Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched its new Black Shark gaming phone to take on Razer. The handset is one of the cheapest phones now available that carries a Snapdragon 845 and also has a liquid cooling solution.

There are two variants of the phone: The first has 6GB of RAM paired with 64GB of UFS2.1 internal storage; the second has 8GB of memory with 128GB of storage. There is no microSD card for expansion. Featuring a 5.99-inch 18:9 display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, the IPS LCD panel covers 97 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. When set to maximum brightness, the display measures in around 550 nits.

The Black Shark has a 4000mAh battery and supports fast charging up to 18W over USB-C. On the rear of the device, dual cameras and dual LED flash are found. Both the 12MP and 20MP cameras present are f/1.75. A front facing 20MP camera with f/2.2 aperture is capable of 4K video and has many filtering effects for still photos.

One of the main attractions for gamers is the Black Shark Gamepad. A Bluetooth controller with its own 340mAh battery can provide a gaming experience that is unmatched by most other smartphones. Other gaming-centric features include an upgraded microphone for better voice communication and noise rejection to provide clearer audio.

A multi-stage direct contact liquid cooling system can keep the Black Shark running in high performance mode for an extended period of time. Upon engagement, the liquid cooling system can bring the CPU temperature down by 8°C.

Xiaomi's Black Shark is available for pre-order today and is expected to ship on April 20. Pricing is set at CNY2,999 and CNY3,499 for the 6GB/64GB and 8GB/128GB models respectively. Converting to US currency, that is $477 and $557. Black Shark Gamepads will be included free for the first 50,000 customers. After that, they will be sold separately for CNY179 or about $28.