ISSUE 65 • ANDROID ADVISOR 89BUYING GUIDEWhat separates the Xiaomi from other gaming-
focused smartphones is the inclusion of a bespoke
controller that turns it into a Switch-esque device.
This snaps onto the top of the smartphone and
connects via Bluetooth, offering two configurable
trigger buttons along with an analogue stick for
movement when playing mobile games.
Though it doesn’t provide a pair of controllers
to attach to either end of the smartphone, using
only one can still make a huge difference to mobile
gameplay, especially with PvP games such as PUBG
Mobile and Fortnite. You can map the triggers to look
down sights and fire, and these can be remapped
on a per-game basis. It’s charged via USB-C, like the
Black Shark itself, and offers impressive battery life.
Admittedly, the layout isn’t perfect (we’d like
something slightly bigger), but even in its current
state it makes a huge difference when playing
mobile games, offering something closer to
console-level gameplay than mobile.Display
Let’s start off with the display; the Xiaomi Black Shark
has a 5.99in IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio
that helps increase the size of the screen without
having too much of an effect on the overall width of
the smartphone. It’s high-res too, featuring an FHD+
(2,160x1,080) resolution and a pixel density of 403ppi,
helping the phone offer crisp, vibrant visuals when
playing the latest mobile games.
The main difference between the display on offer
from the Black Shark and that on offer by the RazerISSUE 65 • ANDROID ADVISOR 89BUYING GUIDEWhat separates the Xiaomi from other gaming-
focused smartphones is the inclusion of a bespoke
controller that turns it into a Switch-esque device.
This snaps onto the top of the smartphone and
connects via Bluetooth, offering two configurable
trigger buttons along with an analogue stick for
movement when playing mobile games.
Though it doesn’t provide a pair of controllers
to attach to either end of the smartphone, using
only one can still make a huge difference to mobile
gameplay, especially with PvP games such as PUBG
Mobile and Fortnite. You can map the triggers to look
down sights and fire, and these can be remapped
on a per-game basis. It’s charged via USB-C, like the
Black Shark itself, and offers impressive battery life.
Admittedly, the layout isn’t perfect (we’d like
something slightly bigger), but even in its current
state it makes a huge difference when playing
mobilegames,offeringsomethingcloserto
console-level gameplay than mobile.
Display
Let’s start off with the display; the Xiaomi Black Shark
has a 5.99in IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio
that helps increase the size of the screen without
having too much of an effect on the overall width of
the smartphone. It’s high-res too, featuring an FHD+
(2,160x1,080) resolution and a pixel density of 403ppi,
helping the phone offer crisp, vibrant visuals when
playing the latest mobile games.
The main difference between the display on offer
from the Black Shark and that on offer by the Razer