Blackview Shark 8 Smartphone Review – Blackview Shark 8 was launched in November 2023 as the newest budget smartphone. That’s right. It’s a budget smartphone, not to be confused with the BlackShark smartphones from Xiaomi. That’s a different kind of beast available at a different price point. The BlackView Shark 8 is designed to deliver the best possible specs at the budget pricing.
So, Blackview couldn’t incorporate 5G connectivity as that would have significantly increased the price tag. But they have brought a fresh new design with the Blackview Shark 8 to better appeal to modern customers. They even partnered with AliExpress to ship their new smartphone globally at a special price tag for the first 50 customers. The device arrives with a massive size battery, fast charging, and many more interesting attributes. But specs alone don’t define the value of a smartphone. So, let’s begin with a detailed review of the Blackview Shark 8 smartphone and see if this smartphone is worth purchasing.
Table of Contents
Blackview Shark 8 Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Blackview Shark 8 has a 6.78-inch IPS LCD with 120Hz high refresh rate support.
- The SoC inside the smartphone is the Mediatek Helio G99SoC which can reach up to a 2×2.2GHz clocking speed.
- The smartphone comes with the latest Android 13 OS with a Doke OS 4.0 user interface for better customizability.
- The main rear camera of the smartphone has a 64MP dual camera system while the selfie camera has a 13MP sensor.
- The smartphone is powered by a massive 5000 mAh battery with a 33W fast-wired charger.
Design and Display
The Blackview Shark 8 is designed to impress modern users. It has a flat design, so both the side frame and the rear panel are flat. This provides a grip strong, so the smartphone won’t slip out of hands easily. The colors of the smartphone are gorgeous as well. It is available in Galaxy Blue, Scorching Gold, and Moonlight Grey color options. The Scorching Gold color, in particular, looks eye-catching and attention-grabbing.
Both the volume and power buttons are on the right side of the smartphone, while the loudspeaker and the charging port are at the bottom. The smartphone weighs under 200 grams, so it’s not very heavy. On the front, you get a 6.78-inch IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution. The inclusion of FHD+ resolution will surely win many hearts considering the price at which this smartphone is launched.
On top of that, the display panel of the Blackview Shark 8 is color-accurate and has a 120Hz refresh rate for a smooth user experience. The display panel can also get as bright as 500 nits of peak brightness to ensure you can use the smartphone outdoors under direct sunlight. Apart from this, the smartphone has thin bezels and the overall display department feels decent as per pricing.
Memory and Internal
The Blackview Shark 8 comes equipped with a 6nm Mediatek Helio G99 SoC. The smartphone can reach up to a 2×2.2GHz clocking speed and has enough performance to run all your daily apps smoothly and efficiently. The chipset has the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, which is a balanced GPU that can run games like PUBG mobile, CODm, and even Genshin Impact but at low graphic settings.
While that is all nice and good, there’s one con as well. That’s the missing 5G support. The chipset doesn’t have a 5G modem, so you are limited to 4G connectivity. It is difficult to expect 5G connectivity at this price anyway and it would have led to some serious compromises in other departments.
As for RAM and storage, the smartphone comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. When it comes to the software, the Blackview Shark 8 is running on the latest Android 13 OS with a Doke OS 4.0 user interface for better customization support. Besides this, you will receive a dedicated card slot to expand storage limits.
Camera
The Blackview Shark 8 comes with a 64MP dual-camera system. The main camera features a 64MP sensor, which can take some decent photos with accurate color tones and high dynamic range. Even the details in the subject’s faces as well as in the background are captured and preserved accurately.
The smartphone also supports portrait mode and the portrait pictures coming out of the sensor are also decent. The background blur looks natural and the edges around the human subject look decent. The pictures taken at night are manageable and get the job done. However, don’t expect miracles out of this sensor. Apart from this, there is an unspecified secondary lens at the rear setup.
On the front of the Blackview Shark 8, there’s a 13MP sensor. It can take decent selfies with great details on the subject’s face. As for video recording, the Blackview Shark 8 can shoot at a maximum resolution of 1440p@30FPS from the rear camera, while the selfie camera can shoot at a maximum resolution of [email protected], the camera department is average and manageable.
Battery and Others
The Blackview Shark 8 has a massive 5000mAh battery that can easily last for 2 days or more with lower usage. That’s right. This smartphone will last a long time with normal usage that includes a bit of social media, calls, texting, and taking some pictures. However, if you play a lot of games, then the battery will not last that long.
But don’t worry. Blackview has designed the smartphone to support up to 33W wired fast charging, which can fully charge the smartphone in under 90 minutes. This 33W charger is also bundled in the box. Apart from that, the phone also has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, GPS, and a USB Type-C port. The smartphone is available for purchase for $163 (Rs 13,600 in India) approx.
Blackview Shark 8 Pros and Cons
Blackview Shark 8 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Blackview Shark 8 smartphone.
| Specifications | Blackview Shark 8 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Announced | November 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.63 x 3.02 x 0.33 inches |
| Weight | 198.3 g |
| Size | 6.78 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 120Hz 500 nits brightness ~396 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2460 pixels |
| OS | Android 13, Doke OS 4.0 |
| Chipset | 6nm – Mediatek MT8781 Helio G99 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Internal | 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Camera | 64 MP, (wide), PDAF Secondary unspecified camera LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1440p@30fps |
| Selfie | 13 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Sensors | Rear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5000 mAh 33W wired |
| Colors | Galaxy Blue, Scorching Gold, Moonlight Grey |
| Expected Price | $163 (Rs 13,600 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The Blackview Shark 8 seems to have all the right specs needed to call it a complete package for the budget. It has a fantastic display, balanced performance, and excellent battery performance. Sure it doesn’t have 5G connectivity but it has many other features that make up for the absence of 5G. But there’s another caveat. While the smartphone is available globally, it may not be able to ship in every country. So, if you can’t purchase, we have an alternative smartphone that you may find equally interesting.
Speaking of downsides, the smartphone has an average camera and underperforms in terms of power and outdated sensors. Therefore, in our opinion, you should look for alternatives such as Samsung Galaxy F14 that arrive at similar pricing but with a better set of specs. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your requirements and needs.
