Redmagic Astra 2: A concentrated dose of raw gaming power
The RedMagic Astra 2 gaming tablet features a premium aluminium-and-glass build for professional players. Pictures: RedMagic
I have spent the last two weeks with the Redmagic Astra 2, and it is difficult to treat this like a normal tablet. While most manufacturers are trying to make tablets thinner and more lifestyle-oriented, Redmagic has gone in the opposite direction. This is a specialised tablet, more akin to a handheld console, for the most demanding mobile titles.
While the Astra 2 is excellent for normal tasks, its core purpose is built for a specific type of user who cares about frame rates and thermal stability above all else.
The Astra 2 is remarkably slim at just 6.9mm. Despite that thinness, it feels premium, sporting an aluminium middle frame paired with a glass back, which gives it a sturdy, substantial feel in the hand.
I really like the flat design, which differs from that of many modern smartphones and tablets, thanks to the lack of a protruding camera module. This makes the device sit flush on a desk and feels much more cohesive. However, it still manages to house a 13MP rear and 9MP front-facing camera.
The Astra 2 is a gaming-first tablet, so it’s not surprising to see RGB lighting present, and while some might find it a bit flashy, I found that the customisable effects added a nice bit of personality without making it look tacky.
The weight sits at 363g, which is quite light for a tablet of this type, making it easier to hold during longer sessions than its larger predecessors. It also carries an IP54 rating, so you don't have to worry about minor splashes or dust while playing outdoors, though I certainly wouldn't be taking it near a swimming pool.
The 9.06-inch OLED screen is arguably the highlight of this high-spec tablet. It features 2.4K resolution, making everything from text to high-fidelity game textures look incredibly sharp. It also features a 185Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling through menus and playing fast-paced shooters feel exceptionally fluid.
During my testing, I noticed how the screen handled much brighter environments. With a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, it remains legible even when I was sitting near a bright window. The colour accuracy is also impressive, with a Delta E of approximately 0.7, meaning the visuals in games look vibrant but also true to life.
One feature that actually made a difference in my real-world use was the Synaptics touch chip. We have all experienced that frustrating moment when sweaty fingers cause a game to miss a critical input. The Astra 2’s high-touch sampling rate of up to 2,000Hz meant that even when my hands were getting warm due to the recent hot weather, the controls remained responsive and accurate.
Under the hood, the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the proprietary RedCore R4 chip is frankly overkill for anything other than gaming. My sample unit came with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. In my experience, apps opened instantly, and I never saw a single stutter, even when multitasking between heavy games and background tasks.
The real magic, however, is in the AquaCore Cooling System 2.0. It’s the first mass-produced tablet of its kind to use liquid cooling. I put the device through its paces with my library of games, from COD Mobile and Wreckfest to Vampire Survivors, specifically testing the feature that supports higher frame rates. In COD, I managed silky-smooth 166 FPS with no stuttering. While most tablets would thermal-throttle and drop frames after 20 minutes under such a heavy load, the Astra 2 remained remarkably stable. The combination of liquid metal and a large vapour chamber seems to do its job effectively, keeping temperatures manageable even when the GPU is working hard.
The Astra 2 has a massive 8,300mAh cell that lasted me through several hours of continuous gameplay. When it did run low, the 75W fast charging brought it back up much faster than I expected. A huge practical advantage here is the dual USB-C port setup. Having a second port is a unique feature for a tablet. It means you can keep the charging cable plugged into one side while using a wired headset or a peripheral in the other. The two ports differ significantly in speed, with the side port supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2 while the top-edge port is limited to USB 2.0.
The GameSpace interface offers gamer-specific tools, such as the Tactical Coach for certain games and various overlays like custom crosshairs or even an equaliser.
The ability to use the tablet as a desktop-like experience via USB 3.2 Gen 2, by connecting it to a monitor with a DisplayPort output, is also a great touch for power users.
The audio is equally loud and clear, thanks to the dual speakers and DTS:X Ultra certification. The haptics are also quite punchy; the dual X-axis motors provided some nice tactile feedback during explosions and heavy impacts in games, adding to the immersion.
If there is a downside, it is that the Astra 2 is very much a specialist tablet. The gaming-centric features might feel like clutter to someone who just wants a tablet for movies.
If you live for high-frame-rate mobile gaming, the Astra 2 is hard to beat. Its specialised cooling and incredible display justify the price, provided you can overlook its very specific, gamer-centric design language.
Redmagic Astra 2 from €699 eu.redmagic.gg
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