Joining companies such as OnePlus and Realme (and maybe Apple) in launching new products on 23 March will be Xiaomi’s subsidiary brand Black Shark. The company has revealed via its official Weibo page that it will debut its upcoming gaming smartphones, the Black Shark 4 series, in China next week.
It is believed that the brand will launch two variants of the product: a standard edition and a Pro model – much like its predecessor last year. Specs-wise, Black Shark has yet to provide any information on what to expect from its upcoming gaming phones. However, it did previously reveal that the new series will feature a 4,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support, and an “AI triple camera” setup for imaging.
On the unofficial side of things, certain specifications of the Black Shark 4 series have been spotted on Google Play console, 3C certification, TENAA, AnTuTu and even Geekbench. The findings suggest that the upcoming phones will feature a 6.67-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate, and also two different Snapdragon chipsets for each model. Specifically, it is said that the standard variant will sport a Snapdragon 870, while the Pro version will instead come with Qualcomm’s 2021 flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset.
As for its design, the non-Pro version is shown to feature what appears to be a flat display panel with a top-centered camera cutout – a first for Black Shark, as previous models favoured in-bezel camera setup instead of the typical punch-hole or notch approach. Meanwhile, its rear design is revealed to sport a simple metallic finish with a horizontal camera island for its triple shooters. Provided that this TENAA submission is to be believed, the vanilla Black Shark 4 may disappoint fans due to the new minimalist-like design – a far cry from its predecessor’s more intricate-looking rear panel.
Whether these leaks are accurate or not remains to be seen, so it is advisable to take unofficial information or images with a nice pinch of salt. Regardless, we’ll be looking forward to what the Xiaomi subsidiary has to offer with its latest gaming smartphones. As mentioned earlier, the Black Shark 4 series are slated to launch in China next Tuesday on 23 March 2021.
