Black Shark 2 Pro revealed: Snapdragon 855 Plus, UFS 3.0, 12GB RAM for under $450

Xiaomi’s Black Shark series offers gaming-focused features and powerful hardware for a reasonable price, and the brand is back with the newly announced Black Shark 2 Pro.

True to its teases, the new phone offers a Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset with a so-called “direct touch liquid cooling system.” This makes it one of the first phones with the slightly upgraded chipset, although the ASUS ROG Phone 2 beat it to the punch.

The gaming brand is also touting various screen improvements, such as a 240Hz touch response rate and 34.7ms touch latency. The firm hasn’t disclosed the display’s actual refresh rate, which suggests it could be the traditional 60Hz figure. Otherwise, it seems like your standard Xiaomi display in 2019, offering a 6.39-inch full HD+ AMOLED screen (notch-free) with in-display fingerprint sensor.

Don’t expect a battery boost here though, as you’re still stuck with a 4,000mAh battery, offering 27 watt quick charging via USB-C.

Other noteworthy details include UFS 3.0 storage, a 48MP+12MP telephoto rear pairing, a 20MP selfie camera, and (of course) RGB strips on the back of the device.

Oddly enough, the company is also claiming 1920fps slow-motion recording at 720p. Xiaomi previously told us that it uses software processing rather than hardware-based super slow motion, so don’t expect Sony or Samsung levels of smooth slow-mo here.

As for the gaming-related features, you’re looking at custom touch zones for various in-game actions, a Game Dock overlay for in-game adjustments, a feature similar to mouse DPI settings (but for touch), and 0.3mm touch precision.

The 12GB/128GB Black Shark 2 Pro will be available for 2,999 yuan (~$436), while the 12GB/256GB model retails for 3,499 yuan (~$508). There’s no word on global pricing, but the brand says the phone will be available outside China “soon.”