Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro smartphone - advantages and disadvantages

In 2019, Xiaomi released one of the best gaming smartphones in history - Black Shark 2. Powerful hardware, gaming sticks, liquid cooling, high-frequency RAM - all these parameters provided the "black shark" the first place in the list of gaming devices. The Chinese company decided not to stop there 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

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

Specifications

Design and ergonomics

In terms of appearance, the Black Shark 2 Pro is practically indistinguishable from 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 rear panel is made of durable glass, while having a slightly recessed shape. The device fits perfectly in the hand, even taking into account the horizontal position, and thanks to the small roughness of the metal insert, the smartphone does not slip out of the palm. A pleasant feeling is created by the slight cooling effect that the rear window radiates.

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

It's worth noting that the smartphone's frame is illuminated with bright green stripes, just like 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 light sensor for notifications or synchronized with game apps and music. The brightly lit brand logo on the rear panel catches the eye. The default color is green.

On the back is the main camera with two sensors of 48 and 12 MP. The front panel carries a 20MP front camera, a 6.39-inch display and a fingerprint scanner underneath. The recognition sensor works quickly, is able to memorize more than 5 fingerprints. On the left side there is a power button and a volume control, and on the right - a 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 ensures smooth images in use. The device screen supports HDR mode.

The brightness level of the display is 412 cd / m2, which is definitely not a smartphone's advantage. The indicator of uniformity of the glow 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 (APL50 test). The minimum brightness level is 2.3 cd / m2 and this guarantees a comfortable pastime near the screen at night. Brightness level control is provided 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" reduces eye strain due to reduced blue light emission. In addition, the system has several different profiles: standard, cinema and natural. There is also a TrueView application and manual color adjustments.

Iron and performance

The most important thing about the black shark 2 pro smartphone is its powerful core. The device is powered by a modified Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, manufactured according to a 7nm manufacturing process. Unlike the previous chipset, the 855 Plus offers faster and better graphics processing. Games now have smoother images. 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 produce 2.46 GHz, and the other four energy-efficient ones - 1.84 GHz. The graphics accelerator Adreno 506 is responsible for the visual component.

A gamephone with 12 GB of RAM and 128/256 internal memory (UFS 2.1) will go on sale. Unfortunately, there is no memory card slot.

Energy replenishment, as well as synchronization with other devices, will be provided by USB-C, which supports OTG. The box with the phone contains a special adapter for 3.5 mm jack. Sound can also be provided by the Bluetooth 5.0 module. The included cable delivers 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 the MIUI gaming prototype. The interface is very stylish, everything is decorated in black, and for real gamers there is a special menu with additional features (GameDock). It is easy to call it, it is worth sliding your finger 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.

Autonomous work

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

Game sphere

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

All possible games that are not limited by frame rate will deliver speeds closer to 60 FPS. Asphalt 9 and World of Tanks Blitz showed the best results, while PUBG produced only 40 frames per second. This is due to a limitation in the game itself.

Additionally, you can purchase auxiliary sticks and controllers with a gamephone.

Cooling your smartphone

One of the main advantages of a smartphone is its liquid cooling system. Like the previous model, the 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 device jumped all its competitors by 14 degrees and is the leader in the list of gaming smartphones to this day. A pleasant chill on the back of the case requires special attention. 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 photomodule are decent. The rear camera has two sensors and an LED flash, so the pictures are of high quality even at night. The main camera sensor has a resolution of 48 MP, and the additional one - 12 MP. It serves as a telephoto lens with additional magnification. The front camera is also quite good, its resolution is 20 MP. In good light, it produces good pictures, colors are bright and saturated, but at night the detail drops noticeably.

Communication and communications

The device supports all GSM and UMTS bands. There is support for DUAL-LTE and VoLTE technologies. The system has a Wi-Fi module with an 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. Determination of the specified coordinates is done quickly, practically without errors.

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

Sound system

Xiaomi black shark 2 Pro is equipped with two sound speakers, which have high quality and loud sound. The balancing of high and middle frequencies is excellent, the maximum volume level is 79 dB. It is noteworthy that the standard sound settings do not imply the presence of bass, but this can be changed in the advanced parameters. It is worth noting that after this the sound loses its quality.

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

Advantages and disadvantages

• Modified Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset with improved graphics processing;
• Best performance in gaming applications;
• Fast speed of 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 a protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 6;
• Installed a liquid cooling system;
• The presence of a 40 W charging adapter;
• The presence of the Game Dock panel and the shark space button;
• 12 GB of RAM with support for treble;
• High volume of the main and spoken speakers;
• Fast energy replenishment.

• Lack of moisture and dust protection;
• There is no support for memory cards;
• Relatively small battery capacity;
• Lack of NFC module and wireless charging.

Output

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, more RAM, a wide range of gaming features, and a large and bright display. The device supports all demanding games and consistently produces 60 frames per second. A 40W charging adapter is also helpful, providing faster energy replenishment. The camera in the phone is also worth praise, the pictures are decent, detailed and rich. 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. Sadly, NFC and fast charging support are missing. There is also a lack of a microSD slot, as a gaming device requires a lot of space and may one day run out of its internal memory.