Previously leaked in the AnTuTu benchmark database this February, the Black Shark gaming phone backed by Xiaomi just got an official teaser showing off the silhouette of the device next to a fencing mask, with a green-glowing fencing blade right between them. It seems Xiaomi does not want to miss out on the gaming smartphone craze started last year by Razer. Asus announced earlier this year that it too will launch a similar device, while Razer is already planning to release the second generation gaming phone in late 2018.
The silhouette of the phone presents rounded edges and a power or volume button on the right side, but the previously rumored directional gamepad is nowhere to be seen. The AnTuTu database entry pointed out that the gaming phone is to integrate a Snapdragon 845 SoC with Adreno 630 graphics and 8 GB RAM. On April 3, Xiaomi confirmed that there will be variants with storage capacities between 64 GB and 256 GB and the 2160 x1080 display is expected to feature 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR capabilities. The green color scheme that reminds of Razer's own branding is probably Xiaomi's way of throwing the gauntlet.
The April 3 confirmation posted by Xiaomi on Weibo also teased that the Black Shark gaming phone is going to be officially unveiled on April 13. It would be interesting to see if this gaming phone trend becomes a thing again and maybe bigger brands could join in with premium devices plus exclusive game titles.
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I first stepped into the wondrous IT&C world when I was around seven years old. I was instantly fascinated by computerized graphics, whether they were from games or 3D applications like 3D Max. I'm also an avid reader of science fiction, an astrophysics aficionado, and a crypto geek. I started writing PC-related articles for Softpedia and a few blogs back in 2006. I joined the Notebookcheck team in the summer of 2017 and am currently a senior tech writer mostly covering processor, GPU, and laptop news.
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2018 04 > Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone depicted in official teaser
Bogdan Solca, 2018-04- 6 (Update: 2018-04- 6)