If you thought Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel would be the only gaming phones of the second half of 2020 you were so wrong. Nubia and Xiaomi came up with two other gaming-centric devices: the Nubia Red Magic 5S and the Black Shark 3S. Both come with an S in their name because both are upgrades of previous models released earlier this year. Unfortunately, they do not bring all the power of the new Snapdragon 865+, unlike Asus and Lenovo’s solutions, but on the other hand, they carry more affordable prices while still offering stunning hardware departments. In this comparison, you will learn which of these two gaming phones has more potential depending on your needs. ù
Nubia Red Magic 5S vs Xiaomi Black Shark 3S
| Nubia Red Magic 5S | Xiaomi Black Shark 3S | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 168.6 x 78 x 9.8 mm,
218 grams |
168.7 x 77.3 x 10.4 mm,
222 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.65 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 388 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 388 ppi, 20:9 ratio, AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 16 GB RAM, 256 GB | 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, Redmagic OS | Android 10, Joy UI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 64 + 8 MP + 2 MP f/1.8, and f/2.0 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 64 + 13 + 5 MP f/1.8, f/2.3 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4500 mAh Fast charging 55W |
4720 mAh, Fast Charging 65W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, RGB lights, 5G, triggers | Dual SIM slot, RGB lights, 5G, triggers, magnetic charging |
Design
When it comes to aesthetics, it is a matter of tastes, but I personally love the design of the Nubia Red Magic 5S. Despite coming with a built-in cooling fan, it is thinner and lighter, as well as more attractive in terms of look. Its design is still gaming-centric, but according to my tastes, it is more elegant and stylish than the Black Shark 3S. Both the Black Shark 3S and Nubia Red Magic 5S offer support to interesting external accessories which make them better choices for gamers than other phones.
Display
Do you only care about gaming or you also need a phone with a great display quality to watch videos and streaming platforms? If you just want the best performance while playing games, get a Nubia Red Magic 5S. It has a higher refresh rate for the display, as well as a higher touch sampling rate for its pressure sensitive zones which can be used as air triggers. If you need a better image quality, then choose the Black Shark 3S which offers the HDR10+ certification, but note that its refresh rate is lower (120 Hz).
Specs & Software
Nubia Red Magic 5S and Black Shark 3S are both powered by the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. But there is a difference in memory configurations: you can get max 12 GB of RAM with the Black Shark 3S, while Nubia Red Magic 5S goes up to 16 GB of RAM. Further, Nubia Red Magic 5S has a better cooling system which adopts silver and a built-in cooling fan to dissipate the heat for better performance in long gaming sessions. So, at least on the paper, Nubia Red Magic 5S looks more convincing in terms of hardware. On the software side, you get a gaming-centric user interface based on Android 10 on both the devices.
Camera
Despite Nubia Red Magic 5S offers an option to record video with an 8K resolution, Black Shark 3S should provide a better photo quality because it sports better secondary sensors. Both the ultrawide camera and the macro lens have higher resolutions and they are better sensors overall. Even the front camera is better on the Black Shark 3S (20 MP vs 8 MP). Obviously, none of these devices is a real camera phone and usually, gamers do not care a lot about cameras, but we think it is still worth highlighting the differences given that cameras can be used for AR games and live streaming.
Battery
The Black Shark 3S has a slightly bigger battery (more than 200 mAh of difference compared to the Nubia Red Magic 5S) and, given the lower refresh rate and the absence of a physical cooling fan, we believe it will offer a longer battery life. It also packs a faster charging technology. Further, the USB-C port of the Black Shark 3S can be used for wired screen mirroring allowing to connect the handset to an external monitor with a low latency.
Price
There is not a definitive winner of this comparison. With the Nubia Red Magic 5S, you can get a higher refresh rate, a better hardware, and better cooling system, as well as a more interesting design. The Black Shark 3S offers a bigger battery, better camera, and the option to use USB screen mirroring. But while Black Shark 3S starts from about €600/$707, the Nubia Red Magic 5S costs just €460/$542 in its base variant. So it actually has a higher value for money. We think the pros of the Black Shark 3S do not justify the price difference.
Red Magic 5S vs Xiaomi Black Shark 3S: PRO and CONS
Red Magic 5S
PRO
- Best cooling system
- 144 Hz display
- 8K video recording
- 300 Hz pressure sensitive zones
CONS
- Nothing particular
Xiaomi Black Shark 3S
PRO
- Faster charging
- Bigger battery
- Potentially better photo quality
- HDR10+ display
- Screen mirroring through USB-C
CONS
- Lower refresh rate and touch sampling rate
