Xiaomi has introduced not one, not two, but three new gaming smartphones from its sub-brand. Check out the new Black Shark 5, 5 RS, and 5 Pro.
The top-of-the-line model, the Black Shark 5 Pro, is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It’s cooled by two vapor chambers and paired with two types of storage: the standard UFS 3.1 and a robust NVMe SSD, which splits the total capacity in two (128GB+128GB=256GB).

Other notable features include a 10-bit AMOLED screen at 144Hz, upgraded shoulder buttons with gaming-grade micro switch, best-in-class symmetrical speakers, and a 108-megapixel main camera.
There’s also a 4,650mAh battery that can fully charge in only around 15 minutes with its 120W charger. All that are crammed in a new and aggressive gamer-y design.

Xiaomi is selling the Black Shark 5 Pro for CNY4,199 (around Php34,200) and will be available in China starting April 2.
Black Shark 5 Pro Specs
- Android 12, Joy UI 13
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 395ppi
- 144Hz refresh rate, 720Hz touch sampling
- HDR10+, 10-bit
- 3.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 octa-core processor
- Dual vapor chamber cooling
- 8GB/12GB/16GB RAM
- Adreno 730 GPU
- 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1+NVMe SSD storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 108-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) + 13-megapixel (f/2.4, ultra-wide) + 5-megapixel (f/2.4, telemacro) rear cameras, LED flash
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers, No headphone jack
- Hi-Res audio
- Shoulder trigger buttons with gaming-grade switches
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 163.9 x 76.5 x 9.5mm
- Weight: 220g
- Colors: White, Black
- 4,650mAh non-removable battery, 120W fast charging

The Black Shark 5 RS is essentially the same as the Pro. Only this time, it’s powered by either a Snapdragon 888 or 888+ CPU, a slightly smaller 4,500mAh battery, and a different camera setup and design on the back.
Releasing on the same day and place as the Pro, the Black Shark 5 RS retails for CNY3,299 (around Php26,900).
Black Shark 5 RS Specs
- Android 12, Joy UI 13
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 395ppi
- 144Hz refresh rate, 720Hz touch sampling
- HDR10+, 10-bit
- 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888/888+ octa-core processor
- Dual vapor chamber cooling
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- Adreno 660 GPU
- 256GB UFS 3.1+NVMe SSD storage, non-expandable
- 20-megapixel front camera
- 64-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4, ultra-wide) + 5-megapixel (f/2.4, telemacro) rear cameras, LED flash
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers, No headphone jack
- Hi-Res audio
- Shoulder trigger buttons with gaming-grade switches
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 163.7 x 76.2 x 9.9mm
- Weight: 220g
- Colors: Yellow, Black
- 4,500mAh non-removable battery, 120W fast charging

The cheapest of the two, the vanilla Black Shark 5, uses a toned-down by still impressive Snapdragon 870 processor. Only this time, it lacks the SSD storage that its expensive siblings have.
Everything else is identical, though. There’s still the fast AMOLED screen, the upgraded magnetic shoulder button, the same camera as the RS, and the same battery as the Pro.

The Black Shark 5 has a price of CNY2,699 (around Php22,000) and will also be available starting April 2 in China. Pricing and availability details here in the Philippines are yet to be announced.
Black Shark 5 Specs
- Android 12, Joy UI 13
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 395ppi
- 144Hz refresh rate, 720Hz refresh rate
- HDR10+
- 3.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 octa-core processor
- Dual vapor chamber cooling
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- Adreno 650 GPU
- 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 64-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) + 13-megapixel (f/2.4, ultra-wide) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4, telemacro) rear cameras, LED flash
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers, No headphone jack
- Hi-Res audio
- Shoulder trigger buttons with gaming-grade switches
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 163.7 x 76.3 x 10mm
- Weight: 218g
- Colors: Yellow, Black
- 4,650mAh non-removable battery, 120W fast charging