Our quick take
Black Shark - 4.0 / 5
Bold, striking looks
- Glowing logo on the rear 162 x 75 x 9.3mm; 190g
Bezelled display
- 5.99-inch LCD panel 18:9 ratio 1080 x 2160 resolution 500 nit brightness
Gamepad brilliance (when it works)
- Included gamepad controller Joystick, shoulder button and trigger Works over Bluetooth Requires case to clip onto phone
Performance and battery
- Multi-layer liquid cooling Snapdragon 845 proccessor 6GB/8GB RAM 4,000mAh battery Quick Charge 3.0 (18W)
It’s clean Android, but can it be improved?
- Stock-ish Android Oreo Game Dock overlay for boosted gaming Shark Space for gaming only
Camera: Does it even matter?
- Dual 12MP/20MP camera 4K video at 30fps 20MP front camera
To recap
For just over £400, the Black Shark is among the most powerful and well-equipped devices to date. It’s got a relatively clean software experience, great battery life and a useful gaming mode to keep you focused on play. It’s not the perfect phone though – even at this price point.
