Black Shark 2 Review – Affordable Gaming Smartphone With Astounding Performance

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Smartphones are nowadays more than just a flagship, earlier people use to look for a good camera or a premium design but now the generation is changing and users are also looking for better performance high-end processors and better RAM. The interest in gaming has geared up in India and users are more inclined towards the smartphones which come with better gaming experience. Keeping all the aspects in mind Black Shark has come up with its first gaming smartphone in the country which is known as Black Shark 2.

 
Black Shark 2 Review – Affordable Gaming Smartphone

Here at Gizbot, I have received the device to play around with it. Obviously, it's a gaming phone! What else you want me to do with it. So here is the unbiased comprehensive review of the gaming smartphone which you should consider before buying one for yourself.

Killer Design With Green Line Highlights
 

Killer Design With Green Line Highlights

The very first thing you will get in the box is the Black Shark 2 so I will kick off with the design and build factor of the gaming smartphone. Justifying its price range smartphone comes with a premium look with the combination of glass and metal on the rear panel. The design of the rear panel will leave you amazed, it comes with a complicated gaming phone look accompanied by a green line on the edges. The company has managed to give an aggressive look to the edges which makes it very much premium in looks.

The smartphone feels also premium and the weight of the phone is perfect enough which will reduce the stress on your hands while playing gaming for long hours.

The rear panel comes with a Black Shark RGB LED branding at the back which you can customise from the setting option. Apart from that, the dual rear cameras are situated on the top right corner of the smartphone along with an LED flash. The rear panel design is clean but the only issue is that you have to clear it again and again because of its fingerprint magnet design.

On the right the Black Shark 2 houses a dedicated gaming trigger which will take you to the Shark Space. Underneath that, you have the power button to boot up the device. On the left, it has a volume rocker keys and at the bottom, it comes with a SIM tray and USB Type-C Port. Yes, the smartphone lacks the 3.5mm audio jack but don't worry the retail box includes a Type-C to the 3.5mm adopter. Also, there is two LED strip which blinks while gaming and charging the smartphone. Please note that the device doesn't come with an IP rating.

 

Bright and Clear Display

Bright and Clear Display

The Black Shark 2 sports a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with an HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels which adds charm to your gaming experience. The display carries a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a fingerprint sensor that embedded within the screen.


During my use, I have not to face the lack of display brightness while normal usage or gaming. I must say that the brightness of the screen is very impressive and I have a witness refresh rate of up to 30fps (frame per second). The smartphone touted as the most responsive touchscreen, with a 240Hz touch report rate, and a 43.5ms response time.


Apart from that the smartphone also comes with modes like Cinema mode, an Eye Comfort mode, which increases the warmth of the screen and reduces the blue light. The smartphone also arrives with a Video HDR mode that enhances the standard dynamic range of video content. So with this, you can experience more good quality videos content on your phone.

 

Camera Performance

Camera Performance

The Black Shark 2 sports a dual AI rear camera setup with the combination of 48MP primary sensor and 12MP 2x telephoto sensor along with an LED flash. The camera app comes with a ton of modes like Pro, Panorama, Portrait, Photo, Video, Short Video, and Slomotion. However, the Timelapse mode is missing in the app.

Apart from that, you will also get a wide range of filter which you can use while clicking pictures. You can check the camera samples at the bottom of this article.

Up front, the smartphone houses a 20MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture which is capable enough of producing amazing selfies with perfect saturation. The AI featured camera took some time to adjust and focus to give a better result which is good at some point but not at some. For example, you are capturing a fast moving object then you won't be able to focus it very fast.
During my use, I have tried clicking fast moving objects but was not that impressed with the sensors, but when it comes to portrait mode and colourful photography then the camera performance was outstanding.

However, it's a gaming smartphone and a gamer will not give that much importance to the camera. So let's talk about gaming performance.

 

Super-Fluid Gaming Performance

Super-Fluid Gaming Performance

The Black Shark 2 which is specifically made for the word gaming has a lot to do with it. The smartphone comes with a dedicated gaming space which is known as Shark Space. You can trigger the gaming space directly from a dedicated key.

The moment you hit that key you are in the gaming space which will have all the installed games showcased in a panel. All you have to do is to swipe and tap the game which you want to play.

Apart from all this space will also give the liberty of making game settings directly from the panel. So you need not have to go to each game and change the saturation and sharpness settings. The Shark Space will also restrict all the incoming calls and notification to interrupt your gaming experience.

You can also clear the RAM and keep an eye on CPU performance, Frame rate, Battery temperature and CPU consumption directly from the gaming panel. I have played games like PUBG Mobile, FIFA Mobile, Modern Strike, Modern Combat 5 Blackout on the Black Shark 2.

After the wholesome experience of gaming on this phone, I must say that this one of the best gaming smartphones which I have used so far. There is a time when I sit for around 2 hours and play games on this phone like anything thanks to the ultra-smooth performance I have never faced any lags or unwanted shutdown of the game while playing.

The Black Shark 2 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC, by 6GB / 12GB of RAM with 128GB/ 256GB storage. But this is not just a normal SD 855 the company has unlocked features which have helped them to make it smooth while gaming.

When it comes to cooling the I must say that the Black Shark is blessed with Direct Touch Liquid Cooling 3.0 which is an oversized cooling plat across all major components in multiple layers. The liquid cooling pads helps in keeping the temperature down. However, don't expect too much because for more than 2 hours any phone will heat.

 

Battery Performance

Battery Performance

The Black Shark 2 comes with a massive 4,000mAh non-removable battery which will ensure your long lasting gaming experience. The smartphone delivers two hours of gaming, 4 hours of video and 8 hours of browsing in just 15 per cent of battery status.

The battery performance was literally insane, during my use I have hardly charged the phone very often. Even while playing the game for the house the battery discharge rate was very less. What else a gamer wants in his/her phone. The company also claims to have optimized the battery in a way that it drains at a slower pace and I have to agree with the claim.

The gaming smartphone does miss out on wireless charging but I don't think so it would be needed. The smartphone gets 0-75 per cent charge in just half an hour with the stock charger.

 

My Thoughts On Black Shark 2

My Thoughts On Black Shark 2

I have used the gaming smartphone for more than two weeks as my primary smartphone. So I have invested a good amount of time with this smartphone. After using it for so long I have noticed that this is a complete package for a gaming audience as well as for a normal audience which is searching a good phone in this price range.

Altogether I must say that the USP of Black Shark 2 is its top-of-the-line spec sheet at a really aggressive price. The company is offering an excellent performance device which will not miss a single chance to impress you. Black Shark 2 is an affordable gaming smartphone that gives you the best of both worlds.

During my use, I have not faced a single issue with the performance of the device to face any lag while using it. With my personal experience with the smartphone, I must say that this is a highly recommendable gaming smartphone and it is best in all categories.

The Black Shark is now available for sale in India starting at Rs 39,999 in Shadow Black and Frozen Silver color variant.

 

 

Image Samples From Black Shark 2

Black Shark 2 Review – Affordable Gaming Smartphone
Black Shark 2 Review – Affordable Gaming Smartphone
Black Shark 2 Review – Affordable Gaming Smartphone

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Unboxing Video

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