Xiaomi’s gaming phone gets a refresh with the Black Shark Helo making it the very-first 10GB phone. With its competitive price tag, how does it compare to ASUS ROG Phone?
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Xiaomi Black Shark Helo and ASUS ROG Phone Differences
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo pros over ASUS ROG Phone
- up to 10GB RAM
- 12MP + 20MP dual camera lens
- 20MP selfie camera
- left and right controllers packaged for the top variant
- Pixelworks (converting SDR video to HDR)
- two liquid cooling pipes
ASUS ROG Phone pros over Xiaomi Black Shark Helo
- 90Hz display
- Always-on Display
- 3.5mm audio jack via side-mounted ports
- programmable air triggers
- overclocked CPU
- Quick Charge 4+ (30W)
- better optional gaming accessories (desktop mode, external cooling, dual-screen support)
- Android 8.1 Oreo with ROG Skin UI
- 24-bit audio playback support
- Water-resistant
- Corning Gorilla Glass 6
- up to 512GB internal storage
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo launched with 10GB RAM, P30k price
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo and ASUS ROG Phone Similarities
- AMOLED panels
- HDR10 Compliant
- Proprietary Gaming UI
- stereo speakers
- 4000mAh
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB Type-C
- Non-expandable storage
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
- Programmable RGB LED
Which is a better buy between Xiaomi Black Shark Helo vs ASUS ROG Phone?
Black Shark Helo has now a better display (compared to the first iteration) with its switch to AMOLED screen complete with HDR10 support. However, it only goes up to standard 60Hz as opposed to the 90Hz of the ROG Phone. But if you’re looking for media content, Xiaomi’s gaming phone can boost SDR content to make it look like HDR.
The overall footprint for each device isn’t really far from each other with both thickness at 8.7mm although the Black Shark Helo is a tad lighter at 190g compared to the 200g of ROG Phone. Although, this won’t matter when accessories are included.
Speaking of accessories, Xiaomi is generous enough to provide both right and left controllers for the 10GB variant out of the box. But when it comes to boosting gaming experience, the ROG Phone still leads with its external chamber coolant, twinview dock for dual-screen mode and mobile desktop dock.
Huawei Mate 20 X vs Razer Phone 2 vs ASUS ROG Phone – Specs Comparison
Both are sporting Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with a bit of overclocking support for the ROG Phone. On the other hand, Xiaomi has the upper hand in handling multiple open apps with 10GB to use.
Camera performance isn’t really the bread and butter of gaming phones so the upgraded 20MP f/1.8 + 12MP f/1.8 main camera and 20MP f/2.2 selfie camera of Black Shark Helo will help to produce better photos and videos compared to the ROG Phone’s 12MP f/1.8 + 8MP main camera and 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera.
Lastly, battery for both clocks at 4000mAh but the ROG Phone would replenish its tank quicker with its whopping 30W charger compared to the 18W of the Black Shark Helo.
Although ASUS ROG Phone provides the complete gaming experience with its wide-array of accessories, Xiaomi’s Black Shark Helo comes with a competitive price tag, not to mention it’s complete controllers which you’ll probably only need for mobile gaming.
Asus ROG Phone vs Razer Phone vs Xiaomi Black Shark— Specs Comparison
| Specs | Xiaomi Black Shark Helo | ASUS ROG PHONE |
| Display | 6-inch FHD+ AMOLED, HDR, 60Hz refresh rate, 108.6% DCIP3, 10-point multi-touch, Gorilla Glass | 6-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2160 pixels, HDR, 90Hz, 108.6% DCI-P3, 18:9 ratio ~402 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 6, Always-on display |
| Dimensions | 160 x 75.2 x 8.7 mm, 190 g | 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.7 mm, 200 g |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10nm) (overclockable) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Adreno 630 |
| Memory | 6GB/8GB/10GB RAM RAM + 128GB/258GB internal | 128/512 GB, 8 GB RAM |
| Main Camera | 12 MP, f/1.8, 1.25µm, dual pixel PDAF 20 MP, f/1.8, 1.0µm, AF, 2x optical zoom |
12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, 4-axis OIS, dual pixel PDAF 8 MP, 12mm, no AF |
| Front Camera | 20 MP, f/2.2, 1.0µm | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, BT 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, USB Type-C | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, BT 5.0, A2DP, EDR, LE, aptX, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, USB-C, accessory connector(24-bit/192kHz audio) |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 4000mAh battery with Quick Charging 3 18W | Non-removable Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+ 30W |
| OS | Android 8.0 Oreo with MI UI | Android 8.1 Oreo with ROG Gaming X UI |
| Official Price | $460 or P25,00 for 6GB RAM with controller, $500 for 8GB with controller, $550 estimated or P30,000 for 10GB + 256GB with two controllers | estimated at Php 49,995 up to Php 59,995 |
