Behold The Black Shark, A Snapdragon 845 Powered Android Gaming Phone

Smartphones aimed specifically at gamers are few and far between. The most recent device to make such a claim is the Razer Phone, now available in a limited gold edition model, which sports a sleek design and an impressive collection of hardware and features. Sometime in the near future, however, Chinese outfit Xiaomi will launch a gaming phone through its Blackshark subsidiary, and a leaked photo shows what is in store.

The photo originates from Weibo, a popular social media site in China. It appears the phone is in a case of some sort, perhaps one that offers up gaming controls, and it is a bit difficult to see where the phone ends and the case begins. Nevertheless, we can make out a bulky construction with what appears to be a bulging backside. From the single shot (as shown at the top of this article), it doesn't appear like any smartphone that has come before it.

A photo of the rear is all we get, in terms of visuals. one thing we can make out from the picture is a dual camera configuration, with an LED flash situated next to it. There is no fingerprint scanner that we can see, though according to Droidholic and an unnamed source it spoke with, the front of the phone sports an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel with an in-screen fingerprint scanner.


What's also interesting is that Xiaomi's branding is nowhere to be found on the back of the Blackshark, unless it's hidden behind the cover. Nevertheless, based on the company's past activity—it posted a teaser on Weibo earlier this month—we expect Xiaomi will reveal the full specs soon. Until then, we have to rely on leaks.

That being the case, the Blackshark made an appearance on AnTuTu a couple of months ago. According to the database entry, the Blackshark is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor, the same as found in a spattering of other flagship phones, such as the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ (US version). It's also said to have  8GB of RAM, same as the Razer Phone.

Thumbnail and Top Image Source: Weibo via Droidholic