We love how most of the gaming phones come with flagship-class hardware and the fastest gaming experience at a pretty affordable price. For people with a low budget seeking the best performance in terms of speed, frame rate, and reactivity, they are the among greatest alternatives. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is the latest gaming phone out there and it comes with one of the most impressive hardware departments you can ever expect on a mobile phone. In this article, we compared it with the best gaming phones from other smartphones manufacturers which are sold in the same price range: the recent Vivo iQOO and the Nubia Red Magic Mars which recently hitten even the European market.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 vs Vivo iQOO vs Nubia Red Magic Mars
| Xiaomi Black Shark 2 | Vivo iQOO | Nubia Red Magic Mars | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 163.6 x 75 x 8.8 mm, 205 grams | 157.7 x 75.2 x 8.5 mm | 158.2 x 75 x 9.9 mm, 193 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, AMOLED | 6.41 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, AMOLED | 6.0 inches, 1080 x 2160p (Full HD+), 402 ppi, LTPS IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 10 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie | Android 9 Pie, Funtouch OS | Android 9 Pie, Nubia Red Magic OS |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Dual 48 + 12 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 12 + 13 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 12 MP front camera |
16 MP f/1.8 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh, Fast Charging 27W | 4000 mAh, Fast Charging 44W | 3800 mAh, Fast Charging 16W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, in-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers | Dual SIM slot, in-display fingerprint reader | Dual SIM slot, LED strips and rear phyisical keys |
Design
Usually, smartphones dedicated to gamers also come with a gaming-centric design that consists of aggressive lines and a unique look. However, that is the farthest thing from an elegant design. That is why I would choose the Vivo iQOO from this trio: here, it is the only gaming-centric phone to come with an elegant and flagship-like design. It has a stunning and clean glass back with gradient colors, as well as a display with a very high screen-to-body ratio, a small waterdrop notch, and an in-display fingerprint reader. But if you are a gaming-addicted and you prefer a gaming-centric design, Nubia Red Magic Mars may impress you with its RGB LED strip on the rear side and that is the same with the RGB LEDs found on the Black Shark 2.
Display
On the paper, Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has the most convincing display as well as the most suitable one for gaming. It is an AMOLED panel with 100 percent of DCI-P3 coverage, the fastest response time ever seen on a smartphone display, and brilliant color reproduction. The not so narrow bezels around the display should help to deliver a solid grip making it more suitable for long gaming sessions. On the other hand, some may find the Nubia Red Magic Mars more comfortable due to its shorter and larger 18:9 aspect ratio.
Specs & Software
Nubia Red Magic Mars loses the hardware comparison due to a lower-end chipset and less impressive memory configurations. It will be a hard fight between Xiaomi Black Shark and Vivo iQOO: they both come with the best Qualcomm’s chipset for 2019. We are talking about the Snapdragon 855, paired with up to 12 GB of RAM, something insane! Xiaomi Black Shark 2 has a very efficient liquid cooling system and its display will also deliver a very low latency thanks to the 43,5 ms response rate, while Vivo iQOO comes with several technologies which improve gaming performance, connection reliability and cooling.
Camera
It may seem odd for a gaming phone, but Xiaomi Black Shark 2 even comes with an impressive camera department, so it wins the camera comparison. It has an amazing dual camera with a 48 MP main sensor and a secondary telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. It can record video in 4K resolution and it even has a great 20 MP selfie camera. The second place in the ranking goes to the Vivo iQOO with its dual camera including an ultrawide lens.
Battery
All of these devices come with a big battery, but the one of the Red Magic Mars is slightly smaller. Due to their higher capacity, their efficient components and their AMOLED displays, Xiaomi Black Shark 2 and Vivo iQOO should deliver a longer battery life and they should last more or less the same in many scenarios, but software optimization (that we have to test) will play an important role in regards to the battery life. I would go for the Vivo iQOO for its faster charging technology: it can reach 50% in just 15 mins and 100% in just 45 mins!
Price
Xiaomi Black Shark 2’s starting price is €450, while Vivo iQOO and Nubia Red Magic Mars cost about €400 and €420, respectively. At the end of the day, Xiaomi Black Shark 2 looks the most impressive device due to its better cameras, stereo speakers and outstanding hardware department, even though some may prefer the Vivo iQOO due to its more elegant design.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 vs Vivo iQOO vs Nubia Red Magic Mars: PROs and CONS
Nubia Red Magic Mars
PROs
- Physical keys on the back
- RGB lights
- Affordable price
- Wide availability
CONS
- Smaller battery
Xiaomi Black Shark 2
PROs
- Good display
- Great hardware
- Big battery
- Stereo speakers
- RGB LED lights
CONS
- Nothing particular
Vivo iQOO
PROs
- Best (but not so gaming-centric) design
- Great hardware + cooling system
- Big battery and very fast charging
- Good price
CONS
- Limited availability
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