Staying on top of things in the gaming space is no easy task. You have to keep consistently churning out new models with the latest hardware to remain relevant. Hence why the new nubia Red Magic 8 Pro is coming out just five or so months after the Red Magic 7S Pro. Expectedly, the new model packs the latest and greatest chipset Qualcomm has to offer – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But there is more to it than a simple hardware refresh.
The Red Magic 8 Pro has a new boxy design, a new Red Magic logo and improvements in a few key areas, like the display, which is now higher resolution and brighter and a bigger 6,000 mAh battery.
ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro specs at a glance:
Body: 164.0×76.4×8.9mm, 228g; Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame; Pressure sensitive zones (520Hz touch-sensing), Built-in cooling fan, Aviation aluminum middle frame.
Display: 6.80″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1300 nits (peak), 1116x2480px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
OS/Software: Android 13, Redmagic OS 6.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.57″, 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree, 13mm, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 16 MP, (wide), under display.
Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps.
Battery: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 35 min (advertised).
Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers.
Everything about the Red Magic 8 Pro is designed around a single purpose – gaming. From the revised internal cooling system to the dedicated Red Core 2 gaming chip that is meant to handle certain functions and offload them from the main chipset.
Before we get into any of that, however, we need to clarify a few things regarding the Red Magic 8 lineup. As of writing this review, there are two Red Magic 8 models in existence – the Red Magic 8 Pro and the Pro+. The main difference between the two relates to battery and charging.
The top-of-the-line Pro+ model gets a blistering 165W peak charge rate and a smaller 5,000 mAh battery to accommodate it. It is the only variant available with a transparent back cover and RGB lights on the internal fan, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. However, the Pro+ is unlikely to be released outside China.
The Red Magic 8 Pro, which we have for review, gets a 6,000 mAh battery and a matte black finish on the back. Its charging is limited to an 80W peak on the Chinese model and a 65W peak on the international one. The unit we have for review is a matte black, 12GB, plus 256GB, 6,000 mAh and 65W charging international one.
With all that cleared up, let’s start by taking a look at the phone’s retail package.
Unboxing
The nubia Red Magic 8 Pro ships in your standard two-piece cardboard box. It is thick, sturdy, and has a metallic finish with nice silver accents. We really like the geometric shapes and the overall colorway. The inside of the box is splattered with all sorts of “gamer-y” graphics and drawings.
In terms of accessories, our unit came with a very compact 65W PD+PPS USB Type-C GaN charger in the box along with a thick, red Type-C to Type-C cable.
Also in the box is a transparent hard snap-on case for the phone. The case doesn’t really cover most of the device’s sides but is still appreciated as an add-in bonus.
Nubia went for a really squared-off silhouette for the Red Magic 8 Pro. Gone are the softer and rounder edges of its predecessor. Instead, the 8 Pro looks almost “box-like”. That, however, is far from an insult since its appearance is still quite modern, and it manages to pull off the “gamer” aesthetic quite well.
Let’s start with the back of the phone first. As we said, the Red Magic 8 Pro+ is available in the so-called “void” color scheme, with a mostly transparent back side. However, our regular 8 Pro unit only comes with a Matte back. It feels silky smooth to the touch and doesn’t retain too much grease and fingerprints, which is a plus.
There are plenty of “gamer-y” graphics a text scattered all over the backside. These look and feel embossed on top of the surface. Nubia calls them “Inlaid Holographic Textures”, which sounds like a good description.
The system is capable of 16.8 million colors and 4096 levels of brightness. There is plenty of lighting customization available, including the ability to synchronize the lighting effects with sound.
The Red Magic 8 Pro lacks RGB lighting around its fan. You can’t even see the internal fan like you can on the transparent Pro+.
Still, the phone has some
of the REDMAGIC text on the back of the 8 Pro, the more keen-eyed among you might have noticed that nubia has redesigned its logos slightly. The new style is supposed to be bolder with stronger lines. Nubia is also limiting the use of red in its branding, though the color is still present as an accent here and there.
The front side of the Red Magic 8 Pro is all business. Nubia did an amazing job extending the display and shrinking the bezels as much as possible. The design is almost truly bezel-free, with a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio. lights. The REDMAGIC text and the labels beneath the two capacitive shoulder buttons are illuminated. Nubia calls this “RGB Band Lighting
There are no distractions when it comes to the display, either. No notch or punch hole. Instead, nubia has worked closely with BOE to deliver a second-generation under-display selfie camera solution. It looks really good in person. The camera is almost perfectly hidden and barely noticeable in real-world use.
Build quality
The Red Magic 8 Pro feels really sturdy and well-made, with practically no flex. It employs a standard three-piece construction with an aviation-grade aluminum middle frame for strength.
Source: gsmarena
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