Redmagic 7 Pro review: The ultimate gaming experience
The Redmagic 7 Pro claims to offer an unparalleled gaming experience for young people to enjoy mobile gaming without any limits. In this full review, I will tell you whether this gaming smartphone that carries a more expensive price tag compared to a PS5 can really be deemed as the ultimate portable gaming console.
Good
- 120 Hz AMOLED bezel-less display
- Cool transparent and backlit design
- High-quality stereo speakers
- Unmatched performance without overheating
Bad
- Disappointing camera module
- Battery life could be improved for longer gaming sessions
- No IP certification
- Fuzzy update policy
The Redmagic 7 Pro in a nutshell
The Redmagic 7 Pro will be made available globally from April 27, 2022, in two versions with an exclusive color each. The Obsidian version (black and opaque back) in 16/256 GB is sold for $799 and the Supernova variant (transparent back) in 16/512 GB is priced at $899.
Pre-orders will open on April 22 on the official REDMAGIC store with an introductory offer that gives you a $30 voucher for only $1.99.
For$750, you can buy a PS5, an Xbox Series X or a Nintendo Switch OLED with more than enough change left over, assuming you can find an available unit. Is a gaming smartphone that was specially designed only to play mobile games worth forking out that amount of money? It all depends on your approach to mobile gaming philosophy.
What is certain is that there is no Android smartphone that is more powerful than the Redmagic 7 Pro today. Its performance-to-price ratio is virtually unmatched for now. Even if, admittedly, the Pro version doesn't bring much compared to the already very good basic model, which I also reviewed. The big difference being the famous Pro Vision Gaming experience touted by the manufacturer, which essentially relies on the completely bezel-less display with no notches or punches.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro design and build quality
The Redmagic 7 Pro looks almost exactly like the basic Redmagic 7 except that it's a little thicker and not as long, and yet carries the totally same gaming-centric look.
What I liked:
- Very cool transparent back.
- Well-placed and very responsive haptic triggers.
- 3.5 mm jack.
- 100% bezel-free 120 Hz AMOLED screen that is very immersive.
What I disliked:
- No IP rating.
I'm not going to repeat the same points that I shared in the review of the basic model, as that would be redundant (you'll see that it's going to be a recurring theme in this review).
Overall, I really like the semi-transparent back of this Supernova color that lets some components be seen such as the internal fan or the graphite layers in the steam chamber. The fan lights up when you activate it with RGB LEDs. Rest assured, you can turn off the backlighting to conserve some battery life.
Also the back will feature the outer vapor chamber dissipation plate, which is matte in texture and pleasant to the touch. We have a couple of ventilation grills on the right edge and at the back, so forget about having any IP certification for waterproofing. But this is the price to pay for having a built-in fan.
The only downside for me would be the placement of the 3.5 mm jack and USB-C along the edges. It's anything but ergonomic when you hold the smartphone in portrait mode to play. This is something I also criticized the Redmagic 6 last year. On the Redmagic 7 Pro, the jack has been moved to, apparently, provide more comfort.
Basically, it is placed at the top left when you hold the smartphone in landscape mode. But personally, this placement also bothers me, especially when I use the haptic triggers. I would have preferred a placement on the edge of the smartphone, so that the grip is at the bottom when you hold the smartphone in landscape mode, so as not to interfere with your hands when you play.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro display
The Redmagic 7 Pro features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution, and a touch sampling rate of up to 960Hz.
What I liked:
- 120 Hz refresh rate.
- 960 Hz touch sampling rate.
- Extremely customizable colorimetry.
- Almost 100% bezel-free (no notches or punch holes).
What I disliked:
- Brightness is a bit on the low side.
The screen of the Redmagic 7 Pro differs rather starkly from the base model even though we have the same 6.8-inch diagonal and the same Full HD+ definition resolution. Where does the Pro version branch out differently? There is no notch or nasty punch-hole camera in front. Unlike the normal Redmagic 7, which retains a wide bezel to prevent the selfie camera from obstructing the screen, the Redmagic 7 Pro offers an even more effective solution by hiding the front camera under the screen.
This choice allows the Redmagic 7 Pro to be slimmer and shorter than the base model while offering the same diagonal, bezel-free display that is far more immersive and occupies 92.7% of the smartphone's front.
The Pro model also supports a higher touch sampling rate of 960 Hz (compared to 720 Hz on the base Redmagic 7) to make touch controls even more responsive and precise. The advertised maximum brightness of 700 nits is still a bit on the low side in my opinion, especially when it comes to gaming use, though alI didn't experience any noticeable legibility issues.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro software
The Redmagic 7 Pro is powered by Redmagic OS 5.0, an Android 12-based skin, and the interface is exactly the same as on the base Redmagic 7, with the Game Space menu that I still find to be efficient and comprehensive.
What I liked:
- A very comprehensive Game Space menu.
- Integrated FPS counter and other performance measures.
- Heart rate measurement via the fingerprint reader (to know if I should stop raging on CoD).
What I disliked:
- Less than accurate translations in the English and French versions.
- Update policy remains unspecified.
I invite you to read the corresponding section of my Redmagic 7 review in order to learn more about Redmagic OS 5.0. Just note that the interface is not the most polished on the market, but the Game Space menu is really pleasant to use. I really liked the ability to customize the performance profile for each of my games independently. I also liked the range of features to optimize my gaming experience.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro performance
The Redmagic 7 Pro is one of the two most powerful Android smartphones I've reviewed to date. The second is the Redmagic 7, which the Pro version doesn't really manage to supplant.
What I liked:
- High performance capability.
- No overheating or thermal throttling issues.
- UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM.
- Very efficient liquid cooling and internal fan.
What I disliked:
- Fan is a bit noisy.
- No noticeable performance gain compared to the Redmagic 7.
The Redmagic 7 Pro puts all other high-end Android smartphones to shame. As with the Redmagic 7, temperature control is simply excellent, if not flawless. The smartphone never overheats and I never felt the slightest slowdown due to any thermal throttling.
| Redmagic 7 (SD 8 Gen 1) | Redmagic 7 Pro (SD 8 Gen 1) | Oppo Find X5 Pro (SD 8 Gen 1) | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos 2200) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Wild Life | 10.146 at 60.8 FPS | 10.152 at 60.8 FPS | 9300 at 55.7 FPS | 5682 at 34 FPS | Updated 04.04.2022: 7065 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test |
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| Geekbench 5 |
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All the games are obviously running with the graphics and FPS rate set to maximum. It's especially nice on FPS games like CoD Mobile but also on more cinematic games like Sky: Children of Light as well as more graphically demanding titles like Genshin Impact and Alien Isolation (which runs really well).
The internal fan coupled with the liquid cooling system and the vapor chamber make the smartphone immune to heat. Even if the internal temperature rises, it is not felt by the gamer holding the handset, while performance remains stable. This ICE 9.0 system from Redmagic is clearly a success even if the 20,000 rpm fan is sometimes a little too noisy.
By the way, the Redmagic 7 Pro can act as a real small gaming PC thanks to the Redmagic Studio function. You can connect the smartphone to a monitor via USB-C/HDMI and "cast" or rather "mirror " your game with a framerate up to 120 FPS. So we can imagine a scenario where you plug in your keyboard/mouse or connect your controller to your smartphone and play your game on your TV screen or a monitor.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro camera
It may be arranged a little differently than on the Redmagic 7, but the camera module of the Redmagic 7 Pro is exactly the same with three lenses, including a 64 MP main sensor, an 8 MP ultra wide-angle and a 2 MP macro shooter. What is new, however, is the selfie camera hidden under the 8 MP screen.
What I liked:
- Anecdotal camera module.
- Decent daytime photos with the main lens.
What I disliked:
- Disappointing low-light rendering despite a night mode that enhances the quality a little.
- Quality of selfies are inferior to that of the basic Redmagic 7 which is surely due to the under display camera.
Once again, I find myself having to paraphrase my impressions of the Redmagic 7 review to avoid repeating myself word for word. But we have exactly the same lenses on offer that deliver exactly the same rendering. I'll leave you with photo gallery from the basic Redmagic 7 review since there is very little point in offering you a new one.
There is a lot of digital smoothing going on, with a kind of veil that seems to cover the photos. The shots lack sharpness and the colorimetry is quite dull.
The under display selfie camera technology doesn't really seem to be up to scratch either. I have the impression that software processing would force the sharpness level by far too much to compensate for the lack of details due to the glass layer placed in front of the lens. It almost looks like a filter or a cell shading effect, especially when it comes to indoor selfies.
The video performance is also strictly similar to the basic model. Thus, the Redmagic 7 Pro is able to record in 4K and 1080p at 60 FPS with the rear camera module. We can go up to 8K (30 FPS) but, without stabilization, the rendering is more than questionable in terms of practicality. Once again, I provide you with samples captured using the Redmagic 7.
Video with the Redmagic 7 in 4K at 60 FPS
Video with the Redmagic 7 in 1080p at 60 FPS
Video with the Redmagic 7 in 8K
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro battery
The Redmagic 7 Pro features a 5,000mAh dual-cell battery that charges in 65 watts via wire and supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 5 standard.
What I liked:
- Fast charging within 30 minutes.
- Included charger in the box.
What I disliked:
- Somewhat limited battery life.
The battery capacity of the Redmagic 7 Pro is a bit bigger than the one of the basic Redmagic 7 (4,500 mAh) but I did not find the battery life to be improved in everyday use.
Unfortunately, all of my 3 attempts to benchmark the smartphone using PCMark failed. Each time, I left the benchmark running with the brightness set to 200 nits, the refresh rate set to 120 Hz and the internal fan on. And each time, the smartphone dropped well below the 20% remaining battery life, but the application showed an error message and didn't show me any score.
I will eventually update this article once I manage to obtain results of my benchmark. But, as I mentioned in the basic Redmagic 7 review, I find the battery life to be rather limited and I think the cooling system overtaxes the battery.
Technical data
| Editor's Choice | |
|---|---|
| Product | |
| Image |  |
| Colors | Supernova (transparent) | Obsidian (opaque black) |
| Dimensions & Weight | 166.27 x 77.1 x 9.98 mm | 235 g |
| Screen | 6.8-inch AMOLED display, Full HD+, 120Hz refresh rate, 960Hz touchscreen sample rate, completely bezel-free |
| Memory | 16/256 GB | 16/512 GB | UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM |
| CPU & GPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Adreno 730 |
| OS | Redgmagic OS 5.0 based on Android 12 |
| Camera Module | Wide-angle main lens: 64 MP | aperture f/1.79 | size1/1.97" | PDAF Ultra wide-angle lens: 8 MP | aperture f/2.2 | 120˚ FOV | size 1/4" Macro: 2 MP | f/2.4 aperture | 1/5" size Selfie: 8 MP, under display | f/2.0 aperture | 1/2.8" size |
| Video |
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| Battery | 5,000 mAh dual cell battery, 65 watt fast charging, no wireless charging, Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 |
| Audio | 2 DTS (Digital Theater System) certified stereo speakers | 3.5 mm jack |
| Price | Supernova 16/512 GB version: $836 | Obsidian 16/256 GB version: $757 |
Conclusion
Let's return to Redmagic's goal at the beginning of this review, which is "to provide an unparalleled gaming experience to allow young people to play without limits." In that light, I find the mission to be a total success.
But that's exactly what I said about the basic Redmagic 7, whose starting price of $757 makes it much more interesting. This is especially so in terms of power, photo quality, battery life and design, the Redmagic 7 Pro differs too little from its Vanilla version.
On paper, the cooling system is more advanced and it's true that I prefer the bezel-free screen thanks to the selfie camera hidden under the screen. But I don't see myself paying $150 more for it. I can't rate it any lower or better than its basic version, both being almost identical. It's up to you to see if the more immersive screen justifies the price difference.
On the other hand, I would like to underline once again the slick work done by Redmagic on the dedicated gaming functions. I know for a fact that I'm far from being the only one who considers his smartphone as one of his primary game consoles. And the fact that Redmagic is thinking about solutions that are portable for pure mobile gaming, but also more "stationary", with the Redmagic Studio mode for example, shows that the smartphone has all the potential to become a real gaming hub in the future.
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