A few hours ago, the world’s second smartphone with the new flagship Snapdragon 855+ chipset by Qualcomm went official, and it is a gaming smartphone just like the first. We are referring to the Black Shark 2 Pro by Xiaomi’s gaming-centric sub-brand. The world’s first gaming phone with Snapdragon 855+ is the Asus ROG Phone 2 and both deliver the most amazing performance you can currently expect on a mobile phone for daily use, productivity and videogames. We think it makes a lot of sense to show you an in-depth comparison between these two handsets in order to let you understand if it is worth spending more for a device with more features or saving money for a device with fewer features but the same speed and similar gaming experience on the performance side.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro vs Asus ROG Phone 2
| Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro | Asus ROG Phone 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 163.6 x 75 x 8.8 mm,
205 grams |
171 x 77.6 x 9.5 mm,
240 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.59 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 391 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, octa-core 2.96 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, octa-core 2.96 GHz |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB | 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie | Android 9 Pie, ROG UI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Dual 48 + 12 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 48 + 13 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 24 MP f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh Fast charging 27W |
6000 mAh, Fast Charging 30W, Reverse Charging 10W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot |
Design
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is not a big upgrade over the vanilla Black Shark 2, but the design is one a few things which changes, with additional LED lights and a renewed back cover. However, it is still not at the same level as the Asus ROG Phone 2, at least according to my tastes. The Asus flagship rocks better materials: it is composed of a glass back and an aluminum body and it even has those comfortable AirTriggers to enhance the gaming experience, as well as the support to a lot of external accessories. LED lights are obviously not missing, but note that Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is a lot more compact and lightweight than its rival.
Display
When it comes to the display there is no challenge: Asus ROG Phone 2 is a clear winner. First of all, it has a bigger panel. Secondly, it comes with a better color reproduction thanks to both a high 108 percent DCI-P3 coverage and the HDR10 technology. Last but not least, the display has a 120 Hz refresh ratio which is something amazing for a gaming phone. And it even features 240 Hz touch sensing for more reactive gameplay. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro lacks a lot of these things. It still comes with high DCI-P3 coverage (100 percent) and 240 Hz touch sensing, but it does not have 120 Hz refresh ratio and it is not even HDR10-compliant.
Specs & Software
Performance is the key feature of these devices: they are both equipped with the best processor out there: an octa-core Snapdragon 855 Plus which offers 15 percent more graphics performance compared to its predecessor, as well as a higher clock frequency. With its UFS 3.0 storage, Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro just obtained the highest score ever seen on AnTuTu (500k), but we believe Asus ROG Phone 2 will be at the same level. Note that the latter will even allow users to switch between a stock Android user interface and a customized one for true gamers.
Camera
These are not camera phones, but it does not mean that they have a bad camera quality. They are more or less at the same level with a main 48 MP sensor without OIS, as well as a secondary telephoto sensor. Note that Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro comes with 1920 fps super slow motion video recording, while Asus ROG Phone 2 has a laser autofocus mechanism. Do you prefer better photos or better videos?
Battery
Here Asus ROG Phone 2 wins because it is not a simple battery phone: it is more like a power bank. It is equipped with a mammoth 6000 mAh battery which even supports reverse wireless charging for a lot of hours of gameplay. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro comes with a standard 4000 mAh battery, so there is definitely no challenge. Asus ROG Phone 2 has even a faster charging technology, but given that its battery is a lot bigger, it will never reach 100 percent before its opponent.
Price
Asus ROG Phone 2 just launched in China with a €900/$1000 starting price, while Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro costs just €450/$500 in its most affordable variant. Asus ROG Phone 2 is a lot better than its opponent due to the support to external accessories, a better display, a better build quality, and even a bigger battery and more complete software. But if you only care about performance and not about the features mentioned above, then you should go for the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro as it is offered at half of the price.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro vs Asus ROG Phone 2: PRO and CONS
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro
PRO
- Improved design
- Big battery
- More compact
- Affordable price
CONS
- Worse display
Asus ROG Phone 2
PRO
- Best display
- Better materials
- More gaming-centric features
- Huge battery
- Reverse charging
CONS
- Higher price
