RedMagic 8S Pro is the new champion of gaming phones, with overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and an elegant design, will it be able to establish itself?
Full review of the Chinese company’s latest top-of-the-range smartphone, ZTE Nubia RedMagic 8S Proa device that brings with it the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in an overclocked version, up to 16 GB of RAM (virtually expandable by another 10 GB), a ‘futuristic’ display without interruptions and stellar autonomy, let’s find out!
Data sheet
- Display: 6.8″ fullscreen display, OLED a 120Hz, 960Hz touch sampling rate, 1300 nits di picco
- SoC: Overclocked 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + Red Core 2 dedicated gaming chip
- GPU: Adreno 740 overcloccata
- RAM: 12 or 16 GB (virtually expandable by another 10 GB) LPDDR5X
- Internal memory: 256 o 512 GB UFS 4.0
- Rear cameras: 50 MP, (wide), PDAF 2 MP, (depth) e ultrawide 8 MP
- Front camera: 16 MP
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Type C, 3.5mm audio, NFC (QuickPass and Google Pay), 7 Gen biometric sensor, heart rate
- Drums: 6,000 mAh two-cell with support for 65W wired fast charging
- Dimensions: 164 x 76 x 9 mm
- Weight: 228 g
- Other: biometric reader (under the display), accelerometer, proximity, compass
- Operating system: Android 13 con RedMagic 8.0
Packaging, build quality and materials | RedMagic 8S Pro Review
In the package, rich and equipped, we find the65W power supply with relative USB-C cable and a highly appreciated one transparent cover, not too thick or bulky. The smartphone is equipped with squared and minimal lines (symmetrical on 3 sides), while on the back it has a satin and elegant back cover (especially for a gaming phone). On the side there are also the ventilation grilles connected to the cooling fan and equipped with LED to indicate its correct functioning. Nubia RedMagic 8S Pro, in the variant that has come down to us, is made in glass and metal, a choice that makes the smartphone as elegant as it is subject to overheating, especially on these hot summer days. Absent the certification against water and dust (due to the grids of course) but present additional LEDs, which can act as notification indicators, in the back.
On the sides of the device we then find the volume rocker, the power button, the red switch for gaming mode, the touch triggers, the input USB Type-C, the SIM tray, the 3.5mm audio jack and the lower and upper audio speakers. The 3 cameras are arranged vertically on the back, slightly protruding. Finally, frontally a panel with minimized 6.8 ″ frames with camera below the display!
Hardware, connectivity and displays | RedMagic 8S Pro Review
On the hardware front Nubia RedMagic 8S Pro is moved by the ‘new’ variant of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (1,700,000 points on Antutu!), with increased frequencies in both the CPU and GPU. The 4nm SoC is matched well 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM memory (virtually expandable by another 10 GB for a total of 26 GB, absurd!) and 256 or 512 GB of storage memory of type UFS 4.0. The result is impeccable performance in any usage scenario, putting it in crisis is literally impossible. The only flaw of this configuration, as already mentioned, is the slight tendency to overheat (a phenomenon, however, greatly influenced by summer temperatures).
Another point in favor is the 120Hz display, of excellent quality, with brilliant colors and a peak brightness equal to 1300 nits. Furthermore, thanks to the reduced bezels and the total absence of interruptions, watching streaming content or playing the most complex titles will result in a truly satisfying experience. Connectivity is also very good, with Bluetooth 5.3, support for the future standard Wi-Fi 7 and a good data and GPS signal. Finally, the audio sector is also excellent (driven by the dedicated Red Core 2 chip), with a dual stereo speakers and support for DTS:X Ultra with good volume and quality accompanied by ben 3 microphones.
Speaking of gaming, the device presents various solutions when approaching a new title. Among these we find the possibility of exploiting i touch buttons located on the sides of the smartphone fully programmable (with precision equal to 520 Hz), the fully customizable gaming software and the innovative cooling system ICE 12.0 assisted by the aforementioned fan. Finally, there are 2 motors dedicated to vibration, precise and powerful.
Cameras | RedMagic 8S Pro Review
Nubia has equipped this RedMagic 8S Pro with 3 rear sensors, a good one 50MP main branded Samsung, a 2 MP Macro and an 8 MP ultrawide. The videos arrive up to 8K. Among the various features we find slow-motion in 1080p, panorama, time-lapse, pro, night, stars, vlog, ID Photo, documents, 50 MP, multi exposure, light trails, Hitchcock, clone, monochrome and many more for a more than complete software package. Frontally we find instead the famous 16 MP camera below the displaywhich unfortunately pays the price for this innovation with really poor quality.
The camera 50MP main (surprisingly, being a gaming smartphone) it gives good shots in practically all light conditions. There is HDR functionality, although sometimes it really tends to be very aggressiveexaggeratedly accentuating the colors. Bad instead for the other cameras, with a very little detailed ultrawide and a practically useless macro. Back to the good main chamber, i videos are not bad at alldespite a not so excellent stabilization.
Software and autonomy | RedMagic 8S Pro Review
The software on board is the RedMagic 8.0 based on Android 13. The platform is stable and well maintained, with nice animations in every aspect of the interface. There are also widgets dedicated to gaming and fan management, customizations related to the LEDs rear and the already mentioned gaming software. However, it is still possible to find some bad translations or even completely English entries in the system, and some doubts remain about the future software support from the parent company.
Stellar instead autonomy with at least a day and a half of heavy use or two or more of milder use thanks to the capacious module from 6000 mAh due to that with 65W fast wired charging. Small note of merit for the bloatware, unexpectedly almost absent at first start-up, with a very non-invasive customization, good job Nubia!
Conclusions and prices
Nubia RedMagic 8S Pro is reconfirmed as the best buy of gaming smartphones and more, thanks to a really interesting value for money. List price starts from 649,99€ for the 12/256GB version up to i 779,99€ of the 16/512GB variant. We can only recommend the purchase of this device if you are looking for the best of the best hardware out there, with infinite autonomy and a unique design. Gaming or not, this smartphone is worth the price of admission, keep an eye out for it! Here is the link to purchase. Before saying goodbye, we invite you to follow the mobile section of techgameworld.com for further news and video reviews. See you soon!
Plus points
- Design
- Display
- Performance
- Audio
- Autonomy
Points against
- Not enough secondary cameras
- Overheating