3/11/2023 0 Comments Shark bridge reviewsHowever, the second SIM card still cannot be used to browse the Internet during a phone call. The Black Shark offers the interesting option to use dual LTE, so both SIM cards can connect to the LTE network simultaneously. We only got 3G or 4G with very bad reception during our test in the German D2 network, and 4G in the E network, while we had a good LTE+ reception in both networks with a OnePlus 5T in the same location. The smartphone's support for frequency bands in general is rather limited and not suitable for frequent travelers. Adult users can also activate an anti-addiction feature that either closes apps after two or four hours or at least displays a message that encourages the user to take a break.Īccording to the manufacturer, the Xiaomi Black Shark targets only the Chinese market for now, so international users have to do without LTE band 20 support, meaning users cannot connect to the LTE network in some areas and have to settle for HSPA instead. The Xiaomi Black Shark might turn into a nuisance for children who like to play on their phone, as it comes with a password-protected security feature for parents that they can use to limit the utilization time for individual apps. Xiaomi posted step-by-step instructions for this on the company's forums, which enable even less experienced users to get access to the Google Play Store relatively fast. With the Google services missing in deeper system layers, it can be relatively difficult to get the Google Play Store to run on this device. There is no bloatware preinstalled on this phone, but the system also does not have any Google apps. The version 8.0 is installed on our test device, with security patches from February 2018, meaning they are rather outdated. It is based on MIUI, which is used for other Xiaomi smartphones, but it has a darker design and several additional features. Xiaomi created a new interface named JoyUI especially for its Black Shark series. By the way, the logo on the rear is backlit by LEDs and can be set to flash for incoming calls or certain notifications. Thanks to its rounded corners, it rests comfortably in the hand. Despite the elaborate cooling mechanism, the Black Shark has a weight of only 190 grams, which makes it slightly lighter than the Razer Phone 2017. The case is highly resistant against pressure and cannot be warped. The fingerprint sensor has been placed below the screen. The display bezels are very narrow at the sides, with top and bottom bezels that are not too broad either. The Black Shark is available in black and gray, but we could only find the black variant online, which is also the one we are reviewing here. According to Xiaomi, the reason for this is the better grip on a surface made of plastic instead of metal. The case is made of metal, but the rear's central area is plastic. The button on the phone's left side has a green edging as well and additional green accents can be found on the phone's rear, together with a green logo in the center. In opposite to the angular, but overall understated design of the Razer Phone 2017, the Xiaomi Black Shark gaming phone is more eccentric: The black case is framed by a metallic green stripe. Other than the aforementioned Razer Phone 2017, we also compare our test device to current high-end smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S9+, the OnePlus 6, and the Honor 10. These drawbacks are balanced out by a relatively low price: Depending on the chosen hardware options, prices start as low as 419 Euros (~$487), which is extremely low for a high-end smartphone. To compensate for the latter, an EU adapter is included by some retailers. In addition, users have to deal with menus that are only partly translated into English, the lack of LTE band 20, a limited Android without Google services, and a Chinese power supply. It can be ordered via import shops though, such as, who thankfully provided us with this test device. However, Xiaomi's gaming phone has a drawback: In contrast to Xiaomi's other smartphones, this one is not officially available in Europe yet. Then, the phone also comes with a gamepad as an optional accessory, and with a water-cooled Snapdragon 845 for an exceptionally high performance. Several optimizations are meant to turn the Black Shark into any gamer's dream: First, a special menu with a button that enables the user to open installed games extremely fast. We already reviewed the Razer Phone 2017 – the Xiaomi Black Shark was at least as highly anticipated as the Razer Phone, if not more, and now it has freshly arrived in our test lab. So manufacturers fall back to a group of customers that is usually willing to spend larger amounts of money for a good "rig" while also appreciating unusual design concepts: gamers. In a time where everyone already has a smartphone, manufacturers have to come up with new ideas to appeal to new target audiences.
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