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Xiaomi Launches Its New Black Shark 4 & 4 Pro Gaming Phones

Source: Xiaomi / Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro

For those who do spend a dedicated amount of time playing games on their smartphones, Xiaomi’s newest mobile devices might be right up your alley.

This may come as a surprise to many, but yes, there are smartphones designed strictly for gaming. Just in March alone, we have seen the release of the Asus ROG Phone 5 and Nubia Red Magic 6. Xiaomi is now getting in on the fun with the Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro model launch.

Both phones are high-end gaming phones featuring 6.67-inch screens, FHD+ resolutions, 144Hz refresh rates complimented with  720Hz touch input rate, which is very important because it deals with how quickly your touch is registered by the phone, a crucial factor when playing mobile games. Xiaomi achieving that with the Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro is significant because it has never been done before.

The screen features a “punch-hole” cut out for the front-facing camera. A feature Samsung’s latest Galaxy smartphone models have been utilizing for quite some time and don’t really interfere with the screen when doing things like watching videos or playing games. Under the hood is where the phones differ, with the 4 Pro utilizing a Snapdragon 888 chipset while the regular Black Shark model suffers a bit of downgrade opting for a Snapdragon 870. It was a curious decision on the company’s part, but it could have been done to help keep the Black Shark 4’s price point down.

Both phones feature massive 4,500mAh batteries that can be charged fully in just under 15 minutes thanks to 120W fast charging Xiaomi boasts. Unlike Apple and Samsung’s latest devices, Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro also have 3.5mm headphone jacks.

Both phones feature three rear cameras. The 4 Pro has a 64MP main camera, while the non-Pro sports a 48MP one. They both also have 8MP and 5MP companion camera lenses.

Xiaomi Launches Its New Black Shark 4 & 4 Pro Gaming Phones

Source: Xiaomi / Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro

Here is where the Black Shark 4 and 4 Pro could be a game-changer in the mobile gaming world. They both have physical triggers that sit in the phone but can be popped out for use and turned into pressable buttons. If you want to compare them to anything, think of them like the left and right trigger buttons on an Xbox Series X controller but on a mobile phone.

Xiaomi Launches Its New Black Shark 4 & 4 Pro Gaming Phones

Source: Xiaomi / Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro

The buttons don’t have to be only used for gaming either. They can be programmed for other uses, like quickly accessing personal information.

Last but certainly not least, there Shark Mode, which basically turns off the notifications so they don’t interrupt your gaming session, is back with some updates for the Black Shark 4 in the form of more settings and non-gaming modes.

The Black Shark 4 starts at about $380, and that comes with 128GB of storage and only 6GB of RAM. For $410, you can increase that to 8GB of RAM. $460 will get you 12GB. For $510, you increase the storage to 256GB and also get 12GB of RAM.

The Black Shark 4 Pro is a bit pricier, with the basic configuration is 8GB RAM and 256GB storage costing $610. You can bump up the RAM to 12GB for $690. The 16GB RAM, 512GB storage model will cost you roughly $810.

You can see them in action in the official launch trailer below.

Photo: Xiaomi / Black Shark 4 and Black Shark 4 Pro

Xiaomi’s Black Shark 4 & 4 Pro Could Take A Huge Bite Out of Gaming Phone Market Thanks To This One Innovation  was originally published on hiphopwired.com