RedMagic 8 Pro Review: A Mobile Gaming Monster
Purchase price: $649
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Gaming phones are simply beasts. The RedMagic 8 Pro has the highest end Qualcomm processor, more ram than most competitors and a battery that hits tablet territory. It also weighs a ton and has a huge footprint. So what type of person should buy this phone? Let’s find out.
Gaming Needs
If you do a lot of mobile gaming, then you’ve probably come across the annoyances attributed with gaming on a smartphone. This is especially true for Korean gacha games. You get so ensnared into the missions and farming for currency that the next thing you know, your phone is burning hot and your battery is fully drained thus leaving you stranded for the rest of the day without juice. Gaming phones like the RedMagic 8 Pro seek to prevent this as they have a built-in fan cooling system. You can toggle between two different fan speeds that exude air through the slots on parallel sides of the phone’s frame.
The fan also automatically turns on if the phone is in its gaming mode that can be flipped on through a switch that is also located on the phone’s frame. I did find the cooling system to be quite effective when placed to the highest setting. It does a pretty good job of making the phone more tolerable to hold over prolonged usage. This does come with a downside as the fan pushes out a rather loud sound. The phone’s speakers need to be at full output to cover up the fan noise. It's still quite noticeable even at 75% volume. Speaking of the speakers, I was quite impressed with the clarity and loudness that comes from the dual setup. Sound comes out of the top and the bottom of the frame for some of the best loudspeaker audio I’ve heard on a smartphone in awhile.
With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 12 GB of ram and 256 GB of storage for my black model, one would expect top end performance from the 8 Pro. I’m happy to report that the SD8G2 does in fact give the gaming phone an impressive chip to play with. The phone ships with Android 13 skinned into RedMagic OS 6. RedMagic’s Android skin falls in line with just about every other Chinese OEM skin. There are themes and additional features that may or may not tickle your fancy depending on how much customization you like on your phone. I like options even though my phone is configured pretty close to a stock Android layout. With this powerhouse processor, navigation of the phone’s interface is fluid and responsive as one would expect.
Product Specs +
- SD 8 Gen 2 CPU
- 12 GB Ram
- 256 GB Storage
- 6.8 Inch AMOLED Display
- 1116 x 2480 p (400 ppi)
- 120 Hz Refresh Rate
- 6,000 mAh Battery
Camera Specs +
Rear Cameras
- 50 MP, f/1.9 Wide
- 8 MP, f/2.2 Ultrawide
- 2 MP, f/2.4 Macro
Selfie Cameras
- 16 MP, f/2.0
Hitting Those Buttons
Let’s talk about gaming since this is first and foremost a gaming console. As expected, this will provide flagship performance for every Android game on the Playstore. It will handle every game at variable settings, but I have yet to come across one that was not playable and enjoyable in one capacity or another. As the gaming phone moniker normally entails, we have dual pressure sensitive shoulder triggers on the right side of the frame. They have a reaction of 520 Hz upon release. I remember these types of built-in shoulder triggers flooding phones during the PUBG Mobile era, but I’ve since found them to be nice programmable buttons for MOBA or RPG games with a bunch of skill loads. I prefer using an attachable controller for these types of games, but it is nice to have a built in option.
In addition to the triggers, RedMagic’s gaming mode has a ridiculous amount of hacks to improve the mobile gaming experience. From keymapping, to even having an anime girl assistant who can essentially serve as your Vtuber avatar while streaming, there’s a lot to explore here. Some features are less useful than others, but PC gamers might actually feel right at home with this level of customization. I personally have not used a gaming phone with this much added functionality before. It’s a little overwhelming to learn what every setting can do.
I think a lot of people interested in this phone will be wanting it to emulate retro systems. I know that was the first thing that crossed my mind when it was announced. To get straight to the point, every generation under PS2 should perform exceptionally well. We’re at the point in technology where from 8-bit up to even 32-bit games have stabilized in performance to replicate those systems nearly flawlessly. The SD8G2 can play Gamecube titles and Wii titles pretty nicely as well. Mario Kart Double Dash ran without a hitch here. Even sweeter, New Super Mario Bros. Wii did as well. That’s a good sign for emulation. Over on AetherSX2, both Gran Turismo 4 and Shadow of the Colossus performed admirably with only minor hiccups. It was a sustainable 60 FPS with the occasional drop to 30 FPS for a second or two. I think that’s plenty playable when considering this essentially is a portable console. Gamecube, Wii and PS2 are basically where the bulk of console gaming emulation is stagnated on Android right now. I am absolutely content with the level of emulation that the RedMagic 8 Pro provides.
When you add that gigantic 6,000 mAh battery into the fold, it does make a lot of sense to potentially use this as your sole gaming emulation system. I’ll be blunt, even while gaming intensively for prolonged periods of time, it was pretty difficult to fully drain the battery in one single day. I managed to do it a couple of times running Tower of Fantasy nonstop for hours with the fan on. AetherSX2 also managed to do the job after about 4-5 hours. Everything else barely scratched the surface of the longevity the battery pack can provide. On a regular business day with two Korean gacha game farming sessions added in, I’m regularly ending the night with about 50% of the charge left. That’s about 3 total hours of these mobile games on top of my normal work uses for the phone. When I dwindle that down to only one set of farming chores (why do we do this to ourselves?) I can easily pull off two work days on one charge. Without any gaming at all, it isn’t inconceivable for the RedMagic 8 Pro to pull off multiple days off the plug.
Tablet Territory
It’s ironic that we’re approaching tablet battery life because for all intents and purposes, this smartphone basically is a tablet. In fact, it’s just about the same length as the Razer Edge tablet that I’m concurrently reviewing. The display is a lofty 6.8 inches of AMOLED goodness even though the resolution is only 1116 x 2480 p. With a 20:9 aspect ratio, that pushes the pixel count to 400 ppi flat. It definitely isn’t the sharpest, nor the most visually appealing screen, but it does compensate by having a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is a must for gaming. The viewing angles are good and the colors are reputable for a gaming platform. I don’t think they’re anything special, but they do the job well. Under that Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panel lies a fingerprint sensor that works well enough. It isn’t super fast, nor will you get into your phone on the first attempt every time, but I didn’t have much to whine about here.
Shot on RedMagic 8 Pro
Almost A Good Camera
Also under that display is a 16 MP, f/2.0 selfie camera sensor. Combine that with three rear cameras that include a 50 MP, f/1.9 wide, 8 MP, f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 2 MP, f/2.4 macro. I’m not going to judge too harshly because nobody buys a gaming phone expecting good photography production. Like a lot of Chinese phones, RedMagic relies on a lot of what I feel is over processing. It gives photos either too harsh or too soft of a definition. The phone does a pretty decent job of auto focusing onto focal points even in macro situations.
The RedMagic 8 Pro actually did surprise me in some low light situations. In my home studio with my studio lights off, I actually thought the RedMagic did pretty well with capturing detail while keeping the exposure relatively close to reality. In other situations, it struggles. I was pleasantly happy with some of the pictures I snapped here. I wasn’t expecting that. That’s a good overall assessment of what the 8 Pro provides. It’s an unbalanced experience. All we really needed is consistency and I would say that is enough for a gaming oriented phone. We fall just short here.
Final Verdict
I also ran into some connectivity issues with LTE and 5G. This isn’t my first unlocked RedMagic phone so I’ve seen this before. Some spots around my city where I should have service would drop out while my sim card was in the 8 Pro. I like that ZTE still has a dual nano-sim tray, but it’s a bummer that they don’t provide access to a micro-SD card through that tray. This detracts from being a perfect emulation console as you would have to store all the files internally. I truly believe that all phones that market themselves as gaming oriented should have micro-SD card expansion as a default.
While I’m bringing up negatives, this phone is literally like a brick. It’s shaped in a perfect rectangle with sharp edges leading to the aluminum frame. It feels nice and cool to hold in the hand thanks to the aluminum and glass, but there is no doubt that this is a bulky phone. To put it into context, I have a difficult time bending down to tie my shoelaces with the RedMagic in my pocket. Basically, it’s not a very portable smartphone. That’s a bit funny to say, but I found myself setting this phone down onto a table much more frequently than I do with other phones simply because it was just too uncomfortable sitting in my pocket.
From a sheer value standpoint, the RedMagic 8 Pro is extremely competitive on the current market. It has all the spec numbers to match up with the best of the best in terms of pure performance. I love the distinct look of the device with the RGB strip on the rear classifying the phone clearly as a gaming peripheral. I love the thoughtful placement of resources along the frame of the RedMagic 8 Pro as well. It’s a terrifically designed piece. If the phone was slightly more ergonomically friendly to hold and a bit more reliable in the connectivity aspect of a smartphone, I would have considered this to be a no-brainer option for a budget savvy shopper. As is, the RedMagic 8 Pro is probably still best in the hands of people addicted to mobile gaming that need a long lasting phone to survive all that farming for gems.
Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!