Black shark 2 :- review by itechcore
Black Shark 2 Summary
Black Shark 2 smartphone was launched in March 2019. The phone comes with a 6.39-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels at a pixel density of 403 pixels per inch (PPI) and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.
Black Shark 2 is powered by a 2.84GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. It comes with 6GB of RAM.
The Black Shark 2 runs Android 9.0 Pie and is powered by a 4000mAh battery. The Black Shark 2 supports Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Black Shark 2 on the rear packs a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.75 aperture and a pixel size of 0.8-micron and a second 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a pixel size of 1.0-micron. The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports a 20-megapixel camera on the front for selfies, with an f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 0.9-micron.
Black Shark 2 based on Android 9.0 Pie and packs 128GB of inbuilt storage. The Black Shark 2 is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards.
Connectivity options on the Black Shark 2 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor. The Black Shark 2 supports face unlock.
The Black Shark 2 measures 163.61 x 75.01 x 8.77mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 205.00 grams. It was launched in Shadow Black color.
- As of 26th March 2020, Black Shark 2 price in India starts at Rs. 31,999
Personally, I think the Black Shark 2 is the best-looking gaming smartphone on the market. Sporting curved edges – as opposed to the sharp corners of the Razer Phone 2 or the over-the-top looks of the Asus ROG Phone – it manages to retain some gaming glamour.
From the front, it looks like a generic Android smartphone – one without a notch, however. The bezel is incredibly thin, looking very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, without the latter’s curved sides.
With a 6.39-inch AMOLED screen and a thin bezel, the Black Shark is a large smartphone. I really have to stretch my thumb to reach the icons at the top-left of the screen.
When the light hits it at a specific angle, you’ll notice the reflective green strip running around the device’s edge. It’s a subtle, but attractive detail that gives the Black Shark 2 a dash of personality without being in your face.
You also get a light strip on either edge of the handset. It doesn’t emit any light most of the time, pulsing green when the Black Shark 2 is charging. I also noticed that when playing music through Spotify, the light bars will dance to the beat and flash a rainbow assortment of colors. This feature will no doubt please fans of RGB lighting – but, importantly, it’s unobtrusive enough to avoid becoming annoying.
On the rear, the Black Shark 2 has a very distinctive design. Glass curves around a metal strip in the middle for a snazzy effect, bringing attention to the pulsating Black Shark logo in the center. The two-camera sensors are arranged in a vertical line atop the glass, completing the device’s stylish and unique look.
Elsewhere, the Black Shark 2 opts for a minimalist approach to its buttons. There are only volume controls on the left, while the right side is home to the sleep button and the Shark Key toggle that lets you activate the gaming-focused mode.
Unfortunately, there’s no headphone jack here, which I think is a significant omission considering owners will probably want to use their gaming headphones with a 3.5mm connection. You do get a USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter bundled in the box, which is handy, but it still means you won’t be able to charge the Black Shark 2 simultaneously whilst wearing wired gaming headphones.
There’s also no microSD slot, so you’ll have to settle for the 128GB onboard storage – but that should be plenty enough for most to be fair.
Black Shark has built the fingerprint scanner into the display. I found it super-responsive and speedy, and I’m also a huge fan of the slick animation that comes to life upon its activation.
Black Shark 2 – Performance
The Black Shark 2 is the most powerful Android smartphone we’ve tested yet – at least based on the benchmarking scores it produced. The Samsung Galaxy S10, Xiaomi Mi 9 or Razer Phone 2 all pale in comparison to the Black Shark 2’s benchmark results, despite all three of those smartphones being well known for their performance prowess.
In terms of the best gaming smartphones, there isn’t a competitor that comes close to the Black Shark 2’s benchmark results. Whether it was the Antutu, Geekbench 4 or 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme results, the Black Shark 2 absolutely flattens the Asus ROG Phone and Razer Phone 2. This translates to slick gaming performance, with brief loading times and fast-paced movement appearing smooth.
| Black Shark 2 | ROG Phone | Razer Phone 2 | |
| Antutu | 367,000 | 298,643 | 264,312 |
| Geekbench 4 single-core | 3517 | 2447 | 2347 |
| Geekbench 4 multi-core | 11,295 | 8853 | 8915 |
| 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme | 5705 | 4678 | 468 |
Look at the Black Shark 2’s specs, and those benchmark results aren’t too surprising. The device boasts an ultra-speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU. That seemingly isn’t enough speed for Black Shark, though; it rocks 8GB of dual-channel RAM, which greases things up for even greater fluidity in the face of demanding titles.
Besides, there’s a generous 128GB storage onboard so, despite its lack of expandability, there’s plenty of room for all the games you might want to download. For £479, the Black Shark 2 offers seriously impressive value.
At launch, China and the rest of Europe benefit from the option of an additional version with a colossal 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage. Frankly, these numbers are unquestionably overkilling, but if you want the best of the best, it can be had for $711 Thankfully, patient Brits will also be able to buy this beefier model locally when it launches later this year, with a proposed price of $613
If, for some bizarre reason, you’re craving more power while you game, an aptly named Ludicrous mode (a tip of the hat to Tesla perhaps?) will unleash all of the smartphone’s CPU might for a rocket-powered performance. The Black Shark 2 is supposedly the only smartphone in the world that can release such a massive hike in performance without seeing a drop in the frame rate, which is essential for gamers who want super-smooth visuals.
Black Shark 2 – Battery
Of course, you’ll need a beefy battery to keep this smartphone chugging along as you abuse it with some all-day gaming. Fortunately, Black Shark has fitted a whopping 4000mAh cell into the smartphone.
This was plentiful enough to get me through an entire day. In fact, with casual web and social media browsing, the odd YouTube video, music playback on my commute and the occasional session of Alto’s Odyssey or Pokémon GO (when my boss wasn’t looking), the Black Shark 2 survived more than 24 hours before running out of juice. That’s ridiculously good considering most flagship smartphones would die out before bedtime.
Obviously, the battery will deplete a lot faster whilst gaming. Playing Fortnite for an hour with brightness set to the max, consumed 17 percent of the battery’s power. Theoretically, this means you should get around five hours of game time, which matches up with Black Shark’s claim.
Play a less intensive game, though, and you’ll be able to squeeze even greater longevity out of this smartphone. The battery only fell by 13 percent after playing Alto’s Adventure for an hour, which equates to more than seven hours of play. These are both very impressive figures.
I also tested how the battery performed whilst watching the video. An hour-long episode of Ozark in Full HD with brightness set to full consumed only 7 percent of the battery, meaning you should be able to get around 14 hours of Netflix gold from a single charge – that’s an entire season!
You’d think that one consequence of having such a big battery would be that it takes some time to top up, but thankfully that isn’t the case here. Black Shark was smart and generous enough to bless the Black Shark 2 with impressive 27W fast charging. As such, the phone can be filled up to 66 percent charge in just 30 minutes (enough for a full day of general smartphone use), with a full charge taking just under 70 minutes from flat – impressive stuff to say the least.
Black Shark 2 – Software
Black Shark 2 uses stock Android for its software. Swipe up and you’ll bring up the apps drawer, so you can access the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and your emails. Of course, you can also drag your favorite apps to the home screen for easy access. It’s all very simple to navigate, while also providing sufficient customization options for you to personalize your setup.
You also get the option between Quickstep and Microsoft Launcher as your Home app. Personally, I prefer the former; it’s cleaner and slicker. That said, if you’re a big fan of Microsoft apps then the Microsoft Launcher provides easy access to Cortana, Microsoft Office and Xbox and the like. 
It’s impossible not to mention Shark Space when talking about the software. The Shark Key on the side of the device, which could easily be mistaken for a mute toggle, provides easy access to the gaming-focused mode. When activated, the Black Shark 2 feels like a dedicated gaming device, complete with its own striking intro animation. Within this space, you have instant access to all of your mobile games, as well as tools to temporarily turn off the call function and notifications, so you can play interruption-free.
Drag down from the top-right corner of the phone when in Shark Space mode or while playing a game and you’ll bring up the Gamer Studio. Here you can tweak settings, connect your controllers, set up the Wi-Fi connection or even summon a performance monitor that shows the frame rate at which you’re currently gaming.
In terms of gaming, Black Shark has thought of it all on the software front, making this smartphone feel like a premium gaming device.09
Black Shark 2 – Camera
The Black Shark 2’s cameras are surprisingly respectable. On the rear is a dual-lens arrangement with both sensors boasting 12 megapixels apiece. The secondary camera also offers 2x optical zoom, helping to prevent zoomed-in shots looking distorted and blurry.
So how does the rear camera perform? Pretty darn well to be honest. This is never going to compete with AAA smartphones that specialize in photography but it wasn’t too far off the quality of my Samsung Galaxy S9. Colors are eye-pleasingly vivid, and while detail isn’t pinpoint accurate, it’s crisp enough to please most.
Images captured on the Black Shark 2 appear noticeably brighter than they do on my Galaxy S9. The device seems to artificially brighten the image, which isn’t necessarily a negative thing – unless you’re a stickler for natural and neutral tones.
Photos suffer significantly in low light, however. As you can see with the picture of the Chinese restaurant frontage, image quality is a little hazy when ample light isn’t available.
I was also disappointed with the zoom quality, with the daffodil showing that the second lens can’t prevent the image looking blurry once zoomed in at x2 magnification.
In terms of selfies, Black Shark 2 exceeded my expectations. The 20-megapixel sensor captures super-detailed and expressive shots. It was far better than my S9 in this regard. The optional Portrait mode will also blur out the background, allowing your face to take center stage. Again, images look really bright, but not to the extent that they’re oversaturated.
The Black Magic 2 is also capable of Full HD and 4K video shooting at 30fps. Captured footage looked decent, but nothing special.
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