Which is the best gaming Smartphone to buy in 2019? Is it the Asus ROG Phone 2 or Xiaomi’s surprise release, the Black Shark 2 Pro? In this article, find out which is the best bang for the buck.
With the release of Qualcomm‘s new binned chip, the gaming Smartphones war is getting intense. Asus ROG announced it would be the first Smartphone to ship with Snapdragon 855 Plus. Unlike with the Snapdragon 845 that was binned exclusively for the ROG Phone, the new chipset is available for all OEM manufacturers.
The @ASUS_ROG Phone 2 has a LOT going for it.
🖥️: 120Hz AMOLED w/1ms response time
🏎️: @Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
⚡: 6,000mAh battery
📱: ZenUI 6 (The same as ZenFone 6!)Read our hands on!https://t.co/ICPJvgWLkg
— Android Authority (@AndroidAuth) July 22, 2019
The main rival in the industry, Xiaomi, wasn’t left behind. The Chinese manufacturer surprised its Taiwanese counterpart with an upgraded model of the Black Shark 2, which was released back in March this year. With both models packing Qualcomm’s new chipset, it is hard to settle on one.
Under the hood, both Smartphones boast the new Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, which has been overclocked to 2.96GHz up from 2.84GHz. The duo also boasts an Octa-core processor and Adreno 640 GPU processor. Remember, the new chipset improves CPU performance by 4% and GPU performance by 15%. The 12GB variant of the Black Shark 2 Pro scored an impressive 3632 and 11304 for multi-core. This shouldn’t be far from what Asus can offer with its 12GB variant.
One of the aspects that matter in gaming is the display and its capabilities. Asus joins the league of Razer with its new 120Hz display. The Black Shark 2 doesn’t have a 120Hz display, and it’s most likely it will maintain the 60Hz refresh rate. Maybe there will be an improved display, but so far, all indications point to the chipset as the only addition in the Pro model.
The ROG Phone II was officially announced on July 23 and is expected to hit the market soon. The Black Shark 2 Pro is set for announcement a week later. Regarding costs, the Asus ROG Phone 2 will set you back around $900. As for Black Shark 2 Pro, there is no credible information regarding the price.
While there are variations in terms of RAM, the Asus ROG Phone 2 is the better option here as it features a 120Hz display. If you are a fan of GPU hungry games, a high refresh rate is what you need. The ROG Phone 2 also has a larger 6.59-inch display while Black Shark will probably come with a 6.39-inch display.
One last reason why Asus beats Xiaomi is the runtime. The former comes with a 6,000mAh battery which lasts longer compared to Black Shark’s 4,000mAh.
