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Black Shark 3 vs ASUS ROG Phone II Specs Comparison

Gaming smartphones come with all sorts of features that our usual smartphones don’t exactly have. Recently, Xiaomi sub-brand unveiled its latest line up of gaming devices, the Black Shark 3. While the lineup has a vanilla Black Shark 3 and a more premium Black Shark 3 Pro, in this article, we’re comparing the former device to another gaming mobile, the ASUS ROG Phone II. See how they fare against each other.

BLACK SHARK 3	ASUS ROG PHONE II
6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1800) AMOLED display, 90HZ, 270Hz touch-sampling rate, 20:9 aspect ratio	6.59-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 19.5:9 AMOLED display, HDR support, 120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ 2.96GHz octa-core
Adreno 650 GPU	Adreno 640 GPU
8GB LPDDR4x/12GB LPDDR5 RAM	8GB RAM (Strix Edition)/ 12GB RAM
128GB/256GB storage	128GB (Strix Edition) / 512GB storage
64MP + 13MP ultra-wide + 5MP bokeh triple-rear cameras	48MP F1.79 IMX586 + 13MP 125-degree ultra-wide dual rear camera
20MP front camera	24MP front camera
5G, 4G LTE	4G LTE Cat 18
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax dual-band	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2×2 MIMO)
Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth V 5.0 (BR/EDR+LE), supports Qualcomm aptX Adaptive
.	NFC support
GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS, A-GPS	GPS (L1+L5), GLO, BDS, GAL (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5)
Capacitive shoulder buttons	AirTriggers 2.0
Front-facing speakers	Front-facing stereo speakers
3.5mm audio port	3.5mm audio port
- In-display fingerprint scanner - Liquid cooling solution	- In-display fingerprint scanner - Face unlock - ARCore Support
USB-Type C	3x USB Type-C ports (bottom and sides)
4,720mAh battery with 65W fast-charging support, 18W magnetic charging plug	6,000mAh battery 30W ROG HyperCharge technology, Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0
JoyUI/MIUI 11 (Android 10)	ROG UI/ZENUI (Android 9 Pie)
168.72 x 77.33 x 10.42mm	170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48 mm
222g	240 g

Advantages of each smartphone

Black Shark 3

Larger display
270Hz touch sampling rate + 90Hz refresh rate
Three memory configurations
Triple-rear cameras
5G connectivity
65W fast charging support

ASUS ROG Phone II

120Hz refresh rate
Larger storage capacity
Higher front camera resolution
Bigger battery capacity
3 USB Type-C ports

Beginning with the smartphones’ displays, the Black Shark 3 has a slightly bigger one, measuring at 6.67-inches, compared to the ROG Phone II’s 6.59-inch one. Both devices have an FHD+ resolution, but the Black Shark 3 has a pixel coverage of 2400 x 1800, in contrast to the ROG Phone II’s 2340 x 1080. The ROG Phone II has a higher refresh rate at 120Hz, paired with a 1ms response time. On the other hand, one of the Black Shark 3’s main highlights is its 270Hz touch sampling rate, paired up with a 90Hz refresh rate.

Powering these gaming devices are Snapdragon chipsets, with the Snapdragon 865 on the Black Shark 3 and the Snapdragon 855+ on the ROG Phone II. Both chipsets are highly capable and powerful flagship processors. When it comes to RAM, both the Black Shark 3 and ROG Phone II offer 8GB and 12GB RAM configurations. As for storage, the ROG Phone II offers the most at 512GB for its highest configuration, compared to the Black Shark 3’s 256GB. However, the latter offers three configurations, while the former offers two.

For cameras, the Black Shark 3 has a triple camera system, composed of a 64MP primary, 13MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP bokeh snapper. Meanwhile, the ROG Phone II only houses two rear snappers, made up of a 48MP primary and a 13MP ultra-wide camera. Front-wise, the Black Shark 3 has a 20MP shooter, while the ROG Phone II has a higher resolution at 24MP. Do remember that the number of cameras and resolution doesn’t automatically equate to better quality photos, though.

Since both the Black Shark 3 and ROG Phone II are gaming smartphones, they have several features to them that aren’t present in usual smartphones. The ROG Phone II comes with AirTriggers 2.0, which are haptic buttons that make for a better gaming experience. The Black Shark 3, meanwhile, has capacitive buttons for mobile gaming purposes. The devices also have front-facing speakers, as opposed to the downward-firing speakers found in the majority of smartphones. Both the Black Shark 3 and the ROG Phone II also have 3.5mm audio jack and come with liquid cooling systems.

For software, the ROG Phone II runs on ROG UI/ZENUI based on Android 9 Pie, while the Black Shark 3 runs on JoyUI/MIUI 11 that’s based on Android 10. Additionally, the Black Shark 3 comes with 5G connectivity, which the ROG Phone II doesn’t have.

Battery-wise, the ROG Phone II’s massive 6,000mAh cell blows the Black Shark 3’s 4,720mAh cell out of the water. Despite the drastic difference in their battery capacities, the Black Shark 3 has a 65W fast-charge support, compared to the 30W support that the ROG Phone II has. The Black Shark 3 also comes with an 18W magnetic charging plug, allowing users to keep playing on the device without the hassle of charging cables. Both devices have a USB Type-C port; however, the ROG Phone II not only has one but has three of it placed on the bottom and sides of the smartphone.

Here are the prices of each smartphone:

Black Shark 3

8GB + 128GB – CNY 3,499PHP 28,205USD 481INR 40,738EUR 458 (~PHP 25,400USD 433INR 36,693EUR 412CNY 3,152)
12GB + 128GB – CNY 3,799PHP 30,623USD 522INR 44,231EUR 497 (~PHP 27,578USD 470INR 39,839EUR 448CNY 3,422)
12GB + 256GB – CNY 3,999PHP 32,236USD 549INR 46,560EUR 523 (~PHP 29,030USD 495INR 41,937EUR 471CNY 3,603)

ASUS ROG Phone II

12GB + 512GB – PHP 49,995USD 852INR 72,223EUR 811CNY 6,204

Looking at their prices, the Black Shark 3’s variety of configurations gives users the option to purchase the device at different price points, depending on their budget. Although, it should be noted that the Black Shark 3 is only available for purchase in China at the moment, and it remains unknown whether the device will make it to our shores.

In contrast to that, the ASUS ROG Phone II launched in the Philippines last October. While it’s priced much higher than the Black Shark 3, the ROG Phone II and ROG Phone II (Strix Edition) are also readily available in the Philippines and, therefore, are more accessible.

If you’re opting for a gaming smartphone that has a large display, a newer chipset, three RAM + storage configurations, triple-rear cameras, but would have to settle for a China ROM version of the device, then maybe set your sights on the Black Shark 3. However, if you’re only just shopping around for a gaming smartphone and would like the one that’s already available and has a Global ROM, then the ROG Phone II might be for you.