RedMagic 9 Pro – The supercar of mobile gaming phones
Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro in Snowfall silver. Picture: Noel Campion.
The RedMagic 9 Pro takes centre stage at a time when smartphones are more than just communication tools — they’re also capable of being powerful gaming machines. The recently launched game-centric powerhouse, the 9 Pro, is one of the first devices with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and other cutting-edge hardware and features. If you take your mobile gaming seriously and seek the best, the RedMagic 9 Pro is worth a look.
The RedMagic 9 Pro comes in a stunning designed silver box, capturing attention from the get-go. Opening the box reveals a visually appealing RedMagic logo insert, housing essential documentation, a transparent hard shell case, a robust red USB-C to USB-C cable, and an 80W charger. To avoid blocking the fan and touch triggers, the case wraps around the top, bottom edges, corners and the back, leaving the side uncovered.
The transparent silver variant of the RedMagic 9 Pro I received from Nubia for this review immediately speaks to gamers with its vibrant RGB elements. The lights are optional and can be turned off.
The back is almost flat except for a tiny raised section around the flash. Although there are three rear cameras, you could mistakenly believe the three vertical stacked circles are cameras, but the third ‘lens’ is the active fan. The third camera is a tiny 2MP macro lens located below the flash.
The metal side rails are flat, as is the front, making the 9 Pro a rectangular slab, which may not be to everyone's liking, but I love the look and feel. It reminds me of the Sony Xperia range.
A speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack are on the top edge. Do you remember those? Additionally, there’s an infrared transmitter (IR transmitter) that can be used as a remote for your TV, HiFi system or most devices that use an IR remote.
On the right edge are left and right capacitive touch triggers, the outtake vent for the active fan, a volume rocker, a stylish metal power button and a dedicated red slider button to bring you directly to the RedMagic Game Space Centre. On the right edge is the intake vent for the fan, while on the bottom edge is the second speaker for a powerful stereo sound and the SIM tray.
The 6.8-inch OLED display of the RedMagic 9 Pro stands out with its impressive 120Hz refresh rate, delivering a seamless viewing experience. The uninterrupted display is achieved through the innovative placement of the selfie camera under the screen. You also get a conveniently placed fingerprint scanner that makes it easy to unlock the phone.
I found the phone comfortable for 30 to 60-minute sessions, and I generally don’t game on my phone for longer. The touch triggers are great for shorter gaming bouts, but I prefer a gaming controller when playing at home. I’ve been using the GameSir G8 Gallelao with the 9 Pro lately, and it’s an excellent combination. Of course, RedMagic and others offer excellent gaming controller solutions, too, and I’d highly recommend one for long gaming sessions.
At the heart of the RedMagic 9 Pro lies its claim to fame – as the first gaming phone equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. In both games and synthetic benchmarking, it can deliver top-tier scores. A rigorous 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test showcases its remarkable ability to retain 93% stability after a demanding 20-minute GPU workout. Other phones might start well, but as soon as the heat increases, the performance drops dramatically, and this is where the 9 Pro has a massive advantage over non-gaming phones. The innovative RedMagic Ice 13 cooling system and an active cooling solution are why the phone can sustain gaming performance. Nothing can match the 9 Pro for pure power right now, thanks to the latest processor, incredibly efficient active cooling and the 120Hz display.
Navigating your gaming library with the RedMagic 9 Pro is made easy thanks to the many customisation options via the Game Space Centre. From performance mode adjustments to refining the refresh rate and remapping triggers, users possess a comprehensive toolkit for tailoring their gaming experience.
My review variant of the 9 Pro came with 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. You can’t expand the storage with a microSD card, but it does come with dual SIM support.
Asymmetrical speaker placement enhances the audio experience during gaming sessions, ensuring optimal sound quality regardless of the device's orientation. The sound quality is excellent and can get loud for a phone. Of course, you can plug wired headphones into the phone for optimal lag-free sound or pair the excellent RedMagic Cyberbuds I reviewed recently. And get the latest Bluetooth 5.3, so you can pair any true wireless headphones you want.
The 9 Pro is designed for marathon gaming sessions and boasts a robust 6500mAh dual-cell battery. Paired with 80W super-fast charging, it ensures a long-lasting battery life of up to 56 hours and quick recharging capabilities. What’s crazy is that despite the massive battery, the phone is only 236g — 3g lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro Max and is only 9.6mm thick.
The 9 Pro incorporates the Red Core 2, a dedicated gaming chip developed by RedMagic. This innovation, coupled with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, reduces CPU and GPU power consumption by 34% and 38%, respectively. The result? Extended battery life without compromising performance makes it the ultimate smartphone for gamers who demand excellence.
You can play all the latest titles on the 9 Pro like never before, but it also makes for a great mobile retro rig. Of course, many older retro titles will run well on most phones. Still, more demanding emulators and games can use the 9 Pro’s raw power for higher resolutions and smoother, more reliable gameplay.
Beyond its gaming prowess, the RedMagic 9 Pro incorporates a triple camera array. The 50MP primary sensor and 50MP ultra-wide sensor offer excellent results while not being class-leading. The 2MP macro camera isn’t great, but it does come in handy on rare occasions.
The selfie camera is an improvement over the RedMagic 8 Pro and is acceptable for casual video calls. However, it can’t compete with traditional selfie cameras, which don’t have a display to get through, resulting in softer images with less contrast and colour saturation. The camera software does a decent job of enhancing these images to make them usable, but ultimately, it’s a compromise to get thin bezels and a gorgeous, uninterrupted display.
Running on RedMagic UI 9 and built on Android 14, the software ecosystem is intuitive and feature-rich. Beyond standard features, the device can customise fan sounds and many gaming-oriented features, creating an enjoyable and immersive experience. The harmonious synergy between software and hardware results in a user-friendly interface catering to the specific needs of gaming enthusiasts.
The RedMagic 9 Pro is an excellent phone for everyday use, albeit with minor compromises. The selfie camera is sub-par and doesn’t have wireless charging or a waterproof rating. You get a striking design, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an uninterrupted 120Hz display, touch triggers, a massive battery and the fastest mobile platform on Android right now. Seamlessly blending cutting-edge performance with distinctive design elements, the RedMagic 9 Pro stands tall in a niche where the pursuit of gaming performance is paramount.
Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro - from €649 RedMagic
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