Blackview Shark 8, a new milestone for affordable mobile phones

Blackview is a mobile and tablet manufacturer that we are very familiar with, over the years the brand has delivered very solid affordable phones that we have had the opportunity to test, such as the Blackview A5. That said, this time we tried the Blackview Shark 8 which we consider to be the most interesting phone that we can find under 200 euros.

Technically the Blackview Shark 8 It is a low-end device, but the manufacturer has taken pains to make it look like a higher-class device, since it is impressive that a mobile phone of its price has cutting-edge features such as a 6.78-inch FHD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, not to mention mention the 16GB of RAM, the Helio G99 chip, the 64MP Samsung rear camera and its stylized design. We invite those interested in getting to know him to stay with us throughout this review.

Technical characteristics of the Blackview Shark 8

Unboxing

The Blackview Shark 8 arrives in a vibrant blue box that gives us a good first impression. When we open the box we find the phone itself, and accompanying it we get a screen protector, a transparent protective case, a user manual, a charger with USB-C cable and, finally, a SIM needle.

Design and screen

Nails on dimensions of 168.5×76.6×8.35mm and a weight of 198.3g, the Shark 8 strikes a balance between a large, immersive screen and a sleek, comfortable design. This modern design is accentuated by its robust construction with high-quality polycarbonate, making it a device that looks and feels high-end despite its budget price.

We have received it in gold, but also It is available in blue and dark gray. In any case, the back cover has a metallic matte finish that reduces fingerprints and smudges.

Moving on to the front, this is like any other phone, featuring a 6.78-inch screen which we will delve into later. After taking a closer look at the Blackview Shark 8 from another side, we notice that the device has a square shape. The edges are not smooth or curved, which makes it feel like a flat slab in your hand. This can differentiate it from other phones, but it is not optimal for prolonged use, as it slips a little, although a protective case solves this problem.

For its part, the screen uses a 6.78-inch IPS panel displaying a resolution of 2,460 x 1,080 pixels with a density of 396dpi, so it is above average in terms of definition. And do you know that you are also above average? Its refresh rate of 120Hz and brightness of 500 nits. The result is a vibrant, clear and on top of that fluid screen.

The only downside is that the device does not have Widevine L1 certificationwhich means that it does not play HD content from apps like Netflix and Disney Plus, it is limited to only 480p.

Hardware and features

The Blackview Shark 8 defends itself beautifully with its Helio G99 processor, which obtains more than 427,000 points in the AnTuTu benchmark, so we know that we are looking at a competent device. Likewise, it has up to 16GB of RAM for multitasking, although of course, half of those gigabytes are virtual, but it still has a good amount of physical memory (8GB) to fluidly move the applications we need.

For its part, internal storage is 128GB, although there is a slightly more expensive version with 256GB of ROM; we receive the first. In any case, more space can be added via Micro-SD, for which there is a dedicated slot that supports up to 1TB.

Feeding the whole is a 5,000mAh battery which usually gives us a day and a half of normal use. In addition, it supports 33W fast charging and includes a charger with that capacity. Thanks to this last detail, in 30 minutes it can recover 50% of its capacity.

When it comes to the performance we can expect from this equipment, it is quite good and fluid in the most common applications and tasks, it can also move many video games with ease. For reference, PUBG Mobile runs at more than 30FPS with Ultra graphics and we can even emulate PSP games like God of War: Chains of Olympus with 60FPS (at standard resolution). However, games like Genshin Impact will give the Helio G99 a lot of work and it will be necessary to reduce the graphics to low/medium to obtain a playable experience.

In another order of ideas, the current operating system is Android 13, although the interface is customized by Doke OS 4.0, the manufacturer’s layer.

Cameras

The Blackview Shark 8 does not fare badly in the photographic field, in fact, we believe that it could pass as a higher category terminal, since its rear camera with sensor Samsung ISOCELLGW3 64MP captures sharp and well-detailed photosnot to mention the fact that it can record video in 2K resolution with good quality and frame rate (30FPS).

On 13MP front camera (also from Samsung) we cannot sing so many praises, its results are passable and little else, but for the price, we understand and accept it.

Those interested in the Blackview Shark 8 can purchase it through the reliable Amazon.es store.

We give the Blackview Shark 8 the Silver GizAward: