Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone official: Snapdragon 845, liquid cooling system

The overall shape of the Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone is pretty rounded, with the front panel being dominated by a large, 6-inch, 18:9 display complete with a 2160x1080 (FHD+) resolution and a pixel density of 403PPI. This, unfortunately, lacks in comparison to the Razer Phone, which sports a much higher pixel density of 515PPI. Nevertheless, Xiaomi’s alternative one-up’s Razer’s device by boasting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 on the inside, which is clocked at the high speed of 2.8GHz. In addition, variants with both 6GB and 8GB of RAM will be on offer, with the former boasting 64GB of internal storage, and the latter offering 128GB.

Moving back to the Black Shark gaming phone’s design, the overall body is constructed out of aluminum, with the rear panel presenting a unique X-shaped look which is aimed at providing an increased grip. Also dominating the panel is a large Black Shark logo which is present in a neon green color, similar to that of the Razer logo. In addition to all of this, a dual-camera setup is also featured, consisting of a main 12-megapixel sensor and a secondary 20-megapixel lens, both of which are accompanied by a dual-tone LED flash and support what the company is calling “Dark Light Enhancement Technology,” which should improve low-light shots. Coupled with all of this is also a front-facing 20-megapixel camera.

Aiming to improve the gaming experience, the Xiaomi Black Shark has also been equipped with a liquid cooling system, which should help keep temperatures down even when owners of the device are in the middle of playing a game. Also, further enhancing the experience will be a dual-speaker setup coupled with a high-quality microphone. Furthermore, guaranteeing that the games will not be cut short, a 4,000mAh battery pack has been included on the inside along with support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 tech. Unfortunately, Black Shark has confirmed that wireless charging is not supported.

Rounding off the new smartphone will be Android 8.1 Oreo straight out of the box, although a customized overlay is also included. Furthermore, a performance mode can also be activated at any time via the dedicated button on the side of the smartphone. Speaking of buttons, the Razer Phone competitor doesn’t use on-screen ones. Instead, the front-facing fingerprint scanner doubles as a home button, and capacitive keys can be found on either side.

Regarding pricing and release, the Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone will currently be sold exclusively in China, although if popular, it could eventually make its way to other markets. In any case, the device will be available in Polar Night and Sky Gray color options, while pricing starts at 2,999 Yuan ($477) for the 6GB of RAM variant and tops out at 3,499 Yuan ($557) for the 8GB of RAM device. Lastly, gamers will also be able to get their hands on a dedicated gamepad for the device that adds an analog stick and extra buttons to the device for 179 Yuan, or the equivalent of $29.