Last month, Redmagic 8 Pro was officially launched for the global market. Making it the second gaming device after the iQOO 11 to be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Like the previous model, the Redmagic 8 Pro also has a built-in fan as a device cooling system, an RGB lighting system and shoulder buttons in contact with a vibration system that can make the gaming experience more realistic.
The Redmagic 8 Pro has arrived at the our lab since last week and after using it for a few days I can say that this is the most beautiful gaming smartphone I have ever held. But is this the best gaming device to date?
Specifications
REDMAGIC 8 PRO
6.8″ AMOLED screen, 120Hz
1116 x 2480 pixels
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (4nm)
1x 3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 chip
2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A715
2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A710
3x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A510
Adreno 740 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB RAM LPDDR5X
25GB UFS 4.0 Internal Storage
Main Camera 50 MP Samsung GN 5, f/1.88 (Wide Angle)
8 MP, f/2.2, (Ultra-Wide Angle)
2 MP, f/2.4, (Macro)
Front Camera 16 Megapixel f/2.0
2nd Generation under-screen camera (UDC).
6000mAh battery
65W wired charging
Charging bypass
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Audio 3.5mm audio jack
Stereo speakers
Waterproof None
Fingerprint Scan System under the screen
Selling Price *RM2877
*USD currency conversion
SCREEN
The 6.8-inch screen size is a large size. With the use of the camera under the screen, there is no notch or camera hole directly providing a very immersive usage experience. Even though the resolution is only FHD+, this wide and flat screen makes it easy for me to enjoy video content and play first with a satisfying experience. The bezel is also thin but due to the flat design around the device there is no problem to operate this device either in portrait or landscape mode.
The screen also lacks any HDR10+ or Dolby Vision recognition on Netflix. This is not explained on the official website making the viewing experience not as good as the Black Shark 5 Pro or ROG Phone 6 Pro. But the screen panel itself already supports HDR10+, just limited to YouTube only.
The refresh rate of 120Hz is also satisfactory because as far as using it for a few days there is no time lag and the scrolling is very smooth. The device also doesn't use an LTPO screen, so the refresh rate isn't adaptive. The refresh rate can be changed to 60, 90 and 120Hz through the settings screen or a special widget.
DESIGN
As I said at the beginning of the article, this 8 Pro is the most beautiful gaming device I have ever used. This is because this device uses a flat design as a whole, whether on the side, front, back, top or bottom, everything is flat making this device boxy. I agree that the definition of "beautiful" is subjective. A more boxy design is the current trend and this is in line with the personal taste that likes this kind of design. It's not aggressive like the ROG Phone 6 or a complex panel like the Black Shark 4 Pro.
Each corner is also not sharp making it comfortable in the hand and preventing injury if the device falls on a limb. It's just that long-term use is a bit tedious because this device is heavy. The review unit I'm using is matte black. Unlike last year's model which was transparent to reveal the cooling fan.
This device is dark black which makes it sexier. The back finish is soft and pleasant to hold and not slippery, there is a simple text of the device generation, brand, logo and tells the location of the touch shoulder button. The camera position is in the middle arranged vertically like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra but with a lens that is not so thick and easy to place on a table surface flat.
Not forgetting that this device has an RGB system hidden behind the shoulder button text and brand. The RGB system used is interesting because it is parallelized with the first run. It can also move in parallel with the audio being played and with the brightness increasing according to the audio volume level.
The right side of the device has a touch shoulder button, a drop-down switch for the primary mode, power, a microphone hole and a “Cooling Air Duct” ventilation hole. On the left side there is a second cooling vent and a volume adjustment button.
Above there is another microphone hole, speaker grill and 3.5mm audio jack. Finally at the bottom there is another microphone hole, SIM card slot and speaker grille as well.
Redmagic 8 Pro does look sexy and beautiful. After using this device for a few days I sat in thought wondering why I seem to have seen designs like this? It was only then that I remembered the design of this boxed gaming device started by Razer and once we tested the Razer Phone 2.
INTERFACE AND USER EXPERIENCE
On the Redmagic 7s Pro I say the device has a software problem due to the use of half-baked Android 12-based RedMagic OS 5.5. Redmagic 8 Pro, on the other hand, runs RedMagic OS 6 based on Android 13. As far as using it for a short period of time, I still find the same problem.
An example is that this global version device still has many applications with Mandarin text. Not only that, many of the settings explained in English are confusing because it's like using an inaccurate Google Translate translation.
On the application tray, after removing several applications, the moving icons are not displayed, making them look cluttered and strange because they look messy. Then for the global version, the device is still using the November 2022 security patch which is way behind. At the time of publication of this article no new updates have been provided.
Despite that, RedMagic OS 6 is a lightweight Chinese Android phone operating system. Light because there is almost no greasy application at all. Many installed Google applications can be turned off, while some of Nubia's own applications can be removed by the user if not needed.
Although the device runs Android 13, there aren't many Android 13 features like the Material You customization that gives you the freedom to choose the device's color theme Color Theme. Redmagic still relies heavily on Nubia's device software in China. Despite that, RedMagic OS 6 still offers many interesting features and functions as I have listed below.
Red Magic Studio – Enables the content of the device to be broadcast on the laptop screen and makes the device the first play controller.
RGB strip settings – customizable RGB color and movement patterns.
Always-On Display moves – Lots of AOD options, some move with time, battery percentage, cute animations and more.
Sound Sharpening – A feature that makes the audio from the speaker sharper.
neo AI – Contains two important features, namely Smart Game to manage features such as improving performance and controlling fans and neo Speed, a smart system that manages device memory and maintains security.
Cooling Fan – The setting controls the ICE 11 Multi-Dimensional Cooling System which is a cooling fan that moves at a maximum rate of 20,000 RPM.
SuperSnap – Screenshot management features, including adding watermarks.
Pulse Scanner – Can scan the pulse using the under-screen fingerprint scanner.
Mora – A useful anime digital assistant
BENCH MARK
As always, when a new device comes into the our lab benchmark tests will be performed. The Redmagic 8 Pro powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip promises high scores for its awesome and cool performance experience – especially the auto-on fan when Geekbench 6, AnTuTu and 3DMark are run as well. In this test I compare this device with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the OnePlus 11.
Geekbench 6
Redmi 8 Pro – 1689/5301
OnePlus 11 – 1495/4805
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – 1922/5017
AnTuTu 3D
Redmi 8 Pro – 1,293,501
OnePlus 11 – 1,104,135
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – 1,171,384
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
Redmi 8 Pro – 3738
OnePlus 11 – 3712
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – 3247
Geekbench 6 is a bit weak on single-core usage, but fastest in multi-core. AnTuTu 3D is the fastest so far that the application tells the score received at an incredible rate. 3DMark is also the fastest. This is the score I've come to expect for a gaming device because there's a good cooling system and memory management.
During the test, the device did not heat up at all because of the physical fan cooling system built into the body. Not only that, Redmagic also claims that this device uses a rare soft heat conductor material, there is a layer of copper and graphene under the screen and there is a heat absorbing gel to keep the device cool.
The experience of playing the first in a short period of time is also very satisfactory so far. But I still need time to test its capabilities in depth. So stay tuned for a full review of this device.
CAMERA
As always, Redmagic 8 Pro is a gaming device so they don't focus on the camera. But the included 50MP camera is just fine. I also still haven't fully tested the camera, here's an example of what the device is capable of producing.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
Here is what was included in the box we received.
1x Redmi 8 Pro
1x Plastic frame.
1x 65W three pin charger.
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x SIM Pin.
1x Manual.
CONCLUSION
So far, only one Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 gaming device has arrived in the Malaysian market, making this Redmagic 8 Pro the second. There is still no news about the next generation Black Shark and ASUS ROG Phone. But what can I say, the performance of this device is terrible.
The design is also beautiful and looks unique compared to most gaming devices on the market today. This device has the potential to be the best gaming device this year. But it all depends on the selling price. In the United States, the same model as this test unit is sold for $649, which is around RM2877. If RedMagic Malaysia can sell this device at a price of RM2,999 or RM3,199, it will surely amaze the gamers out there.
Pro
A wide screen without distractions.
The most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device to date.
Beautiful and unique design.
65W fast charging with bypass charging support.
Cons
RedMagic OS 6 which is still not quite ripe.
Concerns about software updates.
The audio is just loud, but not good.