In the first quarter of 2021, we got the Black Shark 4 & Black Shark 4 Pro gaming phones with Snapdragon 870 & Snapdragon 888, respectively. Later, the Black Shark 4 also launched in the global market, starting at just $499. Now, we have the successors of these phones, the Black Shark 4S & 4S Pro. Also, this is not the first time we are getting a half-year refresh from Black Shark, as last year, too, there was a Black Shark 3S that launched in the 2nd half of the year.
Starting with the design, both the phones have a new design on the back since there is no longer that “X” pattern which we had on the predecessors. There are lines, lights, and texts all over the back. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that if you tell the Black Shark 4 and replace the Black Shark logo with the Asus ROG logo, you might think that this is a ROG Phone since the design is so similar. Both the phones have a triple camera setup on the back, pop-up mechanical triggers on the side, a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, and a flat-screen with a hole-punch in the middle.
The Black Shark 4S (not the Pro) also comes in a Gundam Limited Edition color option which features even more lines, text, and colors all over the device.
The display on the front is the same on both phones. So, it is a 6.67-inch Samsung’s E4 AMOLED with a 144Hz refresh rate & up to 720Hz touch-sampling rate. The display is also pressure-sensitive since it has two pressure-sensitive zones. In terms of performance, the Black Shark 4S has the same Snapdragon 870 SOC that was there on the Black Shark 4. But, the 4S Pro gets the Snapdragon 888 Plus over the Snapdragon 888 of Black Shark 4 Pro. Both the phones have LPDDR5 RAM (faster RAM module on the Pro version) and UFS 3.1 storage.
There is the same 4,500mAh battery in both the phones and also the same 120W fast charging support. As for the cameras, the 4S has a 48MP primary shooter along with an 8MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro camera. The 4S Pro gets a better 64MP primary sensor, but the rest of the cameras are the same. There is a 20MP selfie camera on both phones.
Last but not least, since these are gaming phones, they also come with an improved cooling system to keep the temperatures in the limit while doing heavy gaming. This is very important, especially for the 4S Pro since it has the Snapdragon 888 Plus, and while this SOC is the most powerful chip currently for Android phones, it still has heating issues.
Finally, speaking of the pricing and availability, the Black Shark 4S comes in three colors – Black, White & the Gundam Limited Edition. The 4S Pro comes in only Black & White. Here is the pricing of the 4S in China –
- 8GB + 128GB – ¥2699 ($419)
- 12GB + 128GB – ¥2999 ($467)
- 12GB + 256GB – ¥3299 ($512)
- 12GB + 256GB (Gundam Limited Edition) – ¥3499 ($543)
And here is the price of the 4S Pro in China –
- 12GB + 256GB – ¥4799 ($745)
- 16GB + 512GB – ¥5499 ($854)
The sale has begun in China. We don’t know when Black Shark will launch the phones in the global market.