OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 comparison

OnePlus 7T (review) has debuted in India bearing flagship-level power and performance up its sleeve. If you recall, the archetype – OnePlus One was heralded as Flagship Killer for its amazing price to performance ratio. However, this ain’t 2014 and there are so many spec monsters in the smartphone jungle. From the top of my head, two such phones are the Asus ROG Phone 2 (review) and Black Shark 2 (review).

So, this time around there are more contenders for the title of Flagship Killer smartphone. Let’s compare them on different fronts to see how they stack up against each other. And hopefully, by the end, you’ll have your pick.

Starting off with the specs –

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 Specs comparison

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 comparison: Design and Build

Two of these, i.e Asus ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 belong to the gaming niche. As such, they vaunt bold design elements to distinguish their gaming DNA. The ROG has its signature AuraSync RGB lighting on a glass body with a matte finish. On similar lines, the Black Shark 2 flaunts an all-aluminum body with some glass spaces, RGB logo, and neon light side strips.

OnePlus 7T, on the other hand, keeps it’s subtle yet sublime. It has a minuscule notch, which gets better scores in my book than the big bezels on the other two phones. Your taste might differ.

In the weighing scale, ROG Phone 2 stays heavier at 250g, followed by Black Shark 2’s 205g and OnePlus 7T’s 190g.

Both Asus and Black Shark managed to house dual front-firing speakers, unlike the OnePlus which sticks to a solo bottom-firing grille. The audio experience might further set you back on the OnePlus due to the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, if you have resorted to wireless earphones, then that won’t be a problem.

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 comparison: Display

While the size, resolution and display tech remains the same in all the three. OnePlus 7T exhibits a 90Hz display, which was popularized by the OnePlus 7 Pro (review). This display has 100% color mapping in the DCI-P3 spectrum. It is HDR10+ complaint, features DC dimming and brags a peak brightness of 1000 nits. OnePlus has used a 6.55-inch 1080p OLED panel, which might come across as dispiriting for some.

Asus ROG Phone 2 is the first smartphone with a 120Hz AMOLED panel. It’s Delta E < 1 certified for color accuracy (at 60Hz). OnePlus 7T doesn’t lag behind with a 90Hz AMOLED panel and rakes a 100% coverage in the DCI P3 color gamut. While its HDR10+ complaint, ROG Phone 2 supports HDR10.

Coming last to the Black Shark 2 whose screen isn’t low-key either. It is a 6.39-inch full HD+ AMOLED screen, with up to 430 nits brightness, covers 108.9 percent of DCI P3 color gamut and features DC Dimming as well.

All three displays are protected by Gorilla Glass 6. So, that should take away a little anxiety out of your minds.

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 Pro comparison: Camera hardware

OnePlus 7T wins this category in numbers. It is more versatile than its opponents, wielding both telephoto and ultrawide sensors. So, you can use it to zoom optically and capture a wider field of view.

The selfies from OnePlus should out better results, although it has a smaller megapixel count. We won’t complain as both Asus ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 are gaming gears and have different focus altogether.

All that said, we are yet to pit their cameras against each other. So, please don’t bind us in our words in terms of photo quality.

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2 comparison: Performance

At the core, the trio shares high-end processing power coupled with massive memory configurations. While OnePlus and Asus cram the latest Snapdragon 855+, Black Shark uses the non-plus SoC. They sport LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 3.0 storage, each of which is best of standards, promising performance gains. But, the purchase decision could sway based on what you’re buying them for.

ALSO READ: 10+ Best Snapdragon 855 Plus Phones To Buy In 2019

For a casual gamer and even a heavy user, OnePlus 7T should perfectly do the job. However, the gaming rigs usher in a bevy of bells and whistles to spice up things.

Here’s what you get with Asus ROG Phone 2:

• There is an external heat transfer vent of the 3D vapor cooling chamber for heat dissipation, which is called the Gamecool 2 mechanism.
• You get dual front-firing speakers with DTS:X Ultra boost, 4 noise-canceling mics, all for an immersive gaming experience.
• There is a customized connector on the side to attach the third party controllers.
• Asus has also included an ultrasonic, pressure-sensitive Air Trigger buttons with reduced vibration latency (20ms).

On a different sea, the Black Shark 2 carries a similar set of features:

• Ludicrous Mode to ramp up the maximum CPU output at 2.84 GHz.
• Full-layer Liquid Cool 3.0 vapor chamber cooling system for heat dissipation
• Gamer Studio which can be accessed by swiping down from the top right corner. This can be used to tweak performance and display touch sensitivity.
• Shark Space is a dedicated feature triggered using a game key, that automatically pauses all RAM hungry background apps and gets the system into gaming.

Both brands offer a slew of accessories to ramp the gaming experience out of the phones.

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2: Software and Battery

In all the three phones, you get to experience close-to-stock Android. For example, Asus ROG Phone 2 has an over the top ROG UI out of the box. But, you get to pick the Classic vanilla theme within the settings. Still, you will witness the flashy elements inside Armoury Crate on Asus and Shark Space on Black Shark 2. These are dedicated applications for managing and enhancing the gameplay.

Thus, if I had to pick one, it would be the Oxygen OS on OnePlus 7T. It delivers a stupid slick and smooth interface, with zero-bloat, faster software updates, and comes with a lot of nice features. The UX has improved with the Android 10 update.

All these performances and gaming adventures will take a toll on the phone’s battery life. In sheer volume, ROG’s 6000mAh and Shark’s 4000mAh should endure long. But, 7T’s 3800mAh battery won’t disappoint in dint of its software-side optimizations. The 30W chargers on OnePlus and Asus as well as the 27W on Black Shark 2 are all rapid fillers.

OnePlus 7T vs Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Black Shark 2: Which One Should You Buy?

If you’re a game junkie who is looking for a custom gaming phone to match his/her gaming rig, then, Asus ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 should take precedence in your pick. Simply their flamboyant design language and a plethora of accessories should peak your excitement. On the other hand, if you’re up for something sober and equally powerful, go with OnePlus 7T. With it, you also get the cleanest and snappiest Android experience and a tad better camera experience. The OnePlus 7T should also be a better choice for people who aren’t open to extra-large phones. 

ALSO READ: OnePlus TV Q1 and Q1 Pro Launched in India: Price, Features, and Availability