Xiaomi Black Shark 6 / 64GB and 8 / 128GB smartphone - advantages and disadvantages

If you are not asking the question “Which company is better to buy a smartphone?”, Clearly decided to choose from Xiaomi and, moreover, you are interested in gaming models - this is news for you. In April 2018, a powerful gaming smartphone from Xiaomi was announced and launched on sale. Over time, the users who purchased it had an idea about the device and the features of its operation, so this review will be dedicated to it - so, the Xiaomi Black Shark 6 / 64GB and 8 / 128GB smartphone - advantages and disadvantages, technical characteristics, owner reviews and impressions of operation, average price.

We will try to give an exhaustive description of the smartphone so that you can understand whether it is worth purchasing, which version is better to buy - 64 or 128 GB, where it is profitable to buy this device, and much more.

Smartphone specifications

Memory and processor

As it was said before, the device is positioned as a gaming device and is intended for active games, hence its unusual case design and powerful hardware.

The smartphone is powered by an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 2.8 MHz processor.
Supplied with Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.

The device is offered in two versions - 6/64 GB and 8/128 GB. Accordingly, the RAM is 6 or 8 GB, the built-in memory is 64 or 128 GB. When choosing, it is worth remembering that the smartphone does not support the installation of additional memory via micro-SD, which means that the selected volume will be final.

Note that in terms of technical characteristics, there are no other differences in smartphones with 64 and 128 GB of memory.

The stereo speakers in the smartphone provide high quality sound as well as good volume.

Autonomy and display

Xiaomi Black Shark has a capacitive IPS screen with a resolution of 2160 * 1080, which is 5.99 inches diagonal. It should be noted that the colors are as close to natural as possible, which makes the picture pleasing to the eye, and allows you to edit photos at a professional level. it is possible to change screen modes and make colors more saturated if you prefer such a color rendition.

The battery capacity is insufficient for such a large screen - only 4000 mAh. Charges via legacy USB port, but fast enough.

The weight of the device is rather small - 190 grams, dimensions - 75.4 * 161.62 * 9.25 mm.

Camera

As for photos and videos, the phone has a main dual camera with 12 + 20 million pixels with an aperture of f / 1.75, autofocus and a macro mode.

If you are worried about how this gaming smartphone takes pictures, we can reassure you. He does an excellent job with this task and takes excellent high-quality photos.

An example of a photo taken during the day:

How Xiaomi Black Shark photographs at night can be seen below:

The 20 million pixel selfie camera with f / 2.2 aperture actually turns out to be 5 megapixel, and takes the corresponding photos, according to reviews, of disgusting quality. Focusing is terrible and it feels like there is no autofocus at all.

It should be noted that due to a separate dedicated video processor Adreno 630, the video is played very smoothly.

Additionally

The smartphone supports all modern communication standards - 3G and 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS satellite tracking and GLONASS.

Liquid cooling is used, which allows the case not to overheat even under high loads.

For convenience, presenting all the main characteristics in a general table:

Device appearance

When examining the Xiaomi Black Shark, first of all, the eye falls on its non-standard design, more precisely, on the back cover of the case. The device looks and feels very nice and expensive.
It is only available in black and gray.

Body materials are two types of metal. The smartphone is made almost entirely of matte metal, with a lacquered lacquered insert along the rim of the back cover.

The letter-shaped logo on the rear panel lights up, for example, for incoming calls and generally acts as an event indicator.

Also on the back are the rear camera (main and secondary), flash and microphone. Below is the “Black Shark” logo.

As for the assembly, there are no complaints about the smartphone - everything is done efficiently and accurately.

On the right side are the volume and lock buttons. Left - slot for two SIM cards, micro-SD card is not supported.

Antenna inserts are located at the top and bottom. The bottom also houses a microphone speaker and a standard USB Type C 2.0 connector.

On the front panel there is a fingerprint scanner, which is not a button and does not perform any other functions except recognition.

On both sides of the scanner there are touch buttons - to call running applications and return back. They are not highlighted, but thanks to them, the smartphone is very convenient to operate.

Above, on the face of the device, are the front-facing camera, an event indicator flashing in different colors, and a speaker.

By the way, the screen of this device is exactly what it should be in a smartphone in 2018, the margins are minimal, almost all the space is occupied by the work surface, and even on the bottom of the screen there are touch buttons.

A green frame is implemented around the screen.

Equipment

Xiaomi provides a fairly large number of accessories for its top smartphones. So, along with Black Shark 6/64 GB and 8/128 GB, the kit comes with:

• power adapter;
• USB cable, cord length - standard, medium;
• adapter from USB to AUX;
• screen protector;
• a clip for removing the SIM card tray;
• rear bumper.

The case and screen film are the simplest, but they will protect your phone the first time after unpacking. Or not only in the first, if they suit you and do not want to replace the film with a protective glass, and the bumper with a full-fledged cover in the entire plane of the phone.

It is possible to additionally purchase a game joystick, the cost of which is about $ 30 (about 2,500 rubles).

The joystick is enough for 7-10 days if you spend a moderate amount of time playing games.

Smartphone cost

Recall that there are two versions on sale - Xiaomi Black Shark 6/64 GB and expanded by 8/128 GB. How much does each one cost?

Xiaomi Black Shark 6/64 GB will cost 35 750 rubles.

Xiaomi Black Shark 8/128 GB - a little more expensive, 40 750 rubles.

I must say that the price difference is small, given the fact that in the second case the memory is offered twice as much.

How to choose one or another option? Think about the mode of using your smartphone. If, in addition to the classic operation, you plan to take a lot of photos and shoot videos, as well as install heavy games, it is better to take the extended version right away, so that later you do not regularly throw information onto other media and not find yourself out of memory at the most inopportune moment.

And you can find out the best price for Xiaomi Black Shark 6/64 GB and 8/128 GB in your region using the Yandex.Market service, which contains all the relevant offers from stores. There, we recommend paying attention to the rating of the store selling the device.

Choosing a trusted seller - whether it is an online store or a regular store that sells equipment, will help protect yourself from the problems that usually arise in the event of a return of goods due to a malfunction or when repair is needed.

User reviews about the smartphone

The smartphone is really good, and the user experience is mostly positive. There is only one thing to note - it is not suitable for selfie lovers who want to get a universal smartphone - both for games and for taking selfies and everyday use.

Advantages

• Stylish, eye-catching appearance;
• Everything is stylish and well thought out for the convenience of the user;
• Top-end hardware;
• Event indicators on both sides of the smartphone;
• Dual sim;
• Powerful and efficient processor;
• High performance, especially after the release of new firmware;
• The interface is smart and cool, there are no complaints or drawbacks;
• Firmware and shell for games continues to be processed and improved by Xiaomi;
• The games are great, nothing slows down or freezes;
• Instant screen unlock;
• Rich functionality;
• Very pleasant sound and sufficient speaker volume;
• Despite the thickness of more than 9 mm, it does not feel like a shovel and fits comfortably in the hand;
• Nice and ergonomic device;
• The screen does not glare in the sun and has a sufficient margin of brightness for the image to be well read;
• Not flagship, but decent main cameras with fast autofocus, allowing you to get excellent quality pictures and video in Full-HD format;
• A reliable device that does not deteriorate over time.

disadvantages

• Quite a high cost of a smartphone, you can find more budget options with similar characteristics;
• Headphones are not included;
• Small backlash in the area of ​​the volume control button;
• It is impossible to install an additional memory card;
• Fast charging is not so fast - in an hour the battery charges only up to 80%;
• There are no traditional Xiaomi gestures to facilitate device control;
• Very low photo quality on the front camera, the declared characteristics of 20 million pixels do not correspond to reality and, in fact, only 5 million pixels;
• There are flaws when shooting portraits with the main camera and HDR does not work;
• The glass is not scratch resistant;
• Insufficient autonomy - the battery capacity could be increased;
• The top of the screen heats up because the processor is there;
• It can slip out of hands if you do not wear a bumper.

In general, as a productive gaming smartphone and a stylish mobile console on Android, the Xiaomi Black Shark fully copes with its main tasks. The brand's engineers have exceeded user expectations and made something new and impressive. This year, many high-profile releases are expected in the world of games, and the smartphone was initially sharpened for them.

True, a number of different parameters, such as a screen or cameras, will not surprise you with anything, and they should not surprise you, since this is, after all, not a flagship model.

The smartphone is well suited for games, watching videos, surfing the Internet. In China, he caused a stir, perhaps, this is precisely why it is not the lowest price.

If by some parameters you did not like this device, for example, if you cannot live without beautiful selfies, we recommend looking at the rating of high-quality smartphones from Xiaomi... Today, the range of devices from this manufacturer is so large that any person, whatever his selection criteria, will be able to choose the right option for himself. There are both more inexpensive models and flagships equipped with the latest technology.

Moreover, the best manufacturers, such as Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and their popular models, quite compete with Xiaomi devices, which are a combination of the best price and quality.