The Black Shark 2 Pro has just been launched in Malaysia, making it the first gaming smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset to arrive on our shores. If you want the fastest gaming smartphone right now – at least, until the Asus ROG Phone II with the same SoC gets here – the Black Shark 2 Pro is one to consider.
Compared to its predecessor, this Pro variant has a number of notable improvements. The Snapdragon 855+ chipset, for one, promises up to 15% better gaming performance. This is thanks to the overclocked CPU and GPU of the 855+, even if the standard Snapdragon 855 shares the same components.
Another noteworthy upgrade is the improved response rate of the Black Shark 2 Pro’s 6.39-inch 1080p AMOLED display. Just like the previous model, the screen has a 240Hz polling rate, but Black Shark managed to reduce the input delay from 43.5ms down to only 34.7ms. This may seem like a small difference, but more serious mobile gamers would definitely appreciate it.
Unfortunately enough, the Black Shark 2 Pro also retains the 60Hz display of its predecessor. In a market where other gaming smartphones are shipping with faster 90Hz or 120Hz displays, the Pro certainly don’t stand out quite as much. If there’s any consolation, at least it has the lowest input delay among its competition – that’s what Black Shark is claiming.
Design wise, the Black Shark 2 Pro gets a new back design with a strip of metal going down the middle of the phone. Of course, it even comes with RGB lighting that can be customised to your liking. The new design isn’t just for show, apparently: Black Shark claims that the redesigned back panel will improve grip comfort in longer gaming sessions.
Rounding out the specifications of the Black Shark 2 Pro include 8GB or 12GB of RAM, up to 256GB of non-expandable internal storage, a dual camera system (48MP f/1.75 primary + 8MP f/2.2 telephoto), a 12MP front-facing camera, a USB-C port, as well as a generous 4,000mAh battery.
The Black Shark 2 Pro will go on sale in Malaysia later today on Shopee. The 128GB model with 8GB RAM retails at RM2,499, while the 256GB variant with 12GB RAM goes for RM2,999. If you’re quick, you can get a complimentary Black Shark power bank (worth RM99) along with a RM150 Shopee voucher – only usable for the phone – if you’re the first 200 customers to purchase the phone on Shopee.
Currently, only the Shadow Black and Iceberg Grey are available here; the Gulf Blue colourway will only arrive in Malaysia by the end of September 2019. If you’d like to learn more about the Black Shark 2 Pro, check out our hands-on right here.