Xiaomi Black Shark Helo Gaming Phone With 10GB RAM, Snapdragon 845 Launched in China: Price, Specs, Features

Xiaomi has finally took the veil of its gaming beast, the Black Shark Helo. Check out its details and if it is an upgrade over the first-gen Black Shark.

Zara Ali

Published On: Oct 23, 2018 | Last Updated: Oct 24, 2018

After teasing it for quite some time, Xiaomi’s subsidiary, Black Shark, has finally launched the second-gen upgrade to the Black Shark, dubbed Black Shark Helo today in China. The gaming-centric smartphone comes with a redesigned body and of course, top-of-the-line specifications. It retains one design element though, i.e., the backlit Black Shark logo on the rear. Advancing the design, this time around, Xiaomi has integrated LED strips on the sides of the phone. Without further ado, let’s delve into the complete specifications and other details of the phone.

Table of Contents

Black Shark Helo Brings Upgraded Build, Display, Performance

As we mentioned above, the phone has a new design with LED strips on the sides rendering it perfect look for a gaming device. Coming to the build quality of the Black Shark Helo, it comes in a metal frame with a patterned glass back. It features a 6.01-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio with 2.5D curved glass on the surface. Qualcomm’s 10nm Snapdragon 845 SoC powers the phone with up to 10GB of RAM and 256GB storage, depending on the model. At the launch event, the company claimed that Black Shark Helo had scored 309,237 on Antutu benchmark.

For optics, the Black Shark Helo sports 20MP+12MP dual camera setup on the rear with Phase-detection Autofocus (PDAF). The phone settles for a 20MP front-facing camera. The camera app on the Black Shark Helo features AI scene recognition, beauty mode, and portrait mode. The phone is also capable of recording 4K videos.

A 4000mAh removable battery completes the package with a 18W charger which is included in the bundle. Taking care of audio needs when playing games, the Black Shark Helo has front-firing stereo speakers with dual smart PAs that are aimed at enhancing the audio experience while gaming.

The phone measures 160.0 x 75.25 x 8.7 mm and weighs 190 grams. On the connectivity front, it features USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack. It has dual-SIM support but lacks microSD card support which means you won’t be able to expand the storage on this gaming beast.

Dual-Heat Pipe Cooling System For Prolonged Gaming

The Black Shark Helo is an out and out gaming-centric phone. During prolonged gaming hours smartphones usually start heating up, keeping that in mind, Xiaomi has integrated the dual heat pipe cooling system in the Black Shark Helo that offers dominant performance while keeping the device cool.

Interestingly, the phone has three microphones; the two microphones are standard ones while the third one has been placed on the front for taking calls during gaming sessions. There is also a dedicated button on the left side, which can be turned on/off by users to notch up their gaming experience by restricting background usage.

Variants, Expected Price in India

The Black Shark Helo has been launched in three variants – 6GB RAM + 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage, and 10GB RAM+ 256GB Storage. The base variant with 6GB RAM is priced at CNY 3199 (approx. INR 33,920) while the 8GB RAM model has been priced at CNY 3499 (approx. INR 37,101). Lastly, the top-end 10GB RAM variant costs CNY 4199 (approx. INR 44,524).

Well, for now, we have no information regarding Black Shark Helo’s launch in India. Even the first-gen Black Shark never made its debut in India so we doubt if Xiaomi will consider the second-gen variant to the region.

While the launch of Black Shark Helo in India remains hazy, you can check out our review video for Xiaomi’s flagship killer, the POCO F1. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified whenever we post any new video.