Xiaomi Black Shark 4S launched: Specifications and Price

Xiaomi‘s Black Shark has finally unveiled the Black Shark 4S series in China. The latest gaming smartphones are the brand arrive with minor upgrades over their predecessors. Just like the Black Shark 4 series, the Black Shark 4S series also includes two models – Black Shark 4S and Black Shark 4S Pro.

The BlacK Shark 4S series are pretty identical to the ASUS ROG Phone lineup. The new models lacks the X series-like X pattern on their rear as found on their predecessors. However, they retain the mechanical shoulder buttons that use magnetic power-lifting.

Xiaomi Black Shark 4S

The Black Shark 4S is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 as the Black Shark 4S. The device sport the same 6.67-inch Samsung E4 AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+), a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 720Hz touch sampling rate. The panel has two pressure-sensitive zones, a centered punch-hole, and 1300 nits peak brightness. It supports MEMC, DC Dimming, and eye protection mode.

Furthermore, vanilla model has LPDDR5 RAM but has a slower 5500Mbps module compared to a faster 6400Mbps module inside the pro. Both come with UFS 3.1 storage but the expensive variant also supports SSD Disk Array System.

The Black Shark 4S houses a horizontally-aligned triple rear camera setup, which includes an 8MP 120° ultra-wide unit and a 5MP macro shooter. The primary sensor is of 48MP. On the front, both nest a 20MP snapper inside the punch-hole.

On the connectivity front, the handsets support dual-SIM, 5G, dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GNSS (GPS, A-GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS), NFC, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Other features of these phones include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, RGB light, dual stereo speakers, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass, gyroscope, and barometer.

Last but not least, the Black Shark 4S series run a MIUI-based JOYUI 12.8 operating system backed by a 4,5000mah battery with support for 120W proprietary fast charging. It is also compatible with other charging protocols like Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) and USB Power Delivery (PD).

Black Shark 4S Specifications

Network Properties

• 2G bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
• CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA
• 3G bands: HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
• CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
• 4G bands: LTE
• 5G bands: SA/NSA
• Speed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A; 5G

Launch

• Announced: 2021, October 13
• Status: Exp. release 2021, October

Design

• Dimensions: mm
• Weight: g
• Colors: Black, White
• SIM: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• Physical pop-up gaming triggers

Display

• Type: Super AMOLED, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)
• Size: 6.67 inches, 107.4 cm2
• Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density)
• Always-on display

Operating System

• Android 11, Joy UI 12.8

Hardware

• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm)
• CPU: Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585)
• GPU: Adreno 650
• Storage: 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
• Memory Card slot: No
• UFS 3.1

Cameras

• Main Camera: Triple
  • 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF
  • 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
  • 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro), AF
• Features: LED flash, HDR, panorama
• Video: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps
• Selfie Camera: Single – 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 0.8µm
• Features: HDR
• Video: 1080p@30fps

Multimedia

• Radio: No
• Loudspeaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
• Audio 3.5mm jack: Yes
• 24-bit/192kHz audio

Connectivity

• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
• Bluetooth: 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
• GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
• NFC: Yes
• USB: USB Type-C 2.0

Features

• Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Battery

• Battery Type and Capacity: Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
• Charging: Fast charging 120W, 100% in 17 min (advertised)

Xiaomi Black Shark 4S Price and Availability

The Black Shark 4S will retail at the following price tags in China.

Colors

Black, White, Gundam Limited Edition

Price

• 8GB + 128GB – ¥2,699 ($419)
• 12GB + 128GB – ¥2,999 ($465)
• 12GB + 256GB – ¥3,299 ($512)
• Gundam Limited Edition (12GB + 256GB) – ¥3,499 ($543)

The smartphone is available for pre-order in China. It will go on sale from October 15. Like their predecessors, it could also make its way to international markets in the coming days.