Xiaomi Black Shark is the game phone we really want

Xiaomi has been making waves for its high-powered smartphones at great prices for years. And now, it seems the company has turned its attention to gaming phones, focusing on conquering the Razer Phone 2 and the Asus ROG Phone with its latest deal.

Credit: XiaomiNicknamed the Black Shark, Xiaomi is the first to embark on the manufacture of a video game-centric device for about six months now. Technically, this is not officially a Xiaomi product, although the company has a significant stake in Black Shark Technologies – the company responsible for designing the device.

In recent months, Xiaomi has made increased efforts to offer its products outside of its native China. The Black Shark has just been announced for a wider release in most European countries, including the United Kingdom, by Phandroid. You can view the full list of 28 countries on the global phone website.

The first thing any player would like to know about the Black Shark is the material of its packaging. And for this purpose, the Black Shark is stacked to the brim with powerful silicon. Buyers get a Snapdragon 845 processor (with Adreno 630 graphics, of course); an option of 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM to support a 64 GB or 128 GB storage; a 6-inch 2160 x 1080 LCD display; and a big battery of 4000 mAh. All of this feeds Android, which Android purists will particularly prefer to Xiaomi's MIUI interface or Asus's ZenUI.

And what's a gaming phone without a serious cooling solution? Xiaomi calls Black Shark's approach to "the world's first phone for liquid-cooled games", although we suspect Samsung, Razer and Asus would have some words of choice about this statement.

It all depends on the way companies define liquid cooling for the needs of a handset. Be that as it may, the Black Shark's processor would run 8 degrees Celsius less than equivalent gaming phones, while delivering 20 times better performance. Talk about looking too good to be true.

MORE: Razer Phone 2 vs ROG Phone: Which Gaming Phone wins?

We hope, of course, to put these claims to the test. But what really excites us about Black Shark is its price. In China, the phone configuration of 6 GB / 64 GB equals $ 480 / £ 370. That's more than $ 300 cheaper than the Razer Phone 2, which is already a bargain at the present time. In addition, the Black Shark comes with a joystick attachment that includes an badog stick ready for use.

Credit: XiaomiThe other aspect of the Black Shark that we particularly like is the design. It's as if the ROG Phone and the Razer Phone had a baby, combining Razer's iconic green pattern with the more interesting stylistic touches of the ROG Phone. Overall, the Black Shark still looks more refined than the Asus gaming phone, with its symmetrical design, its striking mix of matte and shiny materials and its clean bow tie shape at the back. It follows very clearly the aesthetic of the player, but much more with taste.

In addition, it is important to clarify that this device should not be confused with the other Xiaomi game phone, the Black Shark Helo. This phone is still exclusive to China for the moment, though it seems even more exciting with an OLED panel instead of this phone's LCD display and configurations offering up to 10GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage.

We are eager to get our hands on the Black Shark, even though US customers have to temper their expectations. It is possible that the device is positioned in the United States after European launches, although, given the fact that Xiaomi has not yet sold its other smartphones (like the superb Mi Mix 2S) in this country, a such announcement is anything but certain.