Gaming smartphones come with all sorts of features that regular smartphones don’t exactly have. Recently, the Xiaomi sub-brand unveiled its latest line-up of gaming devices, the Black Shark 3. The lineup has a vanilla Black Shark 3 and a more premium Black Shark 3 Pro.
The Black Shark 3 has a pack of impressive specs and is easily one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. But, despite its power build, how does it fare against the world’s first Snapdragon 855 Plus smartphone; the ROG Phone II?
Xiaomi Black Shark & Asus ROG Phone features compared
DISPLAY
Starting with the smartphones’ displays, the Black Shark 3 has a slightly bigger screen, measuring at 6.67-inches, compared to the ROG Phone II’s 6.59-inch display. Both devices have a FHD+ resolution, but the Black Shark 3 has a pixel coverage of 2400 x 1800, in contrast to the ROG Phone II’s 2340 x 1080. The ROG Phone II has a higher refresh rate at 120Hz, paired with a 1ms response time. On the other hand, one of the Black Shark 3’s main highlights is its 270Hz touch sampling rate, paired up with a 90Hz refresh rate.
PROCESSORS
Both gaming devices are powered by Snapdragon chipsets. The Black Shark 3 comes with the Snapdragon 865, but the Snapdragon 855+ on the ROG Phone II.
Both chipsets are highly capable and powerful flagship processors. Speaking of RAM, both the Black Shark 3 and the ROG Phone II offer 8GB and 12GB RAM configurations, respectively. As for storage, the ROG Phone II offers the most, at 512GB for its highest configuration, compared to the Black Shark 3’s 256GB.
However, the ROG Phone II offers three configurations, while the Black Shark 3 offers two.
CAMERAS
When buying a gaming smartphone, cameras are usually not a priority. However, both phones have very similar camera setups on the front and back. The Black Shark 3 has a triple camera system, composed of a 64MP primary, a 13MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP bokeh camera.
Meanwhile, the ROG Phone II only houses two rear cameras—made up of a 48MP primary and a 13MP ultra-wide camera. Front-wise, the Black Shark 3 has a 20MP shooter, while the ROG Phone II has a higher resolution at 24MP.
The number of cameras and resolution doesn’t automatically equate to better quality photos, though.
EXTRA FEATURES
Since both the Black Shark 3 and the ROG Phone II are gaming smartphones, they have several features that aren’t present in usual smartphones.
The ROG Phone II comes with AirTriggers 2.0, which are haptic buttons that make for a better gaming experience. The Black Shark 3, meanwhile, has capacitive buttons for mobile gaming purposes. The devices also have front-facing speakers, as opposed to the downward-firing speakers found in the majority of smartphones. Both the Black Shark 3 and the ROG Phone II have a 3.5mm audio jack and come with liquid cooling systems.
SOFTWARE
As for software, the ROG Phone II runs on ROG UI/ZENUI based on Android 9 Pie, while the Black Shark 3 runs on JoyUI/MIUI 11, which is based on Android 10.
CONNECTIVITY
Additionally, the Black Shark 3 comes with 5G connectivity, whereas the ROG Phone II is still limited to 4G.
BATTERY
Battery-wise, the ROG Phone II’s massive 6,000mAh cell blows the Black Shark 3’s 4,720mAh cell out of the water.
CHARGING
Despite the drastic difference in their battery capacities, the Black Shark 3 has a 65W fast-charge support, compared to the 30W support on the ROG Phone II. Black Shark 3 also comes with an 18W magnetic charging plug, allowing users to keep playing on the device without the hassle of charging cables. Both devices have a USB Type-C port. However, the ROG Phone II not only has one but has three of it placed on the bottom and sides of the smartphone.
PRICE
Looking at their prices, the Black Shark 3’s variety of configurations gives users the option to purchase the device at different price points, depending on their budget.
However, it should be noted that the Black Shark 3 is only available for purchase in China at the moment, and it remains unknown whether the device will make it to the rest of the world.
In contrast to that, the ASUS ROG Phone II, launched in the Philippines last October, is priced much higher than the Black Shark 3.
The ROG Phone II and ROG Phone II (Strix Edition) are also readily available in the Philippines and, therefore, are more accessible.
If you’re opting for a gaming smartphone that has a large display, a newer chipset, three different RAM + storage configurations, and triple-rear cameras, but would have to settle for a China ROM version of the device, then maybe set your sights on the Black Shark 3. However, if you’re only just shopping around for a gaming smartphone and would like one that’s already available and has a global ROM, then the ROG Phone II might be for you.
SUMMARY
The most notable advantages of these smartphones over each other are highlighted below:
BLACK SHARK 3
The Black Shark 3 has a larger display with a 270Hz touch sampling rate, a 90Hz refresh rate, and three memory configurations. The phone also comes with triple-rear cameras, 5G connectivity, and 65W of fast charging support.
ASUS ROG Phone II
The ASUS ROG Phone II, on the other hand, boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, larger storage capacity, higher front camera pixel count, bigger battery capacity, and 3 USB Type-C ports.