Another handset has been added to the growing list of gaming phones as the Xiaomi Black Shark Helo becomes official and is put up for preorder in China.
This is the second offering from Xiaomi-backed company Nanchang Black Shark Technology Co., Ltd., which was established in August 2017 to focus on gaming devices. It’s something we didn’t expect, considering its predecessor came out only in April this year.
SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Black Shark review: Ultimate Android gaming phone
So how is the Black Shark Helo different from the straightforwardly named Black Shark? The main difference lies in the screen department. While the first model uses an LCD display, the Helo gets an AMOLED one. This should theoretically translate into deeper blacks and longer battery life. However, take note that its refresh rate is still at 60Hz, unlike the ASUS ROG Phone‘s 90Hz and the Razer Phone 2‘s 120Hz. A higher number means a smoother experience.
READ ALSO: ASUS ROG Phone now top-scoring Android in Antutu Benchmark
The fingerprint sensor, which used to be front-mounted, is now on the back, below the flash and 12- and 20-megapixel cameras. And the overall design? It screams gaming, what with the RGB-illuminated logo and the light strips on the side. Thank goodness it’s distinguishable from the original, something that Razer has failed to give us with their second gaming phone.
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo
The Xiaomi Black Shark Helo still uses a mobile video chip manufactured by Pixelworks to help enhance picture quality. This time, though, it can upscale SDR content to HDR in real time, much like the just-launched Nokia 7.1.
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There’s a new Gamer Studio app that lets you modify game parameters, such as processor and touch. Your preferred settings for each game can be shared through the Shark Code feature.
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Additionally, the smartphone features a vapor-chamber design to keep the processor running at optimal levels at elevated temperatures. There’s even an optional cooling case that adds more fans to the back of the Black Shark Helo.
One of the three Xiaomi Black Shark Helo variants has a whopping 10GB of RAM, more than the ones on our PC and our laptop.
And if you ever want more RAM than you can handle, one of the three available memory configurations has a whopping 10GB of RAM, more than the ones on our PC and our laptop. You can see the prices of all three variants below:
- 10GB of RAM + 256GB of storage: ¥4,199 (around P32,512 or $605), comes with a dual controller
- 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage: ¥3,499 (P27,092 or $504), comes with a single controller
- 6GB of RAM + 128GB of storage: ¥3,199 (P24,769 or $461), comes with a single controller
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo specs
- 6-inch OLED display, 2,160 x 1,080 resolution (18:9)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
- 6GB/8GB RAM, 10GB RAM
- 128GB expandable storage, 256GB expandable storage
- 12-megapixel (f/1.75) + 20-megapixel (f/1.75) rear cameras
- 20-megapixel (f/2.2) front camera
- Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
- 4,000mAh battery
- Android Oreo
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