A rock-solid budget phone with a case in the box

Blackview is probably not one of many better-known smartphone producers, however that doesn’t imply they don’t have loads to supply. The Hong Kong-based firm sometimes focuses on producing among the best rugged phones in the marketplace. Nonetheless, the Shark 8 exhibits that Blackview is able to some severe versatility within the smartphone world. Between the low worth, the attractive show, and the large battery, there’s loads of motive to get lost the overwhelmed path if the Blackview Shark 8 is an indicator of what you could find within the brush.

Value and availability

Not within the US? No drawback!

The Blackview Shark 8 isn’t extensively out there within the US, however you may nonetheless get your fingers on it should you’re . Naturally, you will get it from the Blackview retailer on-line, nevertheless it can be discovered on Amazon and at Walmart for these searching for third-party retailers.

The Blackview Shark 8 is accessible in Moonlight Grey, Scorching Gold, or Galaxy Blue. You can too select between two storage choices: a 128 GB storage model and a 256 GB model. The worth is usually $199, however we’ve just lately seen it on sale for as little as $159, so preserve a watch out for offers before you purchase.

Sadly, Blackview has some problems concerning carriers, and the Shark 8 shouldn’t be exempt. We examined it with T-Cell with out points, however different carriers are usually not so fortunate. Blackview and its customers have famous that CDMA carriers like Verizon, Dash, and Cricket Wi-fi have made it troublesome to activate the telephone. The corporate recommends AT&T, T-Cell, Mint, MetroPCS, and different GMS carriers to make sure you haven’t any points.

What’s good concerning the Blackview Shark 8?

Mid-range and premium options at a price range worth

The Blackview Shark 8 comes with a charging brick within the field, which is kind of a refreshing change in 2024, significantly given how reasonably priced the system is. On prime of that, true to the corporate’s rugged telephone status, the system comes with a case within the field. The system doesn’t really feel significantly sturdy, so this can be a nice profit, even should you solely use it to fend off dents and scratches till you could find a much less flimsy case to your new telephone.

As for really utilizing the system, the Blackview Shark 8 impresses nearly instantly with the show. Sure, it’s sporting a mere LCD, which is once more indicative of the value tag greater than something, however with the 120Hz refresh charge, you received’t discover me complaining. The interface expertise is easy and truthfully appears to be like nice at first look. Merely put, if the OLED is that significantly better on Pixel 8a by way of picture high quality, I’m unsure I’m seeing a large enough distinction.

Battery life is one other huge boon for the Blackview Shark 8. At 5000 mAh, its measurement matches that of costlier units just like the Moto G Stylus. Maybe extra helpful is how lengthy that battery can really final, with the corporate claiming 437 hours on standby. Whereas I didn’t have two and a half weeks to check this, I left for an out-of-town marriage ceremony early Friday with the system at 35% and returned early Monday to a 25% battery, so it feels believable. The charging is quick at 33 wired, and the claims that it may cost 20% in quarter-hour had been proper on the nostril.

At 64 MP, the principle digicam can also be surprisingly good for a telephone at this worth. Granted, megapixels don’t at all times inform the complete story, however the footage got here out nice both means, exhibiting crisp element and good colours, albeit a bit on the intense aspect. The 13 MP selfie digicam isn’t too shabby, with the identical consideration to element.

It’s laborious to disregard how good the value is for the Blackview Shark 8 right here. At solely $199 and usually on sale for even much less, you’re getting loads of mid-range options, just like the 120 hZ show, the 64 MP digicam, and the 5000 mAh battery with quick charging. Sure, you’ll have some downsides, however relying on what’s essential to you in a telephone, the deal is tough to go up.

What’s dangerous concerning the Blackview Shark 8?

Efficiency and brightness disappoint

As is persistently the case with price range telephones, the processor and efficiency usually take a giant hit. The Blackview Shark 8 sports activities the Mediatek Helio G99, which had some hassle maintaining with extra demanding duties. Swapping between video platforms and gaming, for instance, noticed a noticeable lag, even freezing the system on two events. I additionally bumped into an odd drawback with a cellular sport through which the efficiency was unusably lagging, however solely throughout cellular sport adverts that allow you to strive the sport before you purchase. It’s definitely not a dealbreaker, nevertheless it speaks to the truth that price range units all have their cracks.

The standard was one thing I favored when it got here to taking footage, however the digicam was positively missing in another main methods.

The software program takes the identical hit, solely operating its personal DokeOS 4.0, based mostly in Android 13 moderately than the newest Android 14. Even worse, Blackview is thought for offering restricted, if any, updates past necessary safety patches, so it is not almost as future-proof as some customers would love. In comparison with different price range telephones, just like the Samsung Galaxy A15, which will get 4 Android updates alone, that’s clearly fairly low. Past that, the interface is nothing particular, replicating the fundamentals of Android 13 with fewer customization choices.

The standard was one thing we favored when taking footage, however the digicam was positively missing in another main methods. The 4x zoom was undeniably a bummer, significantly when the pictures that come again are a lot blurrier than the top quality of the usual zoom. I am not asking for the 100x zoom you could find on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, however 4x appears too low in 2024. On prime of that, the “Magnificence” options of the selfie digicam are borderline foolish, enlarging eyes, and sharpening pores and skin to a cartoonish diploma.

Whereas the Blackview Shark 8’s show is a brilliant spot, there was one drawback: the precise brightness. At solely 500 nits, it’s clearly under the trade normal, even for a price range system, and in contrast to the OLED vs. LCD state of affairs, you’ll positively discover it. Utilizing it on a brilliant day in direct daylight isn’t essentially difficult, nevertheless it’s decidedly tougher than your common smartphone.

One other small however irritating facet of the Blackview Shark 8 is the singular exterior speaker on the underside of the system. Regardless of the Sensible-Okay Field speaker, it nonetheless sounds one-dimensional for music and different audio content material. As an avid TikTok scroller, holding the system with one hand nearly completely blocks the audio, forcing me to regulate my hand to get the complete expertise. It’s trivial, however should you can relate, this type of factor is sufficient to make you hate the telephone over time.

Do you have to purchase it?

Should you’re available in the market for a top budget phone that sports activities mid-range/premium options like huge batteries, excessive refresh charges, and cameras with a lot of megapixels, the Blackview Shark 8 is a strong selection. Sure, restricted digicam options and poor brightness might be irritating, and laggy efficiency is an absolute non-starter should you want your smartphone for something too demanding, like gaming or content material enhancing.

Nonetheless, something we didn’t like concerning the Blackview Shark 8 might be defined away by the truth that the system is just $199. There’ll at all times be caveats and potential deal breakers at this worth level, relying on what you want your telephone for. As is usually the case, you get what you pay for with the Blackview Shark 8, and relating to worth, this looks like a deal that’s tougher to beat than most.