As a passionate gamer always on the lookout for the next level of gaming experience, I eagerly anticipated the release of the Red Magic 9 Pro. Promising top-notch gaming performance and a host of features tailored for gamers, I was excited to put it to the test. After spending some time with the device, here’s my detailed Gaming Phone Review 2024.
Design and Build : Gaming Phone Review
The Red Magic 9 Pro makes a bold statement with its futuristic design and gamer-centric aesthetics. From the moment I unboxed it, I was impressed by its eye-catching design, featuring angular lines, customizable RGB lighting, and the iconic Red Magic logo emblazoned on the back. The build quality feels solid and sturdy, with a premium finish that exudes confidence. Despite its large size, the phone feels comfortable to hold. But it is still a big and bulky phone which is 8.9mm thick and half a millimeter thinner than the 8S Pro, and with a similar weight of 229 grams.
The Red Magic 9 Pro boasts a bold design that’s all about sleek edges and an industrial vibe, but with a touch of sophistication. This year, they’ve gone for a cleaner, flatter back, neatly placing the camera module underneath a transparent cover. It’s a slick move, giving the phone a polished look, although the flash could do with being a tad less prominent.
The front of the phone is all screen, with minimal bezels and an under-display selfie cam. It looks slick, but it might not be the most comfortable for gaming, with less space to grip and the potential for accidental touches. Plus, the speakers are on the edges, which isn’t ideal for landscape gaming.
The rear cameras sit flush under the glass, so you can lay your phone down without worry. But this sleek look has its downsides. Fingerprints love to hang out on that flat back, and it’s a constant battle keeping them at bay. Nubia could have thrown in a microfiber cloth instead of a case to tackle this. And speaking of cases, the one that comes with it has its own issues. While it’s meant to protect the lenses, it ends up attracting more dust and lint, making photography a bit of a hassle. It’s a bit of a trade-off for aesthetics, and honestly, I wish they’d prioritized function over flair.
The button layout has had a tweak too, with the power button now a circular one to avoid accidental presses. A small change but a thoughtful one, and there’s a dedicated Game Space switch on the side, a neat touch for gamers. At the bottom, you’ll find the USB-C port, while the top houses that precious headphone jack.
The LED accents are tastefully done, with subtle strips under the touch triggers and a glowing “09” logo at the back. It’s not over the top like some gaming phones, but it still adds a cool factor. And you can customize them to your heart’s content. Overall, the RedMagic 9 Pro looks fantastic. The phone itself feels solid, with an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the display. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it gets the job done. And while it misses out on IP ratings for water and dust resistance, it’s a trade-off for hitting that sweet price point.
Display : Gaming Phone Review
One of the standout features of the Red Magic 9 Pro is its stunning display. The Red Magic 9 Pro comes with a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen that offers a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, providing smooth visuals for gaming and multimedia consumption. Compared to its predecessor, the Red Magic 8 Pro, it boasts an additional 300 nits of brightness, making for a brighter display overall. Whether I’m playing fast-paced action games or watching high-definition videos, the display never fails to impress with its crisp visuals and responsive touch sensitivity. The ultra-low touch latency ensures minimal input lag, giving gamers a competitive edge in intense gaming sessions.
Users have the flexibility to choose between different refresh rates, including 120Hz, 90Hz, and 60Hz, or they can opt for the Auto mode, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on the content being viewed. While the phone defaults to the highest refresh rate, those concerned about battery life can lock it to 60Hz.
The AMOLED panel delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks, enhancing the viewing experience for users. With multiple color mode options available, including Colorful and Soft, users can customize the display to suit their preferences. Additionally, the adoption of BOE’s Q9+ luminescent material results in a punchier output, albeit slightly oversaturated at default settings.
The Red Magic 9 Pro’s display also offers improved brightness, with a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, up 300 nits from its predecessor. Even with auto-brightness turned off, the phone achieves a brightness of 445 nits, ensuring excellent visibility in various lighting conditions.
While it may not rival the sharpest displays on the market, the Red Magic 9 Pro’s screen excels as a gaming canvas, thanks to its large size, high refresh rate, and responsiveness. The inclusion of features like a near-invisible under-display camera and a snappy 960Hz touch sampling rate further enhances the gaming experience.
In terms of durability, the Red Magic 9 Pro’s display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, offering some resistance against scratches and impact. However, due to the design of the phone for cooling purposes, it lacks water and dust resistance rating, requiring users to handle it with care to prevent damage from accidental exposure to liquids or debris.
Red Magic 9 Pro Camera:
While gaming is the primary focus of the Red Magic 9 Pro, it doesn’t compromise on camera performance. The Red Magic 9 Pro boasts fewer cameras compared to its predecessors, with just three in total. On the rear, there’s a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide camera, while the front houses a 16MP selfie camera hidden beneath the display.
The 50MP primary camera, similar to its predecessor, performs adequately outdoors in good lighting conditions. Meanwhile, the new 50MP ultrawide lens ensures crisp landscape shots, although low-light photography isn’t its strong suit. As for the selfie camera, housed under the display, it disappoints with oversharpened images, washed-out colors, and a struggle to capture authentic skin tones.
Moving objects can cause odd gaps in photos, as evident around the cat in sample images. While expectations for a front-facing camera aren’t sky-high, it would have been appreciated if Nubia provided something capable of producing share-worthy photos. Nubia has made improvements to the ultrawide camera by swapping out the 8MP sensor for a 50MP Samsung JN1 alternative. While decent in good lighting, there’s a noticeable gap in quality compared to the main sensor, especially in terms of tone and dynamic range.
The addition of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) enhances the video capabilities of the Red Magic 9 Pro. Despite shooting at 8K/30fps, 4K/60fps, or 1080p/240fps, the footage benefits from the new stabilizing technology, resulting in smoother and more professional-looking videos.
However, one aspect that remains unchanged is the underwhelming performance of the 16MP under-display selfie camera. While it saves space on the display, the selfie shots still lack clarity, appearing blurry and smudgy, leaving much to be desired.
Red Magic 9 Pro Gaming Performance:
The Red Magic 9 Pro’s performance is a force to be reckoned with, thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. While most Android games on the Play Store aren’t overly demanding, this phone’s hardware is more than capable of handling them effortlessly. Whether diving into the vast landscapes of Genshin Impact or engaging in intense Call of Duty matches, the framerate remains consistently smooth.
I pushed the Red Magic 9 Pro to its limits during testing, attempting to overheat it with multiple tasks simultaneously. Surprisingly, even with Genshin Impact running at a solid 60FPS, max brightness, max CPU performance, music playing, downloading, and charging, it only warmed slightly. The cooling fan efficiently maintains stable temperatures without becoming obtrusive.
The inclusion of dual shoulder triggers adds a tactile element to gaming, boasting a touch-sample rate of 520Hz and a quick response time. While nothing beats a physical controller, these triggers offer surprising utility, enhanced by their short, sharp rumble feedback.
Underneath the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powers the Red Magic 9 Pro, supported by either 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. RedMagic’s own Red Core 2 Pro gaming chip complements the Snapdragon, focusing its power solely on gaming tasks.
In terms of raw processing power, the Red Magic 9 Pro competes with 2024 flagship phones, offering a noticeable performance boost over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. While the iPhone 15 Pro may have the edge in single-core CPU performance, the Red Magic 9 Pro holds its ground in GPU performance, winning its fair share of rounds.
What truly sets the Red Magic 9 Pro apart is its sustained performance. Rigorous testing reveals its remarkable stability, maintaining consistent scores even after successive intensive graphical tests. This is made possible by the upgraded ten-layer ICE 13.0 Cooling System, featuring a physical fan that ensures stable performance even during extended gaming sessions.
Battery Life : Gaming Phone Review
The Red Magic 9 Pro doesn’t just bring gaming prowess to the table; it also boasts an impressive battery performance that ensures you stay powered up for hours on end. With a substantial 6,500mAh dual-cell battery configuration, Nubia has outdone itself, offering extended usage without compromising on performance.
Compared to its predecessor, the Red Magic 9 Pro’s battery capacity has seen a significant boost. With a massive 6,500mAh battery, it’s built to last through even the most demanding gaming sessions and everyday use. Despite the increased capacity, the phone manages to maintain a sleek and manageable form factor, making it a practical choice for gamers on the go.
During my testing, I found that the Red Magic 9 Pro could easily last through a full day of moderate usage with about four hours of screen-on time. Even after a day’s use, the battery still had around 65% capacity remaining, opening up the possibility of practical two-day usage. Gamers will particularly appreciate the extended battery life, as it allows for multiple intensive gaming sessions throughout the day without the need for frequent charging.
The Red Magic 9 Pro comes bundled with an 80W charger, offering faster charging speeds compared to its predecessor. With the included charger, I was able to charge the phone from 0% to 100% in just 42 minutes, ensuring minimal downtime between gaming sessions. While there’s no wireless charging option, the rapid wired charging more than makes up for it, especially for gaming enthusiasts who prioritize performance.
Gaming Features : Gaming Phone Review
As a dedicated gaming smartphone, the Red Magic 9 Pro comes loaded with a plethora of gaming-centric features designed to enhance the gaming experience. The customizable shoulder triggers provide tactile feedback and customizable functionality, giving gamers a competitive edge in fast-paced games. The Game Space software suite offers tools for performance optimization, screen recording, and game streaming, allowing gamers to fine-tune their gaming experience to perfection. Additionally, the built-in turbo fan ensures efficient heat dissipation, keeping temperatures low during intense gaming sessions.
