Xiaomi Black Shark Helo: new gaming smartphone for $551.67

This year, smartphone manufacturers are making a good case for launching their own gaming smartphones on the market. This included Xiaomi, who have released a really good gaming smartphone in the form of the Black Shark. Now Xiaomi has already given us its successor: the Xiaomi Black Shark Helo.

• Xiaomi Black Shark Helo (6/128 GB)
  • at  AliExpress for $551.67 | Geekbuying for $765.99
• Xiaomi Black Shark Helo (8/128 GB)
  • at AliExpress for $611.67 | Geekbuying for $869.99
• Xiaomi Black Shark Helo (10/256 GB)
  • at Geekbuying for $897.99

Technical Specifications

Gaming design

The successor starts where the Black Shark left off. Of course, you pick up the gaming design again, but now you raise the bar. A first video shows the Xiaomi Black Shark Helo in action for the first time. On the back side the Black Shark “S” is again on display, but it can now shine in RGB colours. That was not possible with the predecessor. At the height of the emblem, which was positioned quite centrally, there are RGB stripes on the left and right in the housing frame. These light up simultaneously with the logo, which gives a strong effect in my eyes.

https://youtu.be/AAfwz17kKrY

The back is made up of slightly more discreet neon green elements, but Xiaomi mainly keeps it classic and uses a matt black. There’s also a change in the dual camera, which is centrally positioned and vertically arranged, unlike its predecessor. We saw a similar change in the Pocophone F1 from Xiaomi.

Black Shark Helo with 10 GB RAM

Now it is clear that the Xiaomi Black Shark Helo also works with the Snapdragon 845 processor, which is now used in over five top Xiaomi smartphones. This is still the flagship processor for most Android smartphones. However, this also means that we won’t see a big jump in performance, as the first Black Shark is also equipped with the identical CPU.

There is also a choice of 6 GB RAM with 128 GB internal memory, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory or even a proud 10 GB RAM with 256 GB internal memory. As previously assumed, a 4,000 mAh battery is installed again, which already provided a good battery life in the predecessor.

The cooling of the smartphone is interesting. In its predecessor, a water cooling system was advertised that did not prove to be water cooling in the test. The system has now been reworked and this time it uses two heatpipes which are supposed to provide longer phases of maximum performance. In numbers this corresponds to a temperature reduction of up to 12°C.

Xiaomi doesn’t change anything on the camera, here you work with the same sensors as in the predecessor. A 12 megapixel and 20 megapixel combination are used on the back, a 20 megapixel camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture sits in front.

Now with AMOLED display

On the front, probably the biggest change awaits us. The manufacturer now uses a 6.01 inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. Not the minimally increased size is significant, but the fact that Xiaomi now processes an AMOLED panel. Xiaomi also does without a notch. Instead, the screen edges for the year 2018 are relatively thick, which is probably necessary for the use of gaming accessories.

But we know that the Xiaomi Black Shark Helo supports the DCI-P3 standard, which, to put it simply, allows the display to display more colors. Accordingly, the gamut value is up to 97% higher. The iPhone X or Huawei P20 Pro, for example, also rely on this “technology”.

Matching gaming accessories

Like the first generation, the Black Shark Helo comes with its own peripherals. In other words: a revised version of the controller should help you to game. You can already see visually that the connection to the smartphone itself has been reworked. And the number has doubled: now such a controller is used on both sides so that you can simulate the “real” controller feeling of a console.

An important topic in the gaming area is also the sound. The manufacturer has probably also improved this now by relying on stereo speakers. One on the top of the screen, one on the bottom. Black Shark’s Biso audio technology is also used here, as is a smart amplifier.

It’s not just the design that makes the Black Shark Helo a gaming smartphone. Software like the Gamer Studio is pre-installed on the adapted operating system. This also allows CPU settings to be made, as well as sound or notification settings. For the hardcore gamers the Shark Key is also interesting, which delivers a performance boost and also activates the Do not disturb mode.

Evaluation

The Xiaomi Black Shark Helo is more of an optical upgrade and brings only slight, noteworthy hardware improvements. The AMOLED screen is an interesting change, 10 GB RAM is probably not needed at the moment, but this number polarizes of course. The high-end clientele is also more likely to be interested in the percentage increase in performance due to the improved cooling. Visually, it is definitely a real eye-catcher, especially due to the LEDs. So far only a release in China is certain, if and when a global version expects us, is unclear so far.

What do you think of the Black Shark Helo? Would you buy the Global Version?