3 hours ago
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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- This smartphone has a stunning look.
- The show and artillery beingness are excellent.
- The 50-megapixel camera is much for low-light than representation quality.
While iOS users are present accustomed to paying adjacent to a 1000 dollars for a phone, Android users don't person to. Sure, costly Android phones exist, but determination are besides plentifulness of Android handsets that outgo a mates of 100 dollars and that are perfectly capable.
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Take the caller Blackview Shark 9. If you're looking for a basal day-to-day handset, this is decidedly worthy a look.
Blackview Shark 9 tech specs
- OS: DokeOS 4.0 based connected Android 14
- Display: 6.67-inch HD+IPS, 720 x 1604 with a 90Hz refresh rate
- Rear camera: 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1 f1.8, 1/2.76-inch sensor + 2-megapixel macro f2.4, 1/5-inch sensor + 2-megapixel extent camera f2.8, 1/5-inch sensor
- Front camera: 8-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL 4H7 f2.0, 1/3.1-inch sensor
- Max video resolution: 4K@30fps
- CPU: Octa-core 5G Unisoc T820
- GPU: Mali-G57 MP4
- RAM: 8GB RAM LPDDR4X (plus optional 12GB enlargement memory)
- Storage: 256GB UFS2.2
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Charging: 18W Fast Charging
- Card slot: Dual slot (2x SIM oregon 1x SlM + 1x TF Card)
- Audio jack: Yes, 3.5mm
- Biometrics: Face and fingerprint unlock
- Dimensions: 164.8 x 75.6 x 8.65mm
- Weight: 200g
- Color: Starry Rock Black, Ethereal Blue
Let's commencement with the astir evident happening first... this looks a batch similar an iPhone. I don't mean the signifier origin -- astir smartphones look alternatively generic.
I'm referring to that triple camera array connected the back. That's deliberate, and it's rather striking however that azygous plan prime screams iPhone Pro Max.
You've got to admit, it looks a batch similar an iPhone Pro Max.
Apart from looking similar an iPhone, the Shark 9 is simply a striking handset. My reappraisal portion came successful Blackview's "Ethereal Blue" finish, and the rear of the lawsuit has a fiery opal glow that's rather spectacular.
It's 1 of the astir stunning finishes I've seen connected a smartphone. I'd beryllium hard-pressed to enactment this handset successful a case!
The decorativeness of the Shark 9 is stunning!
The telephone is powered by a Unisoc T820 processor, an octa-core spot with a azygous 2.7 GHz Cortex-A76 show core, 3 2.3 GHz Cortex-A76 show cores, and 4 2.1 GHz Cortex-A55 ratio cores. While this spot is precise overmuch a fund processor and is successful nary mode going to triumph show awards, combined with the default 8GB of RAM and 5GB of enlargement memory, it does a precise bully occupation of moving banal apps smoothly. Bumping up the enlargement representation to the afloat 12GB makes a existent quality erstwhile moving much demanding apps oregon erstwhile Google Chrome has dozens of tabs open.
To get the champion performance, I ever urge mounting the enlargement representation to maximum, unless retention is going to beryllium an contented (and if that's the case, adhd a microSD card).
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It's astonishing conscionable however creaseless Android tin tally connected a smartphone with a humble processor and tenable magnitude of RAM. Sure, determination are going to beryllium workloads that propulsion it to the limits -- for example, gaming oregon photo/video editing -- but for the bulk of users, this handset is going to beryllium much than enough.
Blackview, usually known for chunky ruggedized handsets, tin bash sleek and stylish too!
The cameras are acceptable for a handset that's successful that budget/mainstream terms range. If you're coming from a flagship handset you're decidedly going to consciousness that the photos deficiency pop, but if you're conscionable posting to Facebook, TikTok, oregon Instagram, you won't beryllium disappointed.
The main 50-megapixel camera uses quad-Bayer exertion and pixel binning to boost debased airy performance, making this successful the traditionally consciousness a 12.5-megapixel sensor. The output, particularly successful debased light, is great. There is, arsenic ever with precocious megapixel number smartphone cameras, the enactment to sprout successful 50-megapixel, but I'm hard-pressed to spot a quality betwixt these photos and akin mean shots. If anything, I consciousness the 50-megapixel shots amusement a precocious grade of sharpening, which I don't like. There are immoderate limitations to the cameras: portion you tin grounds 4K video, for example, it's lone 30fps.
Yes, this smartphone has a 3.5mm headphone jack!
The 5,000mAh artillery offers implicit 600 hours of standby clip -- astir a period -- and I recovered that during a mean time I could get a bully 12 hours of mixed-use runtime, which is acceptable. The Shark 9 supports 18W wired charging, which takes the artillery from level to 20% successful 10 minutes. Thankfully, the Shark 9 is 1 of the fewer smartphones connected the marketplace contiguous that inactive person a 3.5mm headphone jack.
ZDNET's buying advice
You tin presently drawback the Blackview Shark 9 for $122, which is simply a very, precise competitory price. The handset has a recommended selling terms of $280, and adjacent astatine that price, it's a bully handset that'll bash everything the mean idiosyncratic needs from a smartphone. Sure, it's not going to fulfill the powerfulness users, but adjacent astatine the afloat price, the Shark 9 is simply a fraction of the outgo of an iPhone 16 Pro Max oregon a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Power users are ever going to beryllium blessed to wage to beryllium astatine the cutting edge. This is simply a smartphone for those who conscionable privation a instrumentality to bash a job.
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