Black Shark 5 Series Review – Shark-chan Electric Boogaloo Gaming Too

Following the Black Shark 4 series, undoubtedly there will be a follow up. The Black Shark 5 series is here, with both a regular and Pro version for the discerning mobile gamer. Both come in the 8GB + 128GB configurations, with the Black Shark 5 starting at RM2299. With that out of the way, what’s in store for us this time?

THE LOOKS

The Black Shark 5 series is going to the moon this time round, sporting a futuristic, space-y design. The regular Black Shark 5 and Pro models have different finishes on the back.

The regular Black Shark 5 has a more glossy, plastic finish that makes it quite reflective. As for details, it’s got the brand logo and name on the bottom right, with one small RGB light next to the camera module. This light turns on and off depending on your settings and actions.

As for the Pro version, it’s the matte finish, which is definitely what I’d prefer. The logo and brand name have different placements with more decorative lines adding to the Future aesthetic. The RGB light is also different from the regular version, making for an overall subjectively cooler looking model. Feels like it justifies the “Pro” tag, doesn’t it?

The differences extend to the frames, though this time it’s the opposite: the regular Black Shark 5 has a matte frame while the Pro is glossy. The speaker grilles have different sizes when compering the models, though it doesn’t seem to have any particular effect besides “just being”.

Outside of those details, the phones are pretty much identical. Two master triggers and the power button are on the right, volume rocker on the left, SIM card tray and USB Type-C port relegated to the bottom. As someone who prefers having the headphone jack as an option, neither models have the hallowed 3.5mm headphone jack. Size wise, they’re likewise very similar, with both having the same 6.67″ screen size, negligible weight difference (regular at 218g to Pro’s 220g) and thickness (10mm to 9.5mm respectively), it’s not going to weigh down on you when you game on the phones for long stretches of time.

FUNCTIONALITY

DISPLAY

That said, while their screen sizes for both models are the same, the actual performance differs. The Black Shark 5 uses an AMOLED panel to the Pro’s OLED, with the difference maker being the HDR10+ and DCI-P3 certification for the latter. This means you can expect images to be more vibrant on the Pro. For instance, whites look off-white to yellow on the regular model over the Pro, and it’s not related to the available settings you can tweak.

If you’re not too concerned about the colours, both have 144Hz refresh rate support for your regular browsing and gaming comfort. The Magic Press technology remains as a mainstay feature: the one that can ‘sense’ the pressure levels for more fine-tuned control and in-build macros for you to fiddle with. It doesn’t have to be limited to games either as it can work something to gesture shortcuts. Press down then slide it in the direction you’ve bound an action to, and voila, magic (press)!

AUDIO

I honestly can consider the quality relatively subjective, but objectively, both Black Shark 5 and Black Shark 5 Pro have some punchy sound. They’re loud, and surprisingly, can offer sound as though you’re wearing headphones. The directional audio is very accurate, important for those competitive games requiring pinpoint accuracy with sound cues, and of course, good audio means a more immersive overall viewing experience for videos or music.

BATTERY

So, how’s that hyper charging speed mode? As the name suggests, the rate which the phone goes from 0 to 100 is comparatively like a blink of an eye to phones without this functionality, taking under 30 minutes. Do take note that with hyper charging speed mode, the phone feels like it’s overheating as the device tries to get juiced back up in whichever way it’s allowed to.

Both the regular and Black Shark 5 Pro roughly drop 40% watching Youtube channels after about 4 hours 30 minutes or so, which is quite impressive.

CAMERA

As much as it’s easy to simply think of this series of phones as specifically gaming focused, the cameras are actually good. The Pro version comes packing with a 108MP main camera, 13MP 120 degrees wide angle and 5MP macro. Additionally, it has image stabilization, so if you’re hastily whipping out your phone to take a shot before tabbing back to your game, that motion blur can thankfully get reduced.

It also seems to automatically adjust modes to an extent, where photos still look quite bright even if the venue itself is dim. There is some quirk where there’s a purple tint to some photos though, so that might be something to watch out for. The regular Black Shark 5’s main camera is 64MP, while the rest of the array is the same as the Pro.

MASTER TRIGGERS

These triggers return from the Black Shark 4. They already felt good to use before, and somehow, they’ve gotten even better. Again, this shouldn’t be considered a gaming exclusive feature as they can prove handy shortcuts for functions all about the phone. Take the camera for example: take quick snaps just by hitting the trigger for some nice convenience.

Of course, getting it set up for gaming is easy too. Simply slide down the gaming drop-down menu, and map them with the MasterControl setting, and you’re done.

SHARK-CHAN

Shark-chan is another returnee! Unfortunately, her functionally has not expanded much from the Black Shark 4. As with previously, you can interact with her by tapping on her, get her to set up an alarm, and shows off a special charging effect.

SHARK SPACE

More or less the phone’s gaming hub. Here, you’ll see what gacha game crimes you’ve installed, or if it doesn’t show up, you can add them in manually so that you can do the setup for the Magnetic Triggers, Magic Press, and what have you.

The accessories are also paired up through here.

PERFORMANCE

Going by the raw numbers, AnTuTu scores the Black Shark 5 at 721703, while the Pro version is at a whopping 943430. The reason for this difference is simple: the regular version uses the Snapdragon 870 5G while Pro utilizes the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: WILD RIFT

An overall smooth experience with hardly any difference between either models of the Black Shark 5. The framerate peaks at the game’s possible maximum, so no issues here.

APEX LEGENDS MOBILE

The framerate doesn’t dip until you make that initial jump, but that happens pretty much across any device no matter their specs. What’s important is that the game runs smooth as butter when you hit the ground running, with the play experience further improved thanks to the functions you can map to the master trigger. It’s highly recommended you do utilize the triggers too, as they make it so much easier to aim and shoot.

GENSHIN IMPACT

The big daddy of all benchmarks! 60 FPS and max settings is not a problem for either Black Shark 5 models, but oh boy, the regular Black Shark 5 starts cooking the hands.

Special mention really goes to Genshin for heating up the phones. The other games no doubt can start warming the device especially after 3 hours of continuous play, but Genshin straight up make your phone feel like a hot potato.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Overall, both the Black Shark 5 and its Pro version are really good at doing their job, namely being gaming phones. The regular model is a top contender to be the best gaming phone when you’re on a tighter budget with plenty of functions to suit your needs. Sure, it loses in raw numbers, but its performance cannot be denied.

If you have more cash to spare, the Pro version is of course, hands down the choice. It isn’t just for the better chipset; when it comes down to it, the Pro version has better thermals than the regular model.

tl;dr: The Black Shark 5 series should definitely be on your radar for you mobile gamers out there.