The RedMagic 8 Pro is a powerful, stylish, and affordable Android gaming phone that packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a healthy 6,000mAh battery.
Solid value
Cool design
Beautiful 120Hz display
US 5G support
Blazing performance
Outstanding battery life
Sharp,
bright display with 120Hz refresh
×Fast
80W charging and included plug
×Excellent
performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
×Alert
slider is back
Middling cameras
Poor software
No water resistance
We started the year with a new Qualcomm
flagship SoC, and like clockwork, Chinese phone manufacturer RedMagic
released a new gaming phone based on the platform. The RedMagic 8 Pro ($649), which launched back in
January, packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a 20,000rpm cooling fan, and a
stunning new design. But it’s really no surprise. Every year, the company
releases an affordable new gaming handset as soon as Qualcomm announces a
new top-tier chip.
And, as has historically been the case, RedMagic’s new gaming phone delivers outstanding
performance, and comes to the US with proper 5G support and excellent
value. Unfortunately, while the company’s hardware is always fantastic,
the software often has room for improvement. So, what’s new with this gaming handset?
Is the hardware still hot? Is the software any better? I’ve been using the
RedMagic 8 Pro for a few weeks, and will share my impressions here...
RedMagic 8 Pro Hardware And Design
When it comes to design, I’m usually not a big fan of garish gaming phones (or
gaming laptops for that matter). The loud, over-the-top, “made-for-gamers”
aesthetic just isn’t my thing. But the RedMagic 8 Pro is different. While
it’s mostly black and features an RGB LED strip, the usual stencils and
accents are more subdued, and most importantly, it loses all the
rounded corners and chiseled surfaces of its predecessors.
Basically, the RedMagic 8 Pro is a perfectly rectangular glass slab, with flat aluminum sides. It’s even more rectangular than Sony’s
Xperia phones and closer in appearance to the monolith from 2001, A
Space Odyssey. What’s particularly striking is this handset’s almost
bezel-less, all-screen design. The 6.8-inch display stretches across the
entire front, uninterrupted.
RedMagic 8 Pro Front
Like the RedMagic 7 Pro and 7S Pro, the RedMagic 8 uses an
under-display selfie camera, and this time around, it’s almost invisible.
But what absolutely steals the show is the RedMagic 8 Pro’s ultra-thin
bezels (1.68mm on top, 1.48mm on the sides, and 2.28mm at the bottom) and
unapologetically square corners. Samsung and Apple’s flagship have thin,
even bezels all around as well, but nothing quite like this.
Around the back, the design varies depending on the model. The Matte
version is matte black with silver accents, the Void model (our review
unit) is black with a transparent back and gold stencils, and the Titanium
version is silver with a transparent back and black accents. Like before,
the transparent back reveals the cooling fan, screws, and faux parts,
which mimic some of the actual components inside, like Qualcomm’s
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Regardless of model, the only protrusions on the RedMagic 8 Pro are the
three individually rimmed shooters (50MP, 8MP, and 2MP) that stick out
about 2mm each, and are mounted vertically and centrally in the back. As I
already mentioned, the stenciled text is more subtle this year, and says
“win more games” and “08 generation gaming phone”, with “right to shoot”
and “left to shoot” next to the shoulder buttons
RedMagic 8 Pro Back
On the Void and Titanium models, the 20,000rpm fan is backlit with green, yellow,
red, and blue LEDs (ie. the Google colors), just like with last year’s
RegMagic 7 series. What’s rather surprising is that, despite its
aggressively rectangular design, the RedMagic 8 Pro feels great in hand.
Sure, it’s a big handset – it’s almost the exact same size (164 x 76.4 x
8.9mm) and weight (228g) as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra – but it’s still
manageable.
In terms of controls and ports, the two 520Hz capacitive shoulder buttons,
fan exhaust, power / lock key, third mic, and red game mode switch all
live on the right side. The left side is home to the fan intake and volume
rocker. Along the bottom, you’ll find a speaker, USB Type-C port (USB
3.1), primary mic, and SIM tray (no microSD), while the other speaker,
secondary mic, and headphone jack are located on top.
Between the superb craftsmanship, quality materials, and standout design,
it’s hard not to fall in love with the RedMagic 8 Pro’s hardware. The only
downside here is the lack of any kind of dust or water resistance, which
is to be expected considering the open vents for the cooling fan.
Before we continue, take a look my RedMagic 8 Pro unboxing video:
The RedMagic 8 Pro’s 6.8-inch AMOLED display (2480 x 1116 pixels,
400ppi) is the centerpiece of this phone’s spectacular design. As I
mentioned above, it’s completely flat with square corners, almost
bezel-less, and void of any camera holes or notches. This 10-bit screen
features a 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate (switchable to 90 and
60Hz), and a 960Hz touch sampling rate. Plus, it’s covered in Gorilla
Glass 5.
RedMagic 8 Pro Display
Clearly, this is a high quality panel. It delivers punchy colors, inky
blacks, and excellent viewing angles. While some of today’s flagships have
brighter displays, 1300 nits (peak) is quite respectable, and makes this
screen easy to read in direct sunlight.
RedMagic 8 Pro Camera Performance And Image Quality
Imaging is usually an afterthought on most gaming phones, but things
have improved with the RedMagic 8 Pro. While the previous camera system
was built around a generic 64MP main sensor, you’re now getting better
hardware and software, including a 50MP f/1.9 1.0-micron main shooter with
PDAF (no OIS). The 8MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 120-degree ultrawide, and the
useless 2MP f/2.4 macro (no AF) remain unchanged.
RedMagic 8 Pro Camera Pod
In front, the RedMagic 8 Pro inherits the 16MP f/2.0 1.12-micron
under-display camera from its predecessor. But what’s more important
here is that RedMagic has replaced last year’s run-of-the-mill 64MP
0.7-micron main sensor with a much improved 50MP 1.0-micron main sensor
(Samsung Isocell GN5). This results in slightly better low light
performance and zoom quality, despite the ongoing lack of OIS.
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera
And while image processing has improved somewhat (thank you, Snapdragon
8 Gen 2), the RedMagic 8 Pro’s camera app remains mostly unchanged from
last year. It’s a little quirky and disorganized, but it’s fine once you
get used to it. The usual shooting modes are available – portrait,
night, pro, pro video, panorama, macro, time lapse (4k 30fps), and slow
motion (1080p 120/240/480fps) – plus a bunch more obscure ones.
RedMagic 8 Pro Ultrawide
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera (1x)
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera (2x zoom)
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera (5x zoom)
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera (10x zoom)
In terms of video recording, the RedMagic 8 Pro tops out at 8k 30fps
/ 4k 60fps with the main shooter, 1080p 60fps with the ultrawide (pro
video), and 1080p 30fps with the selfie camera. Stabilized video (up to
4k 60fps) and HDR video (up to 4k 30fps) are only available on the main
shooter. Unfortunately – and like its predecessors – the RedMagic 8 Pro
lacks night mode on the ultrawide and selfie cameras, and only records
audio in mono.
RedMagic 8 Ultrawide (Low Light)
RedMagic 8 Pro Main Camera (Night Mode)
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, most of these
shortcomings date back to the RedMagic 5G (2020) and don’t exist on
handsets that cost half as much, so it’s frustrating that the company
still hasn’t addressed them. While I understand that imaging performance
isn’t a priority for gaming phones, these limitations are disappointing on a
device with flagship specs – especially when they could be fixed with a
software update.
RedMagic 8 Pro Macro Camera
Overall, the RedMagic 8 Pro takes nice pictures. The main shooter
handles low light noticeably better than its predecessors, but night
mode seems to make very little difference. Zooming is fine up to 3-4x,
but quickly falls apart beyond that. The ultrawide is decent given
enough light, but the macro is pretty useless since it’s only 2MP and
lacks autofocus. Mono audio aside, videos are good, but not spectacular.
RedMagic 8 Pro Selfie Camera
Selfies are better than those shot with the RedMagic 7 Pro thanks
to an improved de-screening algorithm. But under-display cameras still
lag far behind regular front-facing shooters when it comes to image
quality, so set your expectations accordingly. Also, portrait mode
didn’t appear to be working on this review unit. It all adds up to a
middling camera experience compared to other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
flagships.
