Should You Buy the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 in 2024?
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 gaming phone stormed onto the scene a few years back, promising exceptional mobile gaming performance.
But with newer models arriving and technology rapidly evolving, does it still hold its own in 2024?
This article dives deep to answer that question. We'll examine the Black Shark 5's aging specs, compare it to current budget-friendly and flagship gaming phones, and discuss if its features and price can still justify a purchase in today's competitive market.
Get ready to determine if the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is a smart investment for your mobile gaming needs in 2024.
Also Read: The 12 Best Xiaomi Phones to Buy in 2024
Should You Buy the Xiaomi Black Shark 5?
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is definitely a powerful device with some impressive specs, including a Snapdragon 8-series processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and a 144Hz refresh rate display. If you're someone who loves mobile gaming, then the Black Shark 5 might be a great choice for you. It has a dedicated "Shark Space" gaming mode that optimizes performance and provides a customizable gaming experience.
However, if you're not really into gaming, then some of the Black Shark 5's features may not be as important to you. Plus, there are other smartphones on the market that offer similar specs at a lower price point.
Highlights of the Xiaomi Black Shark 5
- Gaming Grade Display - The Black Shark 5 has a 144Hz AMOLED display that Xiaomi touts “E-sports” display.
- Good Performance - The Snapdragon 870 may not be the fastest chip, but it performs well and is reliable.
- Gaming focussed Features - Liquid Cooling and Magnetic Triggers for a cool and competitive gaming experience.
- Superfast 120W Charging - A small break of 15 minutes is enough to charge the Black Shark 5 from 0 to 100.
- Amazing Speakers - The Black Shark 5 has superb stereo speakers that are loud, clear, and perfect for gaming.
Overall, for the price, I think the only thing lacking is flagship performance, but everything else is just amazing. The screen, battery, speakers and gaming features all make it an excellent gaming phone.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is a Well Designed Phone
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 has the usual game design that has been a staple of the series since its first edition. The phone has a brushed metallic back that looks nice.
The back panel also has Black Shark written on it along with the Logo and some patterns. All this adds to the gamer vibe.
On the right side of the phone, you can find the power button, magnetic triggers, and switches for the triggers. All of them are placed ergonomically for easy access.
On the left side, you can find the volume rocker. I prefer the volume rocker on the right side but since there is no space, I can criticize.
On the bottom, you can find a USB-C port in the center along with a SIM slot on the left and a speaker grill on the right.
And on the top, you'll find another speaker grille along with the Infrared sensor. The speakers are placed symmetrically for excellent stereo separation.
I am personally not a fan of busy designs on gaming phones, but the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 has kept the artifacts to a minimum, which makes it look good.
The ergonomics are also great, however, the lack of Gorilla Glass for protection is a miss. Overall, the design is decent but could have been better.
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Has a Responsive Display
The display of the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 gets me excited the most. The 6.67-inch AMOLED display is simply amazing.
The display is bright at 1300 nits making it great for gaming and HDR content consumption. With a 111% DCI-P3 color gamut, the Black Shark 5 is accurate and vivid.
The Black Shark 5 also has a 144 Hz refresh rate which is perfect for a gaming phone. Everything is smooth and snappy. The 720 Hz touch sampling rate is impressive for responsiveness. Everything from videos to gaming to browsing feels fluid and smooth.
The display on the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is simp[ly perfect for gaming. It is sharp, vivid, bright, smooth, and responsive, everything a gamer needs and wants in a display. I love it!
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Delivers Top Tier Performance
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 has the same processor as the Black Shark 4, which is a bummer. However, the Snapdragon 870 is a good, reliable performer.
But realistically, Xiaomi had very few options to choose from because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was reserved for the Pro model and the Snapdragon 888 was too expensive.
Even though the Snapdragon 870 is older and not as fast as today's flagships, it performs well. It can handle any game or application you throw at it.
There are zero lags or hitches when you use the phone, and thanks to the liquid cooling technology, the phone stays cool.
Even though the processor is not top of the line, Xioami has added top of the line memory in the Black Shark 5. The phone comes with 8/12 GBs of LPDDR5 RAM and 128/256 GBs of UFS 3.1 storage.
This means that opening and switching between apps will only take an instant. And in my use, the Black Shark 5 always felt super smooth and responsive.
Overall, I am happy with the Xiaomi Black Shark 5's performance. It's not the best, but it's certainly good for gaming and most tasks.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5's Cameras are Average
Gaming phones always have mediocre cameras and it's no different with the Black Shark 5. Cameras are easy to cut costs and the widespread norm is that gamers don't care about cameras.
On paper, the Black Shark 5 has decent camera specs. You get a triple camera in this configuration, a 64 MP Primary Wide camera, 8 MP Ultrawide, and a 5 MP Macro camera.
The main camera is capable of taking good shots in natural light, but it struggles at nighttime with noise. Since there is no optical image stabilization, videos are a shaky mess.
The ultrawide camera also does a good job in well-lit situations but struggles in dimly lit conditions. It also lacks the same color quality as the main lens which is a letdown as the main camera takes better-looking pictures.
The 5MP macro is just there to take up space. It's more of a gimmick than a camera. You can take some macro shots but it's not useful for anything else. I'd rather not have it at all, as it's not useful.
And finally, the 20MP front camera is serviceable. It is good for selfies and doesn't smooth you out, but it struggles with video recording. So reels and vlogs from the front camera won't look as good as it does on some competition devices.
Overall, the camera on the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is there when you need it. It won't wow you but it will get the job done when needed. Don't buy it if you want a good camera smartphone, there are better options for the price.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5's Excellent Battery
The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 has an excellent battery technology. The 4650 mAh cell might sound low nowadays, but it lasts for a day easily when not pushed to the max.
And even if you used up all the charge quickly by gaming, you can charge the device in under 15 minutes when needed.
The 120W fast charging technology in the Black Shark 5 needs only 15 minutes to charge the phone. With a split battery design, the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 is safe to charge at high speeds.
Xiaomi also promises up to 1200 charge cycles, meaning you can charge your device 1200 times without losing battery performance.
I am impressed with the battery in the Black Shark 5 however it is normal from Xiaomi nowadays.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Powerful Processor: The Black Shark 5 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor which provides high-end gaming performance.
- Large Display: The device features a large 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for gaming.
- Good Battery Life: The 450mAh battery provides a decent amount of battery life for extended gaming sessions.
- Cooling System: The Black Shark 5 has an advanced cooling system that helps to prevent overheating during intense gaming sessions.
- High RAM Capacity: With up to 12GB of RAM, the device can handle even the most demanding games and multitasking.
- 5G Connectivity: The device supports 5G connectivity for fast internet speeds and low latency.
Cons
- Expensive: The Black Shark 5 is priced at the higher end of the market, making it less accessible to some consumers.
- No Expandable Storage: There is no option to expand the storage capacity of the device with an external memory card.
- No Wireless Charging: The device does not support wireless charging, which may be a disadvantage for some users.
- Heavy: The device is quite heavy, weighing in at 218g, which may make it uncomfortable to use for long periods.
- Limited Availability: The Black Shark 5 is not widely available in all markets, which may limit its accessibility for some consumers.
Specifications of the Xiaomi Black Shark 5
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 | |
| Announced | 4th April 2022 |
| Status | Available. Released 11th April 2022 |
| Type | AMOLED, 144Hz, 1300 nits |
| Size | 6.67 inches, 85.9% screen-to-body ratio |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio 395 PPI density |
| Dimensions | 163.8 x 76.3 x 10 mm |
| Weight | 218 g |
| Water Resistance | No rating |
| SIM Slot | Dual SIM |
| Expandable Storage | No microSDXC Card Slot |
| Colors | Mirror Black, Explorer Grey |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm) |
| Graphics | Adreno 650 |
| RAM | LPDDR5 8/12 GB |
| Storage | UFS 3.1 128/256 GB |
| Rear Cameras | 64 MP Wide + 8 MP Ultrawide + 5 MP Macro |
| Camera Features | LED flash, PDAF Autofocus, Dim Light Enhancement, Ultrashot HDR, Documents Mode, Portrait Mode, Dynamic Mode, Panorama Mode, AI Cam, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps |
| Front Camera | 20 MP Wide |
| Camera Features | Face Retouching, Portrait Mode, 1080p 60fps, Slomo 1080P@120fps, 1080P@240fps, 1080P@960fps |
| Android | Android 12 |
| MIUI | Joy UI 13 |
| Network | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive |
| GPS | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Capacity | Non-removable Li-Po 4650 mAh Cell |
| Charging Technology | 120W fast charging |
| Wireless Charging Technology | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, Stereo Speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), Accelerometer, Gyro, Compass, Barometer |
Takeaway
If you're someone who loves mobile gaming, then the Black Shark 5 might be a great choice for you. It has a dedicated "Shark Space" gaming mode that optimizes performance and provides a customizable gaming experience.
However, if you're not really into gaming, then some of the Black Shark 5's features may not be as important to you. Plus, there are other smartphones on the market that offer similar specs at a lower price point.
Ultimately, whether or not you should buy the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 comes down to your personal preferences and priorities.
If you value top-of-the-line performance and gaming capabilities, then it might be worth the investment. But if those features aren't a priority for you, there may be other smartphones that are a better fit for your needs and budget.
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