the Galaxy Note10+, which actually recharged 14% faster using its 25W charger.

It has an excellent battery life : recharging ratio of 11:1. A general rule of thumb – for one of hour battery life, you just need to charge it for 9 minutes.

The fastest recharging happened up to the 80% level. This took just 33.5 minutes. Then the recharging speed slowed down, and it took a further 33.5 minutes to top up the last 20%.

Next Page > 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

 

Recommended Reading

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ASUS ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 PRO : Who Wins?

Now that both the ASUS ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 PRO are out and competing with each other, the question mobile gamers are asking – which is the better gaming smartphone?

In this article, we will compare both the ROG Phone 2 and the Black Shark 2 PRO, and see which is the better gaming device!

 

Gaming Smartphones?

Both the Black Shark 2 PRO and ASUS ROG Phone 2 claim to be gaming smartphones. What’s the difference between these two “gaming” smartphones and “regular” smartphones?

While ALL smartphones can handle games pretty well, especially if they are flagship devices, gaming smartphones claim to offer an edge to serious mobile gamers, like :

  • really fast CPU and GPU, with high-speed memory and storage
  • better cooling system to sustain gaming performance
  • large display with a high refresh rate, or low latency, or both
  • better wireless connectivity to ensure no lag during gameplay
  • large battery for longer gameplay
  • better audio for more enjoyable gameplay
  • special controls or buttons, or gamepad add-ons

Of course, many flagship-class smartphones already offer many of those features, which is why some argue that gaming-specific smartphones are merely a way for some brands to carve a niche to survive in the ultra-competitive smartphone market.

But we digress… let’s compare the two top gaming smartphones that are coming, or will soon come to a store near you – the Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) and the ASUS ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU).

 

ASUS ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 PRO Specifications

Let’s start with a quick comparison of their key specifications.

Specifications Black Shark 2 PRO ROG Phone 2
Display 6.39-inch AMOLED display
– 1080 x 2340 pixels
108.9% DCI-P3 colour gamut
60 Hz refresh rate
6.59-inch AMOLED display
– 1080 x 2340 pixels
108% DCI-P3 colour gamut
– up to 120 Hz refresh rate
System Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
Processor 1 x Qualcomm Kryo 485 Gold core (2.96 GHz)
3 x Qualcomm Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Qualcomm Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 640 (672 MHz)
RAM 8 GB / 12 GB LPDDR4X
Storage 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.0 512 GB / 1 TB UFS 3.0
Front Camera 20 MP with f/2.0 aperture 24 MP front camera
Rear Cameras 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor, with f/1.75 aperture
12 MP telephoto camera, with f/2.2 aperture
48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor, with f/1.79 aperture
13 MP ultra-wide camera, with 125-degree field of view
Connectivity 4G : LTE Cat18 – 211 Mbps UL, 1.2 Gbps DL
WiFi : 802.11ac, 4×4 MIMO
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
4G : LTE Cat18 – 211 Mbps UL, 1.2 Gbps DL
WiFi : 802.11ad, 4×4 MIMO
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
Special Sensors ForceTouch Sensors Ultrasonic AirTrigger
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display Optical Sensor
Audio Dual front-facing speakers Dual front-facing speakers + DTS:X Ultra
Battery 4,000 mAh battery 6,000 mAh battery
Charger 27 watt fast charger 30 watt fast charger
Dimensions 75.0 mm wide
163.6 mm tall
8.77 mm thick
77.6 mm wide
170.99 mm tall
9.78 mm thick
Weight 205 g 240 g

 

ASUS ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 PRO

Although there are quite a few more differences between the two models, we are going to focus mainly on the gaming and mobility aspects in this comparison.

Performance : Tie

Both Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK)) and ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU) have the same performance.

They both use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus mobile platform, and come with 8 GB or 12 GB of LPDDR4x memory.

Recommended : The Snapdragon 855 Plus vs Snapdragon 855 Comparison!

Storage : ROG Phone 2

Both Black Shark 2 PRO and ASUS ROG Phone 2 use UFS 3.0 storage, which is about 2X faster than UFS 2.1. This is the key point.

The ROG Phone 2 comes with twice as much storage as the Black Shark 2 PRO. However, 256 GB is more than what most gamers will ever use – even PUBG Mobile takes up only 1.54 GB of space!

Honestly, paying extra for 512 GB of storage or even 1 TB is just pointless for gamers. But we will give the advantage to the ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU), if only for the bragging rights.

Cooling : Black Shark 2 PRO

The Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) features a Mille-Feuille full area liquid cooling system that, according to them, is far superior to that of the ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU).

Device CPU Temp. GPU Temp. RAM Temp. Chassis Temp.
Black Shark 2 PRO 65.7 °C 51.2 °C 52.0 °C 35.7 °C
ASUS ROG Phone 2 77.5 °C 54.6 °C 55.0 °C 47.1 °C
Difference + 11.8 °C + 3.4 °C + 3.0 °C + 11.4 °C

Display : Tie

The ASUS ROG Phone 2 boasts a 120 Hz display, while the Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) only has a 60 Hz display.

However, Black Shark has publicly pooh-poohed the usefulness of a 120 Hz display in this recent Q&A session :

Instead of a higher refresh rate, they opted to use DC dimming to reduce eyestrain, and an integrated DSP with MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) capabilities to eliminate unwanted judder and blur. So we think this counts as a tie.

Do note too that a 120 Hz refresh rate uses up significantly more power, which is why ASUS actually set it to 60 Hz by default!

Recommended : ROG Phone 2 : How To Turn On 90Hz / 120Hz Refresh Rate!

Touch Screen : Black Shark 2 PRO

Black Shark also focused on reducing the latency of the touch screen display, with 240 Hz report rate even with three fingers. This is, arguably, far more important for competitive gaming than a 120 Hz display.

Touch Report Rate Black Shark 2 PRO ASUS ROG Phone 2 Difference
1 Finger 240 Hz 195 Hz – 45 Hz / 18.75 %
2 Fingers 240 Hz 145 Hz – 95 Hz / 39.58 %
3 Fingers 240 Hz 135 Hz – 105 Hz / 43.75%

They also claim that the Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) has a significantly lower touch latency than the ROG Phone 2.

Touch Latency Black Shark 2 PRO ASUS ROG Phone 2 Difference
Not Shooting 30.7 ms 41.6 ms + 10.9 ms / 35.5 %
Shooting 48.6 ms 70.0 ms + 21.4 ms / 44.0 %

Battery : ROG Phone 2

The ROG Phone 2, on the other hand, boasts a 6,000 mAh battery that is 50% larger than the Black Shark 2 PRO‘s battery. This means you will get to play longer on the ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU).

Portability : Black Shark 2 PRO

This may not be important to everyone, but if you want to be able to carry your gaming smartphone in your pocket, the Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) is both smaller and lighter than the ROG Phone 2.

Availability : Black Shark 2 PRO

This may not seem important, until you decide you want to buy one.

The Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) was available to purchase for weeks before the first batch of ROG Phone 2 (MY | SG | US | UK | AU) was released.

ASUS has always had a reputation for a slow roll-out, and that hasn’t changed with the ROG Phone 2 – even after it was launched, quantities were limited.

Price : Black Shark 2 PRO

Here is a quick comparison table to show the price difference between the two models :

Countries Black Shark 2 PRO
(12 GB + 256 GB)
ASUS ROG Phone 2
(12 GB + 512 GB)
Difference
Malaysia RM 2,999 RM 3,499 + RM 500 (16.7%)
Singapore S$869 S$1,299 + S$430 (49.5%)
United States ~$729 $889 + $160 (21.9%)
United Kingdom £560 £1,149 £589 (105.2%)
Australia ~A$1,059 A$1,964 + A$905 (85.5%)

Recommended : Why ROG Phone II Tencent Is Better Than The Global Edition!

 

So Which Is Better?

Frankly speaking, you can game without any issue on any decent smartphone these days. But if you are a serious or professional gamer, a gaming smartphone could give you the competitive edge you need.

But between the two models, we personally prefer the Black Shark 2 PRO (MY | SG | AU | UK) for these reasons :

  • its better cooling system will maintain gaming performance, while keeping the chassis cooler to touch
  • a low latency touch display is arguably more important for gaming, than a high refresh rate display
  • even though the ROG Phone 2 has a larger battery, the 120 Hz display significantly limits its battery life
  • the Black Shark 2 PRO is MUCH CHEAPER than the ROG Phone 2 Global Edition

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

 

Black Shark 2 PRO : Where To Buy

Here are online purchase options for the Black Shark 2 PRO :

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Malaysia

Singapore

United Kingdom

Australia

 

ASUS ROG Phone 2 : Where To Buy

Here are online purchase options for the ASUS ROG Phone 2 :

You can also purchase the much cheaper ROG Phone 2 Tencent Edition in the grey market. *

* Please note that if you purchase a grey market Tencent unit, you will not be entitled to warranty outside of China.

 

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Black Shark 2 PRO – EVERYTHING You Need To Know!

The Black Shark 2 PRO really impressed us when it came out, offering a great set of mobile gaming features at an affordable price point!

Here is everything you need to know about the Black Shark 2 PRO!

 

The Black Shark 2 Pro Gaming Smartphone

Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) is a mid-cycle update of the Black Shark 2 gaming smartphone that launched back in April.

Like the recently announced ASUS ROG Phone 2, it mainly features an upgrade to the Snapdragon 855 Plus mobile platform.

Flagship Class Performance

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus mobile platform, and comes with either 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, or 12 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage.

Notably, it comes with UFS 3.0 storage, which is about 2X faster than the UFS 2.1 storage in Black Shark 2.

Recommended : The Snapdragon 855 Plus vs Snapdragon 855 Comparison!

Ludicrous Mode

To guarantee maximum gaming performance with no dropped frames, the Ludicrous Mode locks the CPU into its maximum clock speed.

Mille-Feuille Full Area Liquid Cooling System

The Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) features a Mille-Feuille full area liquid cooling system that keeps the entire device cool, as opposed to just cooling the CPU and GPU.

AMOLED Display With DC Dimming

Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) comes with a large 6.38-inch AMOLED display with DC dimming to reduce strain on the eyes.

It also boasts an integrated DSP with MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) capabilities to eliminate unwanted judder and blur.

Low Latency Touch Screen

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It claims to have the “world’s lowest latency touch screen“, with a response time of only 43.5 ms, slightly less than the iPhone XS at 45 ms and the Galaxy S10 at 60 ms.

Black Shark 2 Pro Has 5-Hour Battery Life

Despite its size, it only comes with a 4,000 mAh battery.  However, they assure us that it will let you game for up to 5 hours before it needs a recharge.

X+2 Antenna

To ensure maximum wireless connectivity, it features an enhanced X+2 antenna design.

The two additional side antennas help the X-type smart antenna transfer data wirelessly no matter how you grip the phone.

Black Shark 2 Pro Gaming Audio

Its audio system is designed specifically for gamers, with dual front-facing speakers. They are also 25% larger than speakers of a standard smartphone.

It also comes with three gaming microphones – two of them noise-cancelling microphones in the front to  ensure clear in-game voice chats.

4D Gaming Experience

Unlike regular smartphones, it can recognise different environments, weapons, movements and actions (e.g. hits), and can automatically vibrate itself to create a 4D gaming experience.

Black Shark 2 Pro Host Mode

If you want to play on a larger display, you can connect Black Shark 2 Pro (MY | SG | AU | UK) to a TV or monitor using a HDMI cable. Then you can play your games like a console with the optional GamePad 3.0 accessory.

Fast Charging While Gaming

It supports 27 watt fast charging, which gives you 30 minutes playing time with a quick 5-minute charge, and one full hour of gaming with just 10 minutes of charging.

You don’t even have to stop playing. Even if, for example, you are playing PUBG, it will recharge to 15% in just 30 minutes.

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

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Specifications

For your convenience, we compare its specifications against the Black Shark 2.

Specifications Black Shark 2 Pro Black Shark 2
Display 6.39-inch AMOLED display (1080 x 2340 pixels, 403 ppi)
– 108.9% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 430 nits max brightness
System Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Processor 1 x Kryo 485 Gold core (2.96 GHz)
3 x Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
1 x Kryo 485 Gold core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 485 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 485 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 640 (672 MHz) Qualcomm Adreno 640 (585 MHz)
RAM 8 GB / 12 GB LPDDR4X-2133 (Dual Channel)
Storage 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.0 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 2.1
Front Camera 20 MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
Rear Cameras 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.75 aperture
12 MP telephoto camera with f/2.2 aperture
Connectivity 4G : LTE Cat18 – 211 Mbps UL, 1.2 Gbps DL
WiFi : 802.11ac, 4×4 MIMO
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
Audio Dual, front facing speakers
Vibration Sense Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display Optical Sensor
Other Sensors Gyroscope, geomagnetism, gravity, distance, ambient light and ForceTouch sensors
Battery 4,000 mAh battery
Charger 27 watt, with USB-C cable
Dimensions 75.01 mm wide x 163.61 mm tall x 8.77 mm thick
Weight 205 g

 

Black Shark 2 Pro Colour Options

Black Shark offers five colour options globally :

  • Myth Ray
  • Racing
  • Gulf Blue (aka Racing)
  • Iceberg Grey (aka Freezing Blade)
  • Shadow Black (aka Black Bolt)

However, only these three colours will be available in Malaysia :

  • Shadow Black / Black Bolt
  • Iceberg Grey / Freezing Blade
  • Gulf Blue / Racing

 

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

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile Devices | GamingHome

 

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The Black Shark 2 Tech Briefing, Price + Deals Revealed!

Coming just two weeks after its global launch in Beijing, the Black Shark 2 is here to take down the ROG Phone and the Razer Phone 2!

Here is everything you need to know about Black Shark 2 – the official tech briefing, as well as its price and deals!

 

The Black Shark 2 Gaming Smartphone

Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) is a gaming-optimised smartphone, very similar to the ROG Phone and the Razer Phone 2. It was designed to take both its competitors down in five key aspects of mobile gaming – gaming performance, gaming control, vision, hearing and vibration.

Flagship Class

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform, and comes with either 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, or 12 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage.

Direct Touch Liquid Cooling System 3.0

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) features a direct touch liquid cooling system that keeps the entire device cool, as opposed to just cooling the CPU and GPU.

Ludicrous Mode

To guarantee maximum gaming performance with no dropped frames, the Ludicrous Mode locks the CPU into its maximum clock speed.

5-Hour Gaming Battery Life

Despite its size, the Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) only comes with a 4,000 mAh battery.  However, they assure us that it will let you game for up to 5 hours before it needs a recharge.

Fast Charging While Gaming

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) supports 27 watt fast charging, which gives you 30 minutes playing time with a quick 5-minute charge, and one full hour of gaming with just 10 minutes of charging.

You don’t even have to stop playing. Even if, for example, you are playing PUBG, it will recharge to 15% in just 30 minutes.

X+2 Antenna

To ensure maximum wireless connectivity, the Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) features an enhanced X+2 antenna design. The two additional side antennas help the X-type smart antenna transfer data wirelessly no matter how you grip the phone.

Low Latency Touch Screen

It claims to have the “world’s lowest latency touch screen“, with a response time of only 43.5 ms, slightly less than the iPhone XS at 45 ms and the Galaxy S10 at 60 ms.

AMOLED Display With DC Dimming

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) has a large 6.38-inch AMOLED display with DC dimming to reduce strain on the eyes.

It also boasts an integrated DSP with MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) capabilities to eliminate unwanted judder and blur.

Gaming Audio

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Its audio system is designed specifically for gamers, with dual front-facing speakers. They are also 25% larger than speakers of a standard smartphone.

It also comes with three gaming microphones – two of them noise-cancelling microphones in the front to  ensure clear in-game voice chats.

4D Gaming Experience

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) can recognise different environments, weapons, movements and actions (e.g. hits), and can automatically vibrate itself to create a 4D gaming experience.

Host Mode

If you want to play on a larger display, you can connect it to a TV or monitor using a HDMI cable. Play your games like a console with the optional GamePad 3.0 accessory.

 

Black Shark 2 Price + Deals Revealed!

The Black Shark 2 (8GB | 12GB) is available in two variants, and two colour options :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB (Only Shadow Black) : RM 2,499 / ~US$ 612.50 / ~£ 467
  • 12 GB + 256 GB (Shadow Black or Frosted Silver) : RM 2,999 / ~US$ 735 / ~£ 560

The 8 GB model is available for purchase with immediate effect. The 12 GB model is available for pre-order from 1 April to 5 April, 2019.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile Devices | Home

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!