Xiaomi sub-brand Black Shark launched its latest gaming-centric Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 Pro phones in China. Both devices are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC and pack similar tripe camera systems on the rear. Though the devices are mostly alike, the Pro model comes with additional few features, including dedicated gaming shoulder buttons. While both the devices were launched with high-end specs, Black Shark did not confirm whether it is bringing the smartphones to the Indian market or not. In India, Black Shark is working as an independent brand competing with Xiaomi in the affordable flagship device race.
Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 Pro: Pricing
The Black Shark 3 will go on sale on March 6 starting at CNY 3,499 (approx. Rs 36,800) for 8GB+128GB version. The other two models, 12GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB cost CNY 3,799 (approx. Rs 39,900) and CNY 3,999 (approx. Rs 42,000) respectively.
The Black Shark 3 Pro is currently up for reservation with pre-sale starting March 10. The price of Shark 3 Pro will be CNY 4,699 (approx. Rs 49,400) for the base 8GB+256GB configuration and CNY 4,999 (approx. Rs 52,600) for the top-end 12GB+256GB version. The device will be available starting March 17.
The Black Shark 3 comes in three colours, Lightning Black, Armor Gray, and Star Silver, while the Pro is offered only in Phantom Black and Armor Gray.
Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 Pro: Specifications and Features
The Black Shark 3 Pro packs a massive 7.1-inch AMOLED panel with Quad HD+ (1440 x 3120) resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. It also boasts of world’s fastest 270Hz touch sampling rate as well. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 865 SoC clocked up to 2.84GHz. The device supports dual-band 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
The Black Shark 3 Pro is offered in two configurations 8GB LPDDR4X RAM or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, while the storage remains the same 256GB UFS 3.0. The smartphone packs triple camera configuration with a primary 64MP sensor mated to a 13MP ultrawide sensor and a 5MP depth sensor. There is another 20MP selfie shooter on the front.
The Black Shark 3 Pro comes with a massive 5000mAh battery and comes with a 65W charger as standard. Xiaomi says the device can go from flat to 100% in just 38 minutes. Another interesting feature of the Pro model is pop-up triggers, which come on the right side of the device to act as shoulder buttons when in landscape mode.
As for the regular Black Shark 3 model, the device retains the same 90Hz display panel, but comes with a smaller 6.67-inch screen and lower Full HD+ resolution. It also packs the same Snapdragon 865 SoC but comes in three versions with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The battery too is smaller 4720 mAh along with support for 65W charging, though the device itself ships with a 30W charger. In addition, the vanilla version also lacks pop up gaming buttons. Other key specs, including the camera remain the same as the Pro model.
