Smartphone Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro - advantages and disadvantages

In 2019, Xiaomi released one of the best gaming smartphones in history - Black Shark 2. The most powerful hardware, gaming sticks, liquid cooling, high-frequency RAM - all these parameters provided the "black shark" with the first place in the list of gaming devices. On this, the Chinese company decided not to stop and improved its creation by acquiring the Pro prefix. All the details about the future Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro gadget are below in the article.

Brief information

Xiaomi is famous in the smartphone market as a manufacturer of cheap and functional devices.However, in addition to budget options, Xiaomi launched a gaming line, which until recently was successfully represented by Black Shark 2. After impressive sales, the developers decided to modify the smartphone by introducing a more powerful Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, featuring improved graphics processing, 40 W fast charging and increased volume. random access memory. Such a device will unquestioningly run any gaming applications with a maximum frame rate and at the highest graphics settings. It looks like Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro will be named the best gaming smartphone of 2019.

Specifications

Design and ergonomics

In terms of appearance, the Black Shark 2 Pro is virtually identical to its predecessor. The same kind of futuristic design, a combination of metal, durable plastic and glass.

The end surfaces and control elements are made of a metal alloy, and the back panel is made of durable glass, while having a slightly recessed shape. The device is ideally located in the hand, even taking into account the horizontal position, and due to the slight roughness of the metal insert, the smartphone does not slip out of the palm of your hand.A pleasant feeling is created by a slight cooling effect that radiates from the rear window.

I would like to emphasize that the design, build quality and structural strength leaves only a positive impression. During testing, the frame of the device did not succumb to physical deformation, even with great effort. The only negative nuance is the lack of moisture protection.

It is worth noting that the frame of the smartphone is illuminated by bright green stripes, as well as the shark space key located on the right side. The end surfaces are equipped with RGB lighting controls. They play an important role in working with a smartphone: they can be used as a notification light sensor or synchronized with game applications and music. The brightly lit logo of the brand, which is located on the back panel, catches the eye. The default color is green.

On the back surface is the main camera with two sensors of 48 and 12 MP. The front panel carries a front camera with a resolution of 20 MP, a display of 6.39 inches and a fingerprint scanner located under it. The recognition sensor works quickly, is able to remember more than 5 fingerprints. On the left side are the power button and volume control, and on the right side is the shark space game switch.

Display

Xiaomi black shark 2 pro is equipped with an excellent Super Amoled display with a diagonal of 6.39 inches, a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The pixel density is 403 ppi, which in use provides a smooth image. The screen of the device supports HDR mode.

The brightness level of the display is 412 cd / m2, which is definitely not a virtue of a smartphone.The glow uniformity indicator is 96%, while the contrast has practically no boundaries. Evenly filling the display with light and dark particles, the brightness level shows 520 cd / m2 (test APL50). The minimum brightness level is 2.3 cd / m2 and this guarantees a comfortable pastime near the screen at night. The brightness level is controlled by PWM - the indicator ranges from 80 to 250 Hz.

The black shark 2 pro display is equipped with several useful modes. For example, "eye protection" provides reduced eye strain due to reduced blue light levels. In addition, the system has several different profiles: standard, cinema and natural. There is also a TrueView application and manual color correction.

Hardware and performance

The most important thing in the black shark 2 pro smartphone is its most powerful core. The device operates under the leadership of a modified Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, manufactured according to the 7nm process technology. Unlike the previous chipset, the 855 Plus provides faster and better graphics processing. Now the games have a smoother image. This effect is achieved due to the increased frequencies of the central processor. By the way, a core with a clock frequency of 2.96 GHz acts as a CPU, three auxiliary cores give out 2.46 GHz, and the remaining four energy-efficient ones - 1.84 GHz. The graphics accelerator Adreno 506 is responsible for the visual component.

The game phone will go on sale with 12 GB of RAM and 128/256 built-in (UFS 2.1). Unfortunately there is no memory card slot.

Replenishment of energy, as well as synchronization with other devices, will be provided by USB-C, which supports OTG.In the box with the phone there is a special adapter for 3.5 mm jack. The soundtrack can also be provided by the Bluetooth 5.0 module. The cable that comes with the kit provides a data transfer rate of 40 Mb / s.

Operating system

As in the previous model, Black Shark 2 pro uses the proprietary JoyUi shell, which is a game prototype of MIUI. The interface is very stylish, everything is decorated in black colors, and for real gamers there is a special menu with additional features (GameDock). Calling it is easy, just swipe from the edge to the center of the screen. GameDock is a menu containing all the necessary game settings. Works only during the included games.

The main operating system in the smartphone is Android 9 Pie, on top of which the manufacturer's shell is installed. The software is equipped with anti-theft protection and parental control.

Offline work

A clear drawback of the new model is the low battery capacity. The manufacturer again stepped on the same rake and did not increase the battery size, as in black shark 2. So, the battery is designed for 4000 mAh, battery life lasts for 12 hours while playing games, watching H.264 video - no more than 11 hours. The only difference from the previous model is the reduced power consumption (3.5-8.6 W) and the presence of a 40 W charging adapter. Full replenishment of energy takes 50-55 minutes. There is no wireless charging.

game sphere

The main purpose of this smartphone is to support all heavy games at maximum settings. Until recently, Black Shark 2 was considered the best gaming mobile device, but now the receiver has taken over the baton with a more powerful and productive processor.In addition to a solid chipset, the device can offer a useful Shark Space key, a Game Dock panel and a liquid cooling system. The gaming system is equipped with Ludicrous and Magic Press features. Ludicrous is needed to redistribute smartphone resources. After starting the game, this function will automatically mute all systems, and the remaining memory goes to the application.

All possible games that don't have framerate caps will run closer to 60 FPS. Asphalt 9 and World of Tanks Blitz showed the best result, while PUBG produced only 40 frames per second. This is due to a limitation in the game itself.

Additionally, auxiliary sticks and controllers can be purchased with the gamephone.

Smartphone cooling

One of the main advantages of the smartphone is the liquid cooling system. Like the previous model, Black Shark 2 Pro, due to the Liquid Cooling 3.0 system, does not heat up above 31 degrees even during long gaming sessions. What can we say, at the beginning of the year, this unit jumped all its competitors by 14 degrees and is the leader in the list of gaming smartphones to this day. Particular attention requires a pleasant chill on the case back. The developers correctly selected the material and chose glass as a conductor of temperature.

Camera

Even taking into account the fact that the black shark 2 pro was not designed as a camera phone, the pictures taken with the main photo module are worthy. The rear camera has two sensors and an LED flash, thanks to which the pictures are of high quality even at night. The main camera sensor has a resolution of 48 MP, and the secondary one is 12 MP. It serves as a telephoto lens with additional magnification. The front camera is also good, its resolution is 20 MP.In good light, it produces good pictures, the colors are bright and saturated, but at night the detail drops noticeably.

Communication and communications

The device supports all GSM and UMTS communication bands. There is support for DUAL-LTE and VoLTE technologies. The system has a Wi-Fi module with a MU-MIMO antenna. The data transfer rate is 528 Mbps, and the reception is 630 Mbps. GPS, BeiDou and GLONASS are used as navigation systems. The determination of the given coordinates is carried out quickly, with virtually no errors.

The device supports two NanoSim cards, which can be simultaneously connected to the LTE network. The unique design boasts an application for making calls.

Sound system

Xiaomi black shark 2 Pro is equipped with two sound speakers that have high-quality and loud sound. High and medium frequencies are perfectly balanced, the maximum volume level is 79 dB. It is noteworthy that the default sound settings do not imply the presence of bass, but this can be changed in the advanced options. It is worth noting that after this the sound loses its quality.

The speaker is well made, during communication, the interlocutors hear each other perfectly. The only negative is a little noise, but if you do not listen, it will not cause inconvenience.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Modified Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset with improved graphics processing;
• The best performance in gaming applications;
• Nimble speed Wi-Fi module;
• The presence of two Nano SIM-cards and support for the VoLTE communication standard;
• Unique design;
• High strength and stability of the body;
• Bright Super Amoled display with huge color potential;
• Good quality cameras;
• The presence of protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 6;
• Liquid cooling system installed;
• The presence of a charging adapter for 40 W;
• The presence of the Game Dock and the shark space button;
• 12 GB of RAM with support for high frequencies;
• High volume of the main and conversational speakers;
• Rapid energy replenishment.

• Lack of moisture and dust protection;
• No support for memory cards;
• Relatively low battery capacity;
• Lack of NFC module and wireless charging.

Conclusion

Xiaomi black shark 2 Pro is one of the most powerful mobile devices designed for gaming purposes. The smartphone is equipped with a powerful chipset with improved graphics processing, a large amount of RAM, a wide range of gaming functions, as well as a large and bright display. The device supports all demanding games and consistently delivers 60 frames per second. A 40W charging adapter is also useful, providing faster energy replenishment. The camera in the phone is also worthy of praise, the pictures are worthy, detailed, saturated. Using the WI-FI module, you can enjoy high speed data transfer. The navigation system of the device accurately determines the location according to the specified parameters. Of course, there are flaws in the device, but they do not particularly spoil the overall picture. It is sad that there is no NFC and support for fast charging. It also lacks a microSD slot, as the gaming device requires a lot of space and may one day run out of internal memory.