Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Review: affordable and powerful gaming phone

RedMagic has returned with a new version of its gaming powerhouse, the RedMagic 9 Pro. This new model has a similar outer look, but it contains a souped-up chip inside. It appears that the brand is dead set on preserving its position as the quickest Android gaming gadget money can buy. The title of ‘best gaming phone’ has arguably never been more competitive than in 2024. While Asus produced a great pair of smartphones with its ROG Phone 8 series, it also took numerous moves toward the mainstream, which may have weakened the handsets’ appeal to gamers.

Nubia, as the only other manufacturer that routinely produces gaming phones, is best positioned to capitalize on the category leader’s shifting priorities. The Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro, which was released earlier this year, was a steal, combining top-tier performance, built-in fan cooling, and physical controllers in a mid-range compact. The Red Magic 9S Pro is now available, bringing incremental enhancements over the 9 Pro at the same pricing point. We could probably just copy and paste our Red Magic 9 Pro review at this point, and most of what we mentioned about the phone would still be correct.

The Red Magic 9S Pro is now available, bringing incremental enhancements over the 9 Pro at the same pricing point. We could probably just copy and paste our Red Magic 9 Pro review at this point, and most of what we mentioned about the phone would still be correct.

RED MAGIC 9S PRO KEY FEATURE

If anyone is playing the specifications game, it must be the Red Magic team. The never-ending chase for the greatest mobile hardware inevitably leads to similar smartphones with only minor modifications, which is certainly one way to look at the Red Magic 9S Pro. It is so similar to the Red Magic 9 Pro that the two have almost identical dimensions and weight. The majority of our observations from the Red Magic 9 Pro review remain applicable to the Red Magic 9S Pro.

But, wait a second. What is the point of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset if both of these devices already have it? While both phones employ the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the new Red Magic 9S Pro contains the ultimate SM8650-AC version of the chip, termed the “Leading Version” but also known as the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy” when used by Samsung. The Samsung exclusivity contract has certainly expired, and the Red Magic team now has access to the most advanced version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset. The one that runs its main Cortex-X4 CPU core at up to 3.4 GHz (rather than 3.3 GHz) and boosts GPU frequency to 1 GHz.

The Red Magic 9S Pro sports an enhanced cooling system in addition to the higher-clocked processor. The 22,000 RPM integrated active cooling fan remains at the helm, but the new ICE 13.5 arrangement has a 10,182mm2 vapor chamber and a new cooling gel compared to the ICE 13 setup found within the Red Magic 9 Pro. This appears to allow the cooling to reduce chipset temperature by up to 19.5 degrees Celsius, vs 18 degrees Celsius for the ICE 13 system.

According to the business, the outcome of these changes is 2,369,542 AnTuTu points, the highest of any Android to date. And that’s what the Red Magic 9S Pro is all about: maximum performance.

The phone we’re reviewing today is the 16 GB/512 GB Red Magic 9S Pro, which has a 6,500 mAh battery and supports 80W charging. This is the international version of the device. The keen-eyed among you may have observed that 16 GB RAM was previously only available on the Red Magic 9S Pro+, however this is no longer the case for foreign variants. The only change, aside from memory, is that the Plus model has a smaller 5,500 mAh battery but charges faster at 165W. So you may apply all of the other findings from this analysis to the Red Magic 9S Pro+.

RED MAGIC 9S PRO UNBOXING

The Red Magic 9S Pro comes packaged in a durable two-piece cardboard box. It is completed in silver, which is visually appealing. The inside contains a plastic cradle for the phone and several of the accessories, which are not environmentally friendly but provides good protection during shipping.

The Red Magic 9S Pro comes with a wide range of accessories. The phone includes an included charger rated for 80W charging, which appears to give more than PD + PPS. However, Quick Charge 5 is also supported. In addition to the charger, you receive a red, durable Type-C to Type-C passive 3A cable. It also comes with a lovely clear hard case.

CAMERA

The RedMagic 9s Pro features two rear cameras: a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide camera. There’s also the previously mentioned 16MP front camera beneath the display. Unfortunately, the cameras are one of the phone’s weak points, failing when compared to other handsets.

I compared the camera to the Google Pixel 8a, which has a 64MP primary camera, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 13MP selfie camera, but costs $150 less than the RedMagic. This Pixel also happens to be the best photography phone under $500, demonstrating where the RedMagic 9s Pro’s camera performance falls short.

On paper, this should imply that, while the Pixel 8a’s main camera has more megapixels, the RedMagic 9s Pro should produce far clearer ultrawide and selfie shots. When I compared photographs, though, I discovered something different.

To test the main camera, I photographed a walking man statue in Paddington. As we can see, the Pixel 8a image is slightly darker than the RedMagic 9s Pro, which makes the statue appear more detailed. There is also less blowout on the lights in the corner, as the RedMagic is brutally bright where the sun shines.

The ultrawide cameras have a similar issue, with the Pixel 8a displaying more color depth than the RedMagic. It also appears like the shadows on the RedMagic are darker on the balconies, concealing many of the details from view.

The RedMagic’s selfie camera might be the weakest on the phone. If you look at the two photographs, you can see that the RedMagic has a serious problem with pixelating the light, making it appear weird. This has been a problem with RedMagic for a while, and it’s disappointing to see that it hasn’t been resolved. The colors are likewise washed out, while the Pixel 8a appears significantly more realistic and lifelike.

The RedMagic 9s Pro features a macro camera. It isn’t bad, and it highlights the colors of the red blossoms wonderfully, but it appears flat texturally.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The RedMagic 9S Pro has identical dimensions to the 9 Pro, and at first sight, you could have difficulty distinguishing between them. The lighted 9S logo on the back serves as a giveaway, as do the two new finishes. I have the “Sleet” version for testing, which translates to black in RedMagic’s world. It has been jazzed up a bit compared to the black 9 Pro, with etched diagonal lines going over the back panel.

It generates a futuristic patchwork design that reminds me of the grooves on a vinyl record. It also makes a similar sound when you rub your fingertips across it. Frost, the other new finish, is a more subtle matte white. The semi-transparent Cyclone and Snowfall modes are also available this time around, but only with 16GB of RAM.

After experimenting with numerous other shapes for its devices, RedMagic appears to have settled on this boxy, sharp-cornered design, which hasn’t changed much since the RedMagic 8 Pro. I enjoy how it looks, and the fact that it works well with clamp controllers like the GameSir X2 Pro is a bonus.

Just like the previous generation, there is no camera hump, and the lenses are nicely snuggled under the rear glass panel. It’s a rather unusual sight in 2024, and it’s guaranteed to please individuals who can’t stand their phones moving around on a desk.

The packaging includes the same transparent plastic protective container, which I would like to see improved. This case scuffs really readily; it feels as if simply breathing near it could leave another mark. On the bright side, it’s better than nothing, and RedMagic offers a variety of fancier casing options.

There is no IP rating for this phone, which is not surprising given that it includes vents for the fan to draw air through. If you take this phone out during a rainstorm, you will need to use extreme caution. Otherwise, the layout remains intact. The illuminated capacitive-touch triggers, knurled red game mode slider, active cooling vents, and 3.5mm headphone connector remain unchanged.

The RedMagic 9S Pro has an unbroken display and an under-display selfie camera, providing a real full-screen gaming experience. The specifications are identical to the previous version, so there aren’t many surprises, but it amazed me last time, and it still does today.

It’s a BOE Q9+ OLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz that looks great in use. After recently testing the Galaxy Z Fold 6, I was astounded by how nicely the under-display camera is camouflaged. It’s practically impossible to see while the display is operating, and Samsung’s attempt pales in contrast.

The screen has a resolution of 1116×2480 pixels, which is not the best available but is ideal for gaming. A lower resolution reduces the GPU’s workload and allows for higher frame rates. It’s still crisp enough to make small writing easily legible. The panel’s maximum brightness output is 1600 nits, which isn’t particularly spectacular by today’s standards. However, I found it very easy to see outside and rarely needed additional lighting.

HDR compatibility may be enhanced; without HDR10+ certification or Dolby Vision, many apps will not provide effective HDR playback. It works great with YouTube, however. This panel’s responsiveness is quite impressive. Its maximum touch sampling rate is 2000Hz, the greatest I’ve ever seen. Meanwhile, rivals such as the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition can only reach 720Hz. The amount of change you’ll perceive in practice is debatable, but it feels quite responsive.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The RedMagic 9s Pro features an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, known as the Leading Version. That system-on-chip boosts the core CPU to 3.4GHz (rather than the standard version’s 3.3GHz) and increases the GPU’s performance. This is supplemented by 12GB or 16GB of RAM, depending on the model purchased, which may be expanded by sacrificing some memory. For example, I can add 12GB to my existing 16GB of RAM to improve performance.

We tested the RedMagic 9s Pro through the Geekbench 6 CPU test and got a decent result. The device achieved an average single-core score of 2,288 and an average multi-core score of 7,076. When compared to other smartphone scores, the RedMagic 9s Pro appears to be quite good, as one could expect from a phone designed exclusively for gaming.

The table above compares the RedMagic 9s Pro to numerous other phones, including the original RedMagic 9 Pro. Snapdragon phones clearly struggle to compete with the iPhone 15 Pro Max in terms of single-core performance. However, in the multicore test, they all easily outperformed Apple’s latest smartphone.

It’s interesting to compare the RedMagic 9s Pro to the previous RedMagic 9 Pro, with the 9s beating its predecessor in the single-core score but posting the lower multicore result, indicating that the RedMagic 9 Pro is getting more out of the base Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 than the overclocked version.

The same is true for the Asus ROG Phone 8, which suffered in the single-core test but outperformed the 9s in multi-core performance. However, it should be mentioned that the Asus was running in X mode during the test, which improves the phone’s performance for a better gaming experience.

GeekBench numbers only tell half of the picture; the real question is how the phone performs day to day. I watched videos on YouTube and other streaming services such as Netflix at full 1080p resolution with no change in quality or stutter. I was also able to stream games from Xbox Game Pass, and I noticed no reduction in quality for games like Gears of War 5. Finally, I tested the Genshin Impact to see how it performed the task; there were no frame dips or stuttering, which is exactly what you want from a gaming phone.

We also put our devices through 3D’s Wildlife Extreme Unlimited GPU test, which determines how well a device handles graphically intensive situations. As can be seen, the RedMagic successfully passed the tests, scoring higher than the Asus and Samsung Galaxy S24, as well as outperforming the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Unfortunately, one of the phone’s main flaws is its limited storage options. While 256GB and 512GB are normally great phone storage options, they do not fit the device’s gaming focus. For example, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro has up to 1TB of storage, allowing you to play more games on your phone.

Buy it if...

• Unique, flat, and high-quality design.
• The UD selfie camera is inconspicuous despite its large and fast 120Hz OLED panel.
• Excellent battery life and rapid charging.
• There are many gaming-related features, such as pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers.
• A versatile and well-executed external display and peripheral gaming experience.
• Stereo speakers produce a pleasant sound.
• Excellent connectivity, including triple-band Wi-Fi, NFC, a 3.5mm connector, an IR blaster, and DP output via Type-C.
• Feature-rich Redmagic OS 9

Don't buy it if…

• In comparison to prior generations, the cooling solution performs poorly.
• The display is not particularly brilliant and does not support HDR video.
• The speakers have been lowered from the Red Magic 9 Pro.
• The software still has terrible English translations from Chinese.
• Ultrawide and selfie cameras are still quite unimpressive.

FULL SPECIFICATION