Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro

Last updated: June 30, 2021 (

Pushes Snapdragon 888 to high speeds ; Super smooth 144Hz display ; Physical shoulder buttons ; 120W charging ; Affordable price…

…but you can get better for a tiny amount more ; Dull camera system ; Picture watermarks on by default ; Very gamer-centric hardware design ; The Shark Chan app is creepy af

The Black Shark 4 Pro squeezes every last drop of potential out of last year’s components, pairing them with 120W charging and physical shoulder buttons, to make a decent budget gaming phone. But there are too many problems and an extremely creepy...

Large 6.67-inch, 144Hz AMOLED display ; 120W fast charging ; Side-mounted triggers are game-changing ; Consistent gaming performance

No MicroSD card slot for expandable memory ; Middling 4,500mAh battery ; Fingerprint sensor is too sensitive ; Update cadence can be better

Snapdragon 888 Processor ; Convenient shoulder buttons ; Lightweight with a big screen ; Responsive display

Odd user interface ; Last-gen Snapdragon Processor ; Unimpressive camera

Stunning 144Hz AMOLED display ; Triggers add functionality beyond gaming ; Snappy 720Hz touch sampling ; Lightweight, bloat-free software ; Incredible 120W fast charging ; Consistently great gaming experience

Disappointing battery life ; Heating issues while charging ; No wireless charging or official IP rating

Don't let the plain Jane design deceive you, the Black Shark 4 Pro is a gaming powerhouse underneath all that sensible and plain dressing. That AMOLED display with 720Hz touch sampling is in a league of its own, sure to win you many nights of chicken...

+ Super fast 120W fast charger ; + Pretty AMOLED 144Hz refresh rate display ; + Cameras are decent even when they're not the real selling point ; + Temperatures are good when gaming ; + Dual speakers is surprisingly good

- Battery efficiency could do better ; - Could do with bigger storage for base variant ; - English usage is questionable on their software ; - Physical triggers could do with less travel

The Black Shark 4 Pro ticks most of the boxes for a gaming smartphone and with a little bit of improvement, it could've been just perfect.

Speedy 120W charging ; Dedicated gaming features ; Impressive battery life

No wireless charging ; Standard camera quality ; Not the thinnest

Stunning big display ; Stereo speakers are great ; Ejectable trigger buttons are a real advantage ; Not too expensive

Battery life isn't great ; Cameras are so-so ; Last generation processor and software might put off some buyers

With so many manufacturers going after that skinny-bezelled sleek look for their smartphones, it's refreshing when a phone comes along that's different. The Black Shark 4 Pro's priority is all about practicality: giving you a big and bright screen, big...

Incredible 144Hz AMOLED display ; Magnetic pop-up triggers are handy ; Incredible performance from an older chipset

Price doesn't reflect age of internals ; JoyUI 12.5 can be frustrating to use ; Limited RGB lighting

The Black Shark 4 Pro has some great gaming-focused features, including magnetic pop-up triggers and one of the most responsive displays around, but the year-old Snapdragon 888 stops it from being an instant recommendation.