Black Shark 4 vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Deep Dive into Gaming and Ecosystem Trade-offs
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing longevity, a polished experience, and a strong ecosystem, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is the clear winner. However, the Xiaomi Black Shark 4 delivers exceptional value for dedicated mobile gamers who prioritize raw performance and ultra-fast charging, even if it means sacrificing some software refinement.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Xiaomi Black Shark 4 | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - International, China | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2643, A2644, A2645 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - China | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2643, A2644 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2641 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 23 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, March 30 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 163.8 x 76.4 x 9.9 mm (6.45 x 3.01 x 0.39 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 210 g (7.41 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| Physical pop-up gaming triggers | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.67 inches, 107.4 cm2 (~85.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 11, Joy UI 12.5 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 0.8µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 5 MP (macro), AF | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), PDAF, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 0.8µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 120W wired, 100% in 17 min | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Mirror Black, Pale Grey, Black, Blue, Silver | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | SHARK PRS-H0, SHARK PRS-A0, SHARK KSR-A0 | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 930 EUR | € 423.38 / $ 394.86 / £ 355.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 96h | Endurance rating 121h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -27.4 LUFS (Good) | -24.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 617456 (v8) GeekBench: 3448 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 801691 (v9) GeekBench: 4706 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Xiaomi Black Shark 4
- Ultra-fast 120W charging (17 minutes to full)
- Potentially higher refresh rate display for smoother gaming
- More affordable price point
- Less refined software experience
- Inferior battery life compared to iPhone
- Camera likely lags behind iPhone in image quality
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Industry-leading battery life (121h endurance)
- Superior performance with A15 Bionic chip
- Exceptional camera system and image processing
- Significantly slower charging speed
- Higher price tag
- Less focused on dedicated gaming features
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display at 1050 nits compared to the Black Shark 4’s 694 nits, making it far more usable in direct sunlight. While both displays share an infinite (nominal) contrast ratio, the iPhone’s superior brightness and color calibration contribute to a more vibrant and accurate visual experience. The Black Shark 4 likely utilizes a higher refresh rate panel, a key feature for gaming, but this isn’t specified in the provided data. The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s display benefits from Apple’s color management, ensuring consistent accuracy across apps and content.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer photo and video capabilities, but the provided data lacks specifics for a detailed comparison. Given Apple’s history, the iPhone 13 Pro Max likely features a more sophisticated camera system with larger sensors, advanced image stabilization (OIS), and superior computational photography. The Black Shark 4, geared towards gaming, likely prioritizes camera functionality less, potentially resulting in lower image quality in challenging conditions. Without sensor size or aperture information for the Black Shark 4, a definitive assessment is impossible, but Apple’s image processing pipeline is generally considered best-in-class.
Performance
The Apple A15 Bionic, fabricated on a 5nm process, demonstrably outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 (7nm) in both single-core and multi-core tasks. While the Snapdragon 870’s octa-core configuration (1x3.2 GHz Kryo 585, 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585, 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) appears complex, the A15 Bionic’s hexa-core design (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) leverages Apple’s neural engine for superior AI processing and efficiency. This translates to smoother performance in demanding applications and games, and better power management on the iPhone. The iPhone’s optimized software further enhances its performance advantage.
Battery Life
The iPhone 13 Pro Max achieves an impressive endurance rating of 121 hours, exceeding the Black Shark 4’s 96 hours. This difference is partially attributable to the A15 Bionic’s superior power efficiency. However, the Black Shark 4 compensates with its groundbreaking 120W wired charging, achieving a full charge in just 17 minutes – a stark contrast to the iPhone’s slower wired charging (50% in 30 minutes) and 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2). The Black Shark 4’s charging speed is a significant advantage for users who need to quickly top up their battery.
Buying Guide
Buy the Xiaomi Black Shark 4 if you need a dedicated gaming phone with blistering fast 120W charging, a high refresh rate display, and don't mind a more aggressive Android experience. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer a premium, integrated ecosystem, industry-leading battery life, a superior camera system, and a long-term software support commitment.