Hands On with the RedMagic 6R

Specs

✓ 6.67 inch 1080x2400p 395 ppi display

✓ AMOLED 144 hz refresh

✓ 20:9 aspect ratio

✓ Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G

✓ Android 11

✓ 8 GB Ram 128 GB Storage

✓ 4,200 mAh battery

✓ Quad rear camera (64 MP wide, 8 MP ultrawide, 5 MP macro, 2 MP depth) and single selfie camera (16 MP wide)

Retail Price: $499.00

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RedMagic is a brand that is associated with mobile gaming that we’ve looked at before on the channel. With the distinct shoulder triggers and a high refresh rate the Red Magic 6R carries a lot of those gaming traits but now with a more mainstream body design, is this the flagship killer value to look for in 2021?

A Power Player for Less

The reason this phone is automatically worth considering is due to the chipset powering it. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with 8 GB of Ram and 128 GB of storage can be had for as little as $499. That’s a flagship processor for the calendar year at about half the price of competitors. Out of the box, we get the basics including a TPU case which is always nice to have for a non-Samsung or iPhone. I also purchased a protective case from the RedMagic store and it’s a nice plastic clip on case. Although it doesn’t really protect some vulnerable areas because of the exposed triggers, it does still look nice and feels relatively light. There’s also the power adapter, a Type-C cable and a Type-C to 3.5mm adapter.  

All the buttons are placed on the right side of the phone. The left and right triggers, the volume rockers and the power button are arranged in a vertical line. The opposite side is void of anything while the bottom of the phone houses the USB-C port, the loudspeaker and the sim tray. The frame of the phone is made of aluminum while the front and back are made from glass. It’s a solid feeling device that really doesn’t scream gaming phone. On the rear, the RedMagic logo and lettering are laid out neatly while the quad-camera setup occupies the top left side. There’s a 64 MP main shooter, a 5 MP macro lens, an 8 MP ultra-wide and a 2 MP for depth of field. We’ll get a better idea of how the camera performs with some time in the field.

Speced Out

I do like how there is a diagonal textured design that is subtly two-toned on the rear glass. I have the Cosmos color which is a navy blue colorway and I do like the color scheme contrast with the red RedMagic logo. On the front side, the display is 6.67 inches of full HD AMOLED technology with a resolution good for 395 ppi. At a 20:9 aspect ratio, the phone isn’t too difficult to hold one handed as the width is manageable to grip unlike the last phone I reviewed. While the display natively pushes 90Hz refresh rate, you can max it out in the settings menu to 144Hz for an ultra smooth gaming experience. I’ll talk about all the additional game settings and benefits the 6R has to offer in the full review video so be on the lookout for that one.

Running RedMagic’s titular skin, aptly called RedMagic OS over Android 11, this phone is a far cry from stock Android. There are also a ton of pre-installed apps proprietary to RedMagic and their gaming-centric platform. They’re uninstallable if you’re wondering. An in-display fingerprint scanner along with face recognition round out the biometric options with a 4,200 mAh battery powering it all.

Can This Be For Everyone?

I’ve always enjoyed my time with these gaming phones even though I don’t necessarily utilize it perfectly by playing FPS games. I fully expect the RedMagic 6R to continue that trend. What is interesting to me about this phone in particular is how non-gaming it is in design (at least by RedMagic standards). I’m really looking forward to seeing whether this phone is appealing to the casual user simply due to the fact that it has a Snapdragon 888 for $500. I’ll let you know in the full review!

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