Xiaomi Black Shark 4 - 12GB 128GB

Introduction

Black Shark 4 was released on March 30, 2021 by Xiaomi and is available in the Philippines for Php 29,990.00.

It is equipped with 12 GB memory, a big 128 GB storage, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 which is one of the best processors today.

It has a high resolution selfie camera and a triple rear camera.

It is one of Xiaomi's gaming phones with a decent price.

Usability

Let us see its pros and cons if it will fare in other uses.

Photography

The Black Shark 4 is equipped with three rear cameras. Starting from its main camera, it uses a wide camera sensor measuring 1/2.0" (inches) able to fit 48 million pixels with 0.8 micrometer size each (48 MP with 0.8µm size per pixel).

The main camera has PDAF autofocus but sadly, it does not have any stability feature that should help lessen blurriness from small shaking.

It is also equipped with a 8 MP ultrawide camera that can cover a wide angle up to 123 degrees.

It also has a macro camera that can help for taking macro (close up) shots.

The device camera quality is low for a premium phone due to it's not so premium main camera, no stability feature, and especially since it does not have telephoto feature for optical zooming capability.

It features LED flash, HDR quality photographs, and is capable of making panorama shots.

The device's rear camera can produce videos with 4K resolution at 30 fps (frames per second) or 60 fps and 1080p at 30 fps, 60 fps, or 240 fps.

It does not have a stability feature so taking video while walking might be shaky.

As for its selfie camera, its camera sensor can fit a 20 MP resolution image with a 0.8µm per pixel as its size which is a little bit small for a premium phone.

It also features an HDR quality front camera and can produce 1080p video resolution at 30 fps.

As for the image processing, it uses “Snapdragon 870” which is one of the highest quality processors available and can produce great quality shots as long as it is paired with a decent camera.

Gaming

The Black Shark 4 is equipped with 12 GB memory and 128 GB storage. It is powered with one of Qualcomm's best processors, “Snapdragon 870” sso with an Octa core CPU and Adreno 650 GPU.

With a very high quality processor it is equipped with, you can enjoy high graphics and gameplay of any games such as Genshin Impact, Asphalt 9: Legends, Ragnarok X: Next Gen and battle royale games like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG with superb performance without lag or slowness.

The only enemy you might have when loading the huge maps will be your internet service provider.

This device has a 4500 mAh battery which is good enough for gaming.

It also has a wide 6.67 inches screen size, a very wide size even among premium phones which is sought after by gamers. Wider screen view helps to have a better view and control of the game.

Multimedia

Phones usually categorized for multimedia usage are widely used for music and video streaming. So a good screen size and features, and a good speaker is a must.

Screen wise, the Black Shark 4 with a 6.67" wide screen size, watching series or movies will be great.

It uses a Super AMOLED screen which is one step higher than AMOLED. This can produce brighter, more vibrant and saturated colours and can adapt to various lighting environments.

It has a very high refresh rate of 144Hz (144 refresh per second) which will allow you to watch quick changing scenes movies and anime the best possible.

It supports video quality in HDR10+ format with up to 1300 nits video brightness at its peak.

As for audio, a stereo speaker is available and if you want to listen alone, a 35mm jack is available for wired earphones or headset.

It also has a 24-bit/192kHz audio bit rate which is typically a normal rate for the human ear. It can produce good sound quality for those who love listening to music.

Travel

This is the most in-demand use of smartphones nowadays. Mostly everyone uses their smartphone on their life travels, be it summer getaway, mountain hiking, and many more adventures.

With these, app support for travelling is widespread from maps to online navigation.

For phones, devices with a good storage capacity, good network connection, and a long battery life is a must.

As for the Black Shark 4, it is equipped with a wide 128 GB storage.

Though it does not have an external memory card slot, it supports USB OTG feature as a backup.It uses 5G data network connection which is the best network available as of 2021.

It has a GPS feature to capture location even without data with a barometer installed which helps in getting altitude data for GPS use.

The phone is 210 grams which is on the heavy side of smartphones and raising it to take pictures for a long time might be sore if not used to doing exercise.

It has a good enough battery capacity of 4500 mAh for travels. But is it still recommended to bring a power bank just in case.

It features an extremely high 120W fast charging, which is good for intensive use of the device. Though frequent charging of a device will also deteriorate the battery quickly.

As for its camera, it has a decent camera resolution but since it does not have a stability feature, taking pictures while on the trip might be a bit disappointing.

It does not have an optical zooming feature as well so you can't enjoy taking shots on faraway subjects.

The same goes for taking video, even if it can take high quality videos, without stability features, expect a shaky video output.

Lastly, the device has a compass sensor that can help when travelling in a forest or mountain.

Work and Business

Having a premium phone used for work or business will be great but expensive. Specs wise, it will be above requirements.

Processing, memory, storage wise, the device is perfect for work needs.

Black Shark 4 for office employees in business is a luxury. Even if it is for employees that are required to take videos and pictures, this device will be a little bit expensive for a camera without an optical zooming and camera stability feature.

It is equipped with the best network available, 5G. Though since it is not fully supported yet in the Philippines, you can only enjoy its 4G LTE which is the highest supported network here.

It has features such as a fingerprint scanner that can provide an additional layer of security for the device.

Its front camera feature is on the decent enough for video conferences and any other video call.

Education

The Black Shark 4 is expensive if bought only for educational purposes.

Though specs wise, it is equipped with above the requirements for home learning.

It has a very wide screen which is helpful for previewing school materials and attending video calls.

And with a decent quality front camera, video quality will be great.

General Use

Phones for general use are usually bought just for communicating, some social media access and some internet browsing.

All in all, it does not need to have high specs and having so is a bit luxurious.

Black Shark 4 is a premium phone with very high specs so buying this phone and not maximizing its usage would be a waste.

Though if you don't mind spending a little bit much and like to have a quality device, this device will never be a bad investment especially if you will only have this for general use.

Recommendation

The device is a highly recommended phone for gaming but as a premium camera phone, the device camera is not recommended.

If you want Xiaomi Black Shark 4, you can check our recommendations below on when and when not to buy the device.