Black Shark 5 Pro Review: A great Budget Gaming Phone

Black Shark 5 Pro is finally out and promises to be one of the finest Gaming Phones in the market today. If we compare this gaming smartphone with other gaming phones then, the Black Shark 5 Pro is more of a budget gaming model that carries fair performance with good high-end power solution and cooling system. It seems like it is a perfect successor of the previous smartphone in the series, i.e. Black Shark 4 Pro.

DESIGN

Carrying the similar design of its predecessor, the Black Shark 5 Pro looks more mainstream in appearance. Apart from the futuristic looking camera module, the back of the phone with its fanatic design may excite you. Without a shadow of doubt, it looks way different and interesting than most new flagships.

The Black Shark 5 Pro comes with a metal frame with a glass back cover, but I have to say that the new mech-style pattern on the rear looks much better. Along with the camera module, there’s an RGB LED flash, emphasizing more that it is a gaming phone. The camera bump isn’t too large and fits really well with the design.

The important aspect of the phone to note here is that Black Shark 5 Pro just like any other gaming phone is slightly bulkier than most regular smartphones. However, when you hold it in your hands, its great built quality might make you ignore its compromise on weight. 

Fortunately, the Black shark 5 Pro has successfully retained the brand’s iconic pop-up shoulder buttons. Due to the physical feedback it gets because of its ports and buttons it is that one smartphone that comes close to providing the feeling of holding a gaming console. Every time you toggle the magnetic switch back and forth, in addition to the mechanical trigger sounds, the phone would also simulate the sound of a gun loading. Further, the triggers and switches can be separately customized into shortcuts for opening apps or triggering functions. For example, one of these switches can also be used as camera shutter button. 

And if you’re still not satisfied with just two shoulder buttons for gaming, the Black Shark 5 Pro also reserved the Magic Press operation, including two pressure-sensitive areas for gaming operation, which allow you to map two virtual buttons by pressing the screen. And the Magic Press also works for shortcut uses outside the game space, which now has included 15 shortcuts for customization. But some of them like scanning Alipay, WeChat, and health code is only widely used in China. Anyway, we have to say that the thoughtful features of the Magic Press and shoulder triggers actually make it even more convenient for daily use than regular models.    

DISPLAY & SOUND

In terms of display you don’t see many changes and upgrades in the all new Black Shark 5 Pro. However, it is needless to say that the display by far is one the best in gaming smartphone. The 6.67-inch AMOLED display features up to 144Hz refresh rate with HDR10+ support, and around 1300 nits peak brightness. Even compared with other regular phones at similar pricing, this display is still at the top-notch level. 

The upgraded dual-speaker system is the biggest surprise of the Black Shark 5.

PERFORMANCE & GAMING

The Black Shark 5 Pro hasn’t received any upgrade with its processor either. It’s still powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset. However, as a highly cost-effective model, it seems the 870 chipset is still the best option in the market. Just blame it on Qualcomm. Although, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Chipset has had its fair share of problems, especially when it comes to heating but Black Shark 5 Pro has handled that really well.

So, from the results, it’s quite clear that the Black Shark 5 is still good enough to do its job as a gaming phone. Especially the phone’s heating management and power consumption are still impressive.

So if you are looking for a gaming phone which can sustain long hours of gaming without any heating issues, Black Shark 5 Pro is your destination.

CAMERA

Although the Black Shark 5 is a gaming phone, it still has a small upgrade in terms of the camera system. The main camera has been upgraded from 48MP to 64MP. Even though there’s still a gap if you compare its imaging capacity with those camera phones. But it’s still good to learn that the series got improved beyond gaming-related features. 

Anyway, let’s look at some samples shot on the Black Shark 5. The samples have relatively natural color reproduction and better image detail with the 64MP sensor. And the white balance performance is also more stable. On the other hand, the 13MP wide-angle camera is also not bad. Although the 13MP resolution is not as good as the main lens’ 64MP, we still could have rich detail and consistent colors with the main lens. 

And the last camera is a macro one, which is nothing different from the ones we reviewed before. It can shoot close enough but don’t expect too much on the imaging department. 

The main camera also has improved dynamic range in low light conditions, which looks much better than what we saw on the Black Shark 4. 

BATTERY

Battery and power is another impressive aspect of this gaming phone. It comes with a 4650mAh battery with a gigantic 120W wired fast charge. It may take you roughly around 15-17 mins to fully charge the phone, which makes probably one of the fastest charging devices in the market.

And its battery also looks good. In our battery test, even though it features a 144Hz display, the battery life didn’t get much affected. 

In the end, it can be concluded that the Black Shark 5 Pro is surely one of the best and arguably the best option for all the gaming lovers and mobile gaming enthusiasts out there as this gaming phone ensures performance and usability together at a relatively reasonable price.