Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro with Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC launched: Price, specifications, features, India launch

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro has become the latest addition in Xiaomi’s smartphone portfolio as well as in the gaming smartphone segment. The biggest highlight of the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro has to be the inclusion of Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC which is rated to deliver 15 percent faster GPU performance making Black Shark 2 Pro one of the fastest gaming smartphones in the segment. Moreover, when Qualcomm announced Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, ASUS ROG Phone 2 was meant to get it first and now Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro has joined the former in being the most powerful gaming smartphones that currently exists.

Since Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is the Chinese smartphone maker’s most premium gaming smartphone, it has a lot more to offer other than the latest processor as it comes with up to 256GB UFS3.0 inbuilt storage, 6.39-inch FHD+ AMOLED display offering HDR support, a dedicated DC dimming 2.0 and touch response speed of 34.7ms coupled with a touch algorithm optimization for improved gaming performance. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro also comes with the liquid cooling 3.0 technology which promises improved cooling with help of liquid-cooled plate and liquid-cooled tube that reduces the CPU’s core temperature.

If you loved OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition for its design theme and the fact that it came with a carbon fibre design, you will also find Xiaomi’s Black Shark 2 Pro attractive as its design has taken inspiration from a F1 car and comes with a new lighting effect.

In comparison to its predecessor, which is the Black Shark 2, Xiaomi’s latest gaming smartphone, Black Shark 2 Pro comes with a similar build, however, there are some changes in the aesthetics of Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro which make the smartphone look more refined. The rear panel of Black Shark 2 Pro includes more RGB lighting along with an improved grip.

On the other hand, since the upgrades can only be found in the hardware of Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro, we get the same 6.39-inch AMOLED display, an in-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, dual rear camera and more. Moreover, Xiaomi has claimed that the Black Shark 2 Pro comes with reduced touch latency to offer a better gaming experience along with less visible lags.

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro Specifications

• 6.39-inch Full HD+ (2340 × 1080 pixels) display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 430 nits brightness, 108.9 per cent DCI – P3 color gamut and Corning Gorilla Glass protection
• Qualcomm’s Octa-Core Snapdragon 855 Plus 7nm processor clocked at up to 2.96GHz coupled with 675MHz Adreno 640 GPU for graphics.
• 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB and 256GB (UFS 3.0) internal storage options
• Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box offering near-stock experience
• Dual SIM (nano + nano) support
• 48MP primary rear camera with 0.8μm pixel size, f/1.75 aperture, 1/2.0″ Sony IMX586 sensor, LED flash, and a 12MP secondary 1/3.6″ Samsung S5K3M5 sensor with telephoto lens, 1.0μm pixel size, 6P lens, f/2.2 aperture, 2x lossless zoom
• 20MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and 0.9μm pixel size
• In-display fingerprint sensor and face unlock for biometrics
• Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro measures 163.61×75.01x 8.77mm and weighs 205 grams
• Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO) and USB Type-C support
• 4000mAh battery with 27W fast charging support

Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro Price and expected India launch

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro prices start at 2999 yuan (roughly Rs. 29,950) for the 12GB RAM with 128GB inbuilt storage version while the 12GB RAM with 256GB inbuilt storage version is priced at 3499 yuan (roughly Rs. 34,945). The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro will be made available in Electric black, Orange, Purple, Ice ash and Blue colour options while it will go on sale in China starting from August 2, 2109.

As for its availability in India, gaming smartphones are witnessing a huge demand in the country and Xiaomi would want to take advantage of it since it is also the biggest smartphone manufacturer in India in terms of market share as well.

What are your thoughts on Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro? Should Xiaomi launch its latest gaming smartphone in India? If yes, then how should it be priced?