After weeks of teasers and leaks, Xiaomi has finally released its newest gaming smartphone lineup, the Black Shark 3. As always, the series includes a base model and a pro model, both of which bring a decent amount of upgrades including an additional camera at the back, the Snapdragon 865 SoC, and a 90Hz display with the world’s fastest touch sampling rate.
Design and Display
The Pro variant has a massive 7.1-inch OLED display with QHD+ resolution and a 90Hz screen refresh rate. It has a 270Hz touch sampling rate, making it the world’s fastest responding display with minimal input lag.
The back has a triangular triple camera setup at the top and a magnetic charging port near the bottom to allow for uninterrupted gaming sessions. There are also mechanical shoulder buttons at the sides that only pop-up when needed.
The standard Black Shark has a 6.67-inch display with FHD+ resolution as well but it lacks the pop-up shoulder buttons.
Internals and Storage
Both phones are powered by Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 865 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The 8GB variant features LPDDR4X memory while the 12GB variants come with LPDDR5. The Black Shark 3 Pro only has a 256GB storage option, but the base model also includes a 128GB variant.
Cameras
The main camera is a 64-megapixel shooter alongside a 13-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The front camera is a 20MP wide-angle lens that can record 1080p videos and capture HDR photos.
The camera setup on both phones is identical.
Battery and Pricing
To aid with extensive gaming sessions, Xiaomi has included a massive 5,000 mAh battery that also supports blazing-fast 65W fast charging. It is capable of charging up the device from 0 to 100% in only 38 minutes. The magnetic charging port, however, only has 18W fast charging.
The Black Shark 3 will cost $500 and the Pro model will go for $675 once they go on sale on March 17.
| Â Black Shark 3Â | Black Shark 3 Pro | |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| CPU | 2.84 GHz Octa-core Kyro | 2.84 GHz Octa-Core Kyro |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Adreno 650 |
| OS | Android 10.0 | Android 10.0 |
| Supported Networks | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G |
| Display | 6.67″ AMOLED, FHD+, 90Hz refresh rate, 270Hz touch sampling | 7.1″ AMOLED, QHD+, 90Hz refresh rate, 270Hz touch sampling |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR4X), 12GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB (LPDDR4X), 12GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB | 256GB |
| Card Slot | yes | yes |
| Main Camera | 64 MP (wide) 13 MP (telephoto) 5 MP (ultrawide) |
64 MP (wide) 13 MP (telephoto) 5 MP (ultrawide) |
| Front Camera | 20MP | 20MP |
| Fingerprint Sensor | In-display | In-display |
| Colors | Lightning Black, Armor Gray, Star Silver | Phantom Black, Armor Gray |
| Battery |
5000 mAh, 65W fast charging | 5000 mAh, 65W fast charging |
| Price |
$500 | $675 |
