Redmagic has actually entered the Malaysian market for a long time since 2019, but the marketing of this device is not good enough. Only those who follow the development of this brand will know what is the latest. Their latest device is the Redmagic 7S Pro, a gaming device with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip and a full screen with a selfie camera below the screen. The sale price starts at RM3,999 and reaches up to RM4,999. Is this the best gaming device and should you buy it?
Specifications And Design
REDMAGIC 7S Pro
6.8″ AMOLED FHD+ screen (1080×2400)
120 Hz
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor (4nm)
1x 3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 chip
3x 2.75 GHz Cortex-A710
4×1.80 GHz Cortex
Adreno 730 Graphics Chip
RAM 12/18 GB LPDDR5
Internal Storage 256/512 GB UFS 3.1
Primary Camera 64MP, f/1.79, OIS (Primary)
8MP, f/2.2 (Ultra-wide angle)
2MP, f/2.4 (Macro)
16MP Selfie Camera
UDC Pro
5000 mAh battery
65W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano
5G
NFC Available
Stereo Audio
Waterproof None
Scan System Fingerprint scan under the screen
Sale Price RM 3,999 (12/256 GB)
RM 4,999 (18/512 GB)
In many gaming devices, Redmagic 7S Pro is one of the most beautiful in terms of design. It is simple, elegant and pleasing to the eye. The review unit I received is Mercury in color, a silver color with a transparent glass panel revealing the RGB fan and text telling the location of important components. It is also quite flat, so there is no problem when placed on a flat surface. On the back can also be seen a grid to release heat, as well as on the sides.
All power buttons and volume buttons are on the right side with a drop down button on the left to enter gaming mode. The device has a neat design, with speaker grilles on the top and bottom unlike most devices, still has a 3.5mm audio jack port, and also has touch buttons on the shoulder for mobile video game controls.
The screen of this device is 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch rate of 960Hz. The screen of the device is also a full bezel-less type with no notch or hole with a camera below the screen. It's a basic screen, no HDR10+, no Dolby Vision – so the colors are sometimes a little washed out with only in prime mode the colors becoming sharper and brighter. This Redmagic 7S Pro screen is not only almost frameless with a relatively thin bezel, but uses the "dual-screen" method to hide the selfie camera.
The screen is also a flat type, so the experience of first playing is comfortable and watching videos in an immersive state. The refresh rate on it is also fast and rarely lags. Among the many screens that support a 120Hz refresh rate, this device is one of the most satisfactory.
Redmagic 7S Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, one of the most powerful for Android devices. It is paired with up to 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM as on this review unit with 512GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. The camera is 64+8+2 Megapixel with a 16 Megapixel selfie camera under the screen.
The device's battery is 5000mAh with GaN-based 65W fast charging support. Redmagic 7S Pro also uses its own cooling system which is the REDMAGIC ICE 10.0 Multi-dimensional Cooling System which is equipped with an RGB cooling fan that rotates at a rate of 20,000 RPM. In addition, it also includes its own Red Core 1 chip to handle gaming features such as audio and haptics. The operating system used is RedMagic OS 5.5 based on Android 12.
Overall, on paper this device undeniably offers pretty great specs. But what about real world use?
Use And Software
It's very rare in our labs, just turn on a flagship device and I'm constantly disappointed. Normally I would feel happy and excited because I can't wait to test the interesting features and functions of a device. The Redmagic 7S Pro running RedMagic OS 5.5 is one of the most problematic operating systems I've ever used.
It uses a messy typeface, the English text is all imprecise as if it's a direct translation from Chinese, and their main widget to control the refresh rate isn't very efficient to use either.
The operating system on this device is very simple with a light theme. At first it was interesting, because it was easy to understand to do what you wanted. It is also packed with features and functions such as a fingerprint scan under the screen that can also scan the pulse, can control the number of pixels in the selfie camera area, has an anime digital assistant that can notify notifications during a game session, a smart RGB fan that rotates automatically when the device warm up, and lots of cool widgets.
It's just that the battery can't check SOT, the automatic brightness system isn't very accurate, the volume control isn't specific, and the worst part is the inconsistent system updates. During the initial use, in the settings section of Google Play system update more than five times I downloaded the update and rebooted the device – but it still stayed with the old version.
It only becomes normal after a few days of use with system updates distributed. As of this writing I have received two system updates with no clear change log for what the changes were.
The Redmagic representative also told us that this device will only be supported for two years - which is a big drawback for a device worth almost RM5000.
Since this device is a gaming device, its strength is in the first. The Game Space they use is very simple and includes important features that greatly complement the first time playing experience. It also provides a very satisfactory performance, not to mention COD Mobile, PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9.
The shoulder buttons on this device with haptic effect coupling are very good and almost realistic. I can say more or less with Black Shark before using physical buttons and ROG Phone. The fan on this device also helps to keep the device cool and not at an extreme heating level.
Most interesting to me is Redmagic Studio, a feature that broadcasts the device's screen directly to a laptop or smart television. Through it, the device will be a control device and the laptop or TV will be the main screen. In my tests, it was pretty fast and great – but there were some lags that I'm sure were due to a poor Internet connection. It can also be used to display game sessions to others to see how great your favorite player's playing skills are.
Bench mark
It would be fair for me to compare the Redmagic 7S Pro alongside the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro and also the Black Shark 5 Pro. These three are gaming devices in the our lab. Unsurprisingly, this device received the highest benchmark score. With excellent playing experience, there is no doubt that it can achieve good scores.
Every benchmark test, the fan runs automatically and I put the AnTuTu 3D, Geekbench 5 and 3DMark apps into Game Space. Through AnTuTu this device received a score of 1,108,890, Geekbench 5 with 1,345/4,201 and 3DMark at a value of 2,719. Here is a comparison with two other gaming devices;
AnTuTu 3D
Redmi 7S Pro: 1,108,890
ROG Phone 6 Pro: 1,099,5132
Black Shark 5 Pro: 1,018,939
Geekbench 5
Redmi 7S Pro: 1,345/4,201
ROG Phone 6 Pro: 1,312/4,191
Black Shark 5 Pro: 1,202/3,693
3DMark
Redmi 7S Pro: 2,719
ROG Phone 6 Pro: 2,786
Black Shark 5 Pro: –
This device is seen to lose only with 3DMark, but the highest compared to other competitors. This high number is in line with my experience using this device for almost a month.
Telephony And GPS
The Redmagic 7S Pro is one of the best devices with an Internet connection, whether via WiFi or mobile data. So far, my usage is stable and there are no problems even in areas where the Internet is usually not very fast.
In the list of devices at DNB, only Redmagic 7 is listed. I'm sure Redmagic 7s Pro will also support 5G, but in the office and home area 5G is still not stable enough and the YES SIM card I'm using can't use it.
Phone calls are also quite clear, just the voice sounds a little strange – maybe the distinctive Red Core 1 chip. GPS is also quite good, no serious problems during my use for several weeks.
Camera
These devices priced at RM3,999 and RM4,999 believe it or not have the same camera quality as devices worth RM599. It's one of those disappointing, unclear, user-unfriendly camera apps and most disappointing selfie camera that's blurry like a dirty lens.
I've tried taking pictures in bright light areas, the details are not well preserved. The night mode is also disappointing with only limited capabilities. The ultra wide angle and macro modes also produce less than satisfactory pictures. It is indeed a gaming device but few devices in the same class this year can at least take decent pictures on a wide angle lens. Poor camera quality is something that is hard to forgive for such an expensive device.
Battery
The battery however, is pretty great and lasts a long time. Maybe keeping the device cool plays a role. But in my usage, it's no problem to achieve 7-8 hours SOT with light use and 5-6 hours SOT if active gaming and video streaming. This 5000mAh battery is also relatively fast charging with 65W power through GaN technology. I also have a Nubia GaN 65W charger, it supports this fast charging without any problem.
The charging period is around 50 minutes depending on the condition of the device. The GaN charger used is based on PD3.0. It's a bit disappointing that the unit in Malaysia can't get a 135W charger like in China which can charge the device from 0%-100% in 15 minutes.
Audio
Although the Redmagic 7S Pro uses a stereo speaker system, it does not have satisfactory quality. First as I mentioned before, the volume control is not very good and inconsistent. Then no matter what media is played, it is a little drowned out with not very deep bass and not having enough loud audio. Playing first strangely did not give any problems. It's as if this device is made only for playing games and cannot do other activities.
In the box
Here's what you get with every device purchase in Malaysia.
1x Redmagic 7S Pro
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x 65W GaN Charger.
1x Silicone frame
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin
Conclusion
Yes, there is no denying that the Redmagic 7S Pro is a dedicated device for gaming only. If you feel that the camera and audio are not important and the display is only FHD+ without HDR10+ or Dolby Vision standards – this device is one of the best to play first. Then if you feel that only two years of updates is enough, this is the device for you.
Redmagic 7S Pro does not need a foreign cooling fan, because it is already built, offers satisfactory battery life, comes with an attractive and premium design, and focuses gaming completely with Game Space and Redmagic Studio. RM4,999 for 18/512 GB may be a bit expensive, but in my opinion 12/256 GB may be enough and will be satisfactory.
Only, in our experience – for RM100 cheaper you can buy the Black Shark 5 Pro 12/256 at RM3,899 which has a physical shoulder button or the Asus ROG Phone 6D at the same price with better features.
Pro
Beautiful, unique and premium design.
Full screen without notch and hole.
Terrible performance with satisfying gaming features.
Satisfactory battery life and fairly fast charging.
Cons
Very poor camera.
A not so beautiful operating system.
The screen does not have a beautiful display standard.
Unsatisfactory audio.