Xiaomi's Black Shark 4 finally has a release date and price

Black Shark 4
(Image credit: Black Shark / TechRadar)

Xiaomi can be relied on to undercut its competition, and it's done just that with its newest gaming phone, the Black Shark 4. First launched in March, this long-awaited device from Xiaomi's gaming-focused sub-brand is now available to pre-order, for a relatively low price.

Black Shark has announced that the fourth-generation device is available to pre-order on its website, and that it will be shipped - and go on sale fully - from May 6. You can order the phone from the US, UK and Australia, though in the latter region you'll have to do so through Xiaomi's website, where it ships from May 3.

We've also got some prices for the standard Black Shark 4 in its two configurations, which we'll list below. There's no word on the Pro model just yet though, so it's not clear when that will go on sale.

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Black Shark 4 prices
ConfigurationUS priceUK priceAU price
8GB RAM, 128GB storage$499£429$899
12GB RAM, 256GB storage$599£519Not on sale

Healthy competition

At that price the Xiaomi Black Shark 4 closely rivals another gaming phone, the Nubia Red Magic 6, which costs $599 / £509 (roughly AU$850) for 12GB RAM and 128GB storage.

These two lower-cost gaming phones undercut the pricier Lenovo Legion Phone Duel and Asus ROG Phone 5, though could soon themselves be beaten by a new rumored handset.

Another Xiaomi sub-brand, Redmi, is rumored to be working on its own gaming handset - Redmi typically offers budget devices with impressive specs, so we could see a phone which beats out all its competitors in terms of price.

Until that phone gets launched, though, the Black Shark 4 is the most affordable new gaming phone of 2021. Stay tuned for our full review when we get hands-on with the device.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.