Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 is a gaming powerhouse that will leave mobile gamers drooling. With its top-tier specs and gaming-focused features, this phone is designed to take your gaming experience to the next level. The 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate ensures smooth and immersive gameplay, while the Snapdragon 865 CPU and 5G connectivity provide lightning-fast performance. The Black Shark 3 also boasts a powerful cooling system to prevent overheating during intense gaming sessions. With a large 4,720mAh battery and support for 65W fast charging, you won't have to worry about running out of juice. And the best part? This gaming beast comes at a reasonable price, making it a great value for money. Get ready to dominate the gaming world with the Xiaomi Black Shark 3!

Design and Build Quality

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 has a design that is specifically tailored for gamers, with its bold and distinctive aesthetics. The phone features a physical appearance that stands out from the crowd, thanks to its unique 'X Core' design on the back panel, adorned with LED accents. While this design may not appeal to everyone, it certainly makes a statement for those who want to showcase their gaming habits.

In terms of ergonomics, the Black Shark 3 is relatively thick and heavy, measuring 10.4mm thick and weighing 222 grams. This may not be ideal for those who prefer a sleek and lightweight design, but it does contribute to the phone's robustness and sturdiness. The materials used in the construction of the phone are of high quality, ensuring durability and longevity. The frame and back panel have a premium look and feel, adding to the overall aesthetic appeal.

The phone's dimensions and form factor make it comfortable to hold, with a textured finish on the back panel that provides a good grip. However, due to its size and weight, one-handed usability may be a bit challenging for some users. The placement of buttons and controls is intuitive and easy to reach, allowing for seamless navigation and gaming experience.

In terms of bezels, the Black Shark 3 has relatively thick bezels around the screen, which may not be as appealing to those who prefer a more bezel-less design. However, these bezels do provide some protection to the display.

Overall, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 offers a design and build that caters specifically to gamers, with its unique aesthetics, robust construction, and comfortable grip. While it may not be the most portable or lightweight option, its premium look and feel make it a standout choice for gaming enthusiasts.

Display

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 boasts a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that delivers an immersive visual experience for gaming and multimedia consumption. With a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, the screen offers sharp and detailed images. The aspect ratio of 20:9 provides a wide display area, allowing for better viewing of content. The display utilizes OLED technology, which offers deep blacks, vibrant colors, and excellent contrast levels.

In terms of color accuracy and vibrancy, the Black Shark 3's display performs admirably. Colors appear rich and vibrant, enhancing the overall visual experience. The brightness levels are impressive, making the screen easily visible even in bright outdoor conditions. Additionally, the touch responsiveness of the display is excellent, ensuring smooth and accurate interactions.

To protect the display from scratches and accidental damage, the Black Shark 3 features Gorilla Glass for added durability. The pixel density of the screen is also noteworthy, resulting in crisp text and sharp visuals.

The Black Shark 3 supports a 90Hz refresh rate, which provides smoother scrolling and better motion clarity. While it may not match the 144Hz refresh rate offered by some competitors, it still offers a smooth gaming experience. Unfortunately, HDR support and a wide color gamut are not present on this device.

The viewing angles are wide, allowing for comfortable viewing from various positions. The display does not have an anti-reflective coating, which may affect visibility in direct sunlight. However, the Black Shark 3 compensates for this with its high brightness levels.

Other features of the display include an always-on display mode, a blue light filter for reduced eye strain, and adaptive brightness for automatic adjustment based on ambient lighting conditions. Users also have the option to calibrate the display settings to their preference.

Overall, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 offers a high-quality display with vibrant colors, impressive brightness levels, and smooth touch responsiveness, making it an excellent choice for gaming and multimedia consumption.

Performance

The performance of the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 is nothing short of impressive. Powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset, this phone delivers exceptional gaming capabilities and overall system performance. The CPU benchmarks and GPU benchmarks showcase its raw processing power and graphics scores, which are among the best in the industry.

When it comes to gaming performance, the Black Shark 3 truly shines. With its 90Hz refresh rate and 270Hz touch reporting rate, the phone provides a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Graphics-intensive games run flawlessly, thanks to the powerful Adreno 650 GPU. The Black Shark 3 handles even the most demanding games with ease, delivering stunning visuals and ensuring an immersive gaming experience.

But it's not just about gaming. The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 excels in multitasking as well. The Snapdragon 865 chipset, coupled with ample RAM, ensures seamless app switching and smooth user experience. Whether you're juggling between multiple apps or running resource-intensive tasks, the Black Shark 3 handles it all effortlessly.

App loading speeds are lightning-fast, thanks to the powerful processor and system optimization. You won't have to wait long for apps to launch, allowing you to dive into your favorite games or productivity apps without any delays. The Black Shark 3's high-performance CPU and GPU also contribute to a lag-free performance, ensuring that you can enjoy a smooth and uninterrupted user experience.

Thermal management is another area where the Black Shark 3 excels. The phone incorporates a robust cooling system, including liquid cooling pipes and thermal graphite sheet, to dissipate heat effectively. This ensures that the phone doesn't overheat during extended gaming sessions, maintaining optimal performance and preventing any potential throttling.

In benchmark tests, the Black Shark 3 consistently delivers impressive performance metrics. Synthetic benchmarks and gaming benchmarks showcase the phone's prowess, highlighting its top-tier processor efficiency and GPU efficiency. The Black Shark 3's benchmark scores are among the highest in its class, solidifying its position as a true gaming powerhouse.

Overall, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 offers exceptional performance across the board. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or a multitasking enthusiast, this phone delivers the power and performance needed to tackle any task with ease. Its top-of-the-line chipset, impressive GPU, and efficient thermal management make it a formidable contender in the smartphone market.

Software and User Interface

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 runs on Xiaomi's JoyUI, which is based on the Android 10 operating system. The software experience on the Black Shark 3 is relatively smooth and user-friendly. It offers a clean and minimalistic interface without any major bloatware or unnecessary pre-installed apps. This is a positive departure from Xiaomi's usual approach, as it allows users to have more control over their device and customize it according to their preferences. The software is free from any major issues or bugs, ensuring a stable and reliable performance. The gaming-specific features, such as the Shark Space 3.0 gaming UI, enhance the gaming experience and provide easy access to gaming-related settings and features. Overall, the software on the Black Shark 3 is well-optimized and offers a seamless user experience, making it a great choice for both gaming and regular smartphone usage.

Camera

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 boasts a triple-lens camera setup, with a 64-megapixel wide-angle lens as its primary camera. This high megapixel count allows for detailed and sharp images, capturing every intricate detail. The aperture and focal length of the lens ensure good light intake, making it suitable for both daylight and low-light photography. The sensor size contributes to excellent image quality, producing vibrant colors and accurate tones. The Black Shark 3's camera also performs well in capturing outdoor scenes, with its wide-angle lens capturing expansive landscapes and offering a good dynamic range. In low-light conditions, the camera utilizes advanced noise reduction techniques, resulting in impressive night photography. The night mode feature enhances low-light sensitivity, reducing noise and improving overall image quality. The camera app on the Black Shark 3 offers a variety of modes and features, including portrait mode for stunning bokeh effects, HDR for balanced exposures, panorama mode for wide-angle shots, and pro mode for manual adjustments. The device also supports 4K video recording, ensuring high-quality videos, while video stabilization keeps footage steady. Slow-motion and time-lapse features add creativity to video recordings. Overall, the camera of the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 is versatile, delivering excellent performance in various lighting conditions and offering a range of features to enhance the photography and videography experience.

Battery Life

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 is equipped with a large 4,720mAh battery, ensuring that you have ample power to fuel your gaming sessions and day-to-day usage. The battery capacity is impressive and allows for extended screen-on time and standby time. Additionally, the phone supports fast charging technology, with 65W fast charging capabilities, enabling you to quickly recharge the battery when needed. It also offers wireless charging options for added convenience. The battery performance of the Black Shark 3 is commendable, providing reliable power efficiency and optimization features. The battery usage and drain are well-managed, and the phone offers battery-saving features to maximize battery longevity. With its high-capacity battery, efficient charging options, and optimization features, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 ensures that you can enjoy extended gaming, multimedia, and productivity without worrying about running out of power.

Connectivity and Networking

The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 offers a range of connectivity options to ensure a seamless and fast user experience. With its 5G capabilities, users can enjoy blazing-fast internet speeds and low latency for online gaming and streaming. The phone also supports LTE for areas where 5G coverage is not available yet.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Black Shark 3 features Wi-Fi 6, the latest Wi-Fi standard, which provides faster and more stable connections. This is especially beneficial for online gaming and streaming high-definition content. The phone also supports Bluetooth 5.0, allowing users to connect wireless headphones, speakers, and other compatible devices.

For convenient and secure transactions, the Black Shark 3 comes with NFC (Near Field Communication). This enables users to make contactless payments using services like Google Pay.

In terms of physical connectivity, the Black Shark 3 utilizes a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. This ensures faster charging speeds and more reliable connections compared to older USB standards.

The phone also supports dual SIM functionality, allowing users to use two SIM cards simultaneously. This is useful for those who want to separate work and personal numbers or use different network providers for better coverage.

In addition, the Black Shark 3 includes GPS for accurate navigation and location tracking. This is essential for gaming applications that utilize location-based features.

Overall, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C, dual SIM, and GPS. These features ensure fast data speeds, reliable connections, and convenient wireless transactions, making it a versatile and well-connected smartphone.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When comparing the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 to other related gadgets in the market, it becomes evident that it holds its ground against competitors. One of its closest rivals is the Nubia Red Magic 5G, which also targets mobile gamers. Both devices offer flagship-level specs and performance, including the Snapdragon 865 chipset and 5G connectivity. However, the Black Shark 3 stands out with its unique design and gaming-focused features like the Shark Space gaming mode and customizable LED lights.

In terms of display, the Black Shark 3 has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Red Magic 5G boasts a slightly higher 144Hz refresh rate. This gives the Red Magic 5G a slight edge in terms of smoothness during gaming. However, the Black Shark 3's display is still vibrant and responsive, providing an immersive gaming experience.

When it comes to camera capabilities, the Black Shark 3 and the Red Magic 5G offer similar performance. Both devices have a triple-lens camera setup, with the Black Shark 3 featuring a 64MP primary camera and the Red Magic 5G sporting a 64MP main camera as well. While the Black Shark 3 may not have the best camera in the market, it still produces good-quality photos.

In terms of pricing, the Black Shark 3 offers good value for money compared to its competitors. It is priced competitively considering its high-end specifications and gaming features. The Red Magic 5G, on the other hand, is priced slightly higher but offers a higher refresh rate display.

Overall, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 holds its own in the market with its gaming-focused features, powerful performance, and competitive pricing. While it may not have the highest refresh rate display or the best camera, it still offers a solid gaming experience and good value for money.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 is a solid choice for mobile gamers who prioritize performance and immersive gaming experiences. With its top-tier specs, high refresh rate display, and gaming-specific features, it delivers smooth and lag-free gameplay. The phone's bold design may not appeal to everyone, but for those who want to showcase their gaming passion, it certainly stands out. The camera performance is decent, although not the phone's strongest aspect. The Black Shark 3 also offers good battery life and supports 5G connectivity. Overall, it is a competitively priced gaming phone that offers excellent value for money, making it a recommended option for avid mobile gamers.