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Black Shark 4 Pro Display test: Comfortable gaming experience

This device has been retested in the latest version of our protocol. Overall, sub-scores and attributes are up to date. For detailed information, check the What’s New article
OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

Released at the end of March 2021, the 4 Pro is the latest in the Black Shark line of phones aimed specifically at gamers. We look here at how well it performed in our Display protocol tests.

Key display specifications:

  • 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display
  • Resolution: 1080 x 2400 (395 ppi)
  • Aspect ratio: 20:9
  • Refresh rate: 144 Hz
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset

About DXOMARK Display tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone and other display reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective and perceptual tests under controlled lab and real-life conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. Note that we evaluate display attributes using only the device’s built-in display hardware and its still image (gallery) and video apps at their default settings. (For in-depth information about how we evaluate smartphone and other displays, check out our articles, “How DXOMARK tests display quality” and “A closer look at DXOMARK Display testing.”)

Test summary

Scoring

Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.

Black Shark 4 Pro
95
display
77

163

93

164

100

162

138

159

114

170

118

163

Please be aware that beyond this point, we have not modified the initial test results. While data and products remain fully comparable, you might encounter mentions and references to the previous scores.

Pros

  • The device feels smooth when playing video games, when scrolling through pictures in the gallery, and when browsing the web.
  • The device is very reactive when jumping forward and backward in a video.
  • Touch is accurate over the screen, especially along borders and in corners.

Cons

  • Device lacks brightness in most tested conditions.
  • An orange cast is often visible in most conditions and colors can be oversaturated.
  • HDR10 video generally lacks contrast, especially on dark tones.
  • Aliasing is visible.
The Black Shark 4 Pro is a gamer’s phone and is well-suited for that purpose, thanks to its smooth feel and accurate touch during play. However, its overall lack of readability (especially outdoors), its imperfect color accuracy, and its HDR10 playback performance make it less suitable as an all-purpose device.
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (0 Lux)
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (30 000 Lux)
The device has mostly correct brightness indoors but can be slightly dim in low light, with darker shades lacking detail.
Readability indoors, from left to right: Black Shark 4 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 5, Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos): The Black Shark device is a bit on the dark side, but still readable.
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
Outdoors, the Black Shark is barely readable, especially in sunlight:
Readability under direct sunlight, from left to right: Black Shark 4 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 5, Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
As for color, an orange cast is often visible in Black Shark 4 Pro images.
Color rendering indoors, Black Shark 4 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 5, Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The device struggles somewhat with color reproduction fidelity, as shown in the left-hand chart of measurements taken at 0 lux in the sRGB color space. The center of each circle is the target color; anything outside the circle represents a noticeable color difference. The further the tip of the arrow is outside of the circle, the more a user will notice the difference between the color on the display and the original color of the source material.
The scatter chart on the right, which illustrates the white point color shift when holding the Black Shark 4 Pro at different angles, reveals that the device alternates quickly between blue and pink as the angle changes.
Black Shark 4 Pro, color fidelity at 0 lux in the sRGB color space
Black Shark 4 Pro, scatter graph of white point on angle
The Black Shark 4 Pro’s overall brightness is slightly low, and contrast is flat-out low when watching HDR10 videos, with dark details appearing flat. There is noticeable desaturation as well as a green cast that affects skin tone rendering. 
Video rendering, clockwise from top left: Black Shark 4 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 5, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The Black Shark 4 Pro shows some frame drops at 30 and 60 fps; however, it does not show any frame duplications and appears sharp. As for touch, while the device is quite accurate when gaming, it is not accurate in the gallery app when placing two fingers on the screen and moving the right one to zoom in. It is quite smooth when browsing, when scrolling, and when gaming.
In terms of artifacts, ghost touches sometimes occur in landscape mode, but judder is well managed, especially at 30 and 60 fps. Flicker is not disturbing. The Black Shark 4 Pro is well adapted to a comfortable gaming experience despite the noticeable aliasing.
Aliasing closeup, Black Shark 4 Pro
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
Aliasing closeup, Black Shark 4 Pro
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
Aliasing closeup, Black Shark 4 Pro
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)

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