The RedMagic 7 Pro is the latest gaming phone from Nubia, a Chinese company that has been making phones for gamers since 2018. The RedMagic 7 Pro is the successor of the RedMagic 6S Pro, which we reviewed last year and found to be a solid gaming device with some flaws. The RedMagic 7 Pro aims to improve on its predecessor by offering a bigger battery, an under-display selfie camera, and a faster processor. But does it deliver on its promises? And how does it compare to other flagship phones on the market? In this review, we will take a closer look at the RedMagic 7 Pro’s design, performance, features, battery life, cameras, and software to help you decide if it’s worth buying.
Table of Contents
Design and display
The RedMagic 7 Pro is a big and heavy phone that measures 166.3 x 77.1 x 10 mm and weighs 235 grams. It has a glass front and back with an aluminum frame that has angular edges and corners. The back of the phone has a glossy finish that reflects light in different colors depending on the angle. The back also features a large RGB fan that spins to cool down the phone during gaming sessions. The fan can be customized to change colors and patterns using the RedMagic app. The back also has a triple camera setup and a RedMagic logo that also lights up in RGB colors.
The front of the phone has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display that has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The display supports HDR10+ and has a peak brightness of 600 nits. The display also has an under-display fingerprint scanner and an under-display selfie camera that is hidden behind the screen. The display has thin bezels on the sides but slightly thicker ones on the top and bottom. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has a pre-applied screen protector.
The RedMagic 7 Pro has a dual SIM tray on the left side of the phone, along with two touch-sensitive shoulder triggers that can be used for gaming. The triggers have a response rate of 500 Hz and can be mapped to different functions using the RedMagic app. The right side of the phone has a power button, a volume rocker, and a slider that activates the Game Space mode, which is a dedicated gaming interface that blocks notifications, optimizes performance, and gives access to various gaming features. The bottom of the phone has a USB-C port, a microphone, and a speaker grille. The top of the phone has a 3.5 mm headphone jack and another microphone.
The RedMagic 7 Pro comes in two color options: Obsidian and Supernova. The Obsidian model has a black back with red accents, while the Supernova model has a gradient back that shifts from blue to purple. We received the Supernova model for review, which looks quite flashy and eye-catching.
Overall, the RedMagic 7 Pro has a distinctive design that appeals to gamers who like RGB lighting and aggressive aesthetics. However, some users may find it too bulky and heavy for everyday use.
Performance and features
The RedMagic 7 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, which is Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset that is based on a 4 nm process and offers improved performance and efficiency over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 888¹. The RedMagic 7 Pro also comes with up to 18 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, which are among the highest specifications available on any smartphone today.
The RedMagic 7 Pro delivers excellent performance in both gaming and general tasks. The phone can handle any game or app without any lag or stutter, thanks to its powerful processor, ample memory, and high refresh rate display. The phone also supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and GPS, which ensure fast and reliable data and location services.
The RedMagic 7 Pro also has some unique features that enhance the gaming experience. The most notable one is the built-in cooling fan, which is designed to reduce the temperature of the phone and prevent thermal throttling. The fan can be turned on manually or automatically using the RedMagic app, and it can be adjusted to different speeds and modes. The fan is fairly quiet and does not interfere with the audio quality of the phone. The fan also works with a liquid cooling system that consists of a copper heat pipe and a graphite sheet that dissipate heat from the internal components.
Another feature that sets the RedMagic 7 Pro apart from other phones is the Game Space mode, which is activated by sliding the switch on the right side of the phone. The Game Space mode transforms the phone into a dedicated gaming device that blocks notifications, optimizes performance, and gives access to various gaming features. Some of these features include:
- A game launcher that shows all the installed games and their performance statistics.
- A game booster that allows users to customize the CPU, GPU, network, and display settings for each game.
- A game recorder that allows users to record or stream their gameplay with audio and video options.
- A game toolbox that can be accessed by swiping from the right edge of the screen during a game. The toolbox offers shortcuts to various functions such as screen brightness, volume, fan speed, shoulder triggers, macros, screen recording, screenshot, and more.
The RedMagic 7 Pro also supports accessories such as a docking station, a wireless charger, a gamepad, and a pair of earphones that can enhance the gaming experience further. However, these accessories are sold separately and are not available in all regions.
Overall, the RedMagic 7 Pro is one of the most powerful and feature-rich gaming phones on the market today. It offers a smooth and immersive gaming experience that can rival some dedicated gaming consoles.
Battery life
The RedMagic 7 Pro has a 5,000 mAh battery that supports fast charging up to 65 W with the included charger in the global version of the phone. The Chinese version of the phone supports even faster charging up to 135 W with a separate charger that can fully charge the phone in 15 minutes². However, neither version of the phone supports wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, which are common features on other flagship phones.
The battery life of the RedMagic 7 Pro depends largely on how you use the phone and what settings you choose. In our battery test, which involves looping a video at full brightness and volume with Wi-Fi on and Bluetooth off, the phone lasted for 9 hours and 29 minutes at 120 Hz refresh rate³. This is slightly lower than the RedMagic 6S Pro’s result of 10 hours and 16 minutes at 165 Hz refresh rate⁴. However, if you lower the refresh rate to 90 Hz or 60 Hz, you can expect longer battery life from the RedMagic 7 Pro.
In real-world usage, the RedMagic 7 Pro can easily last for a full day of moderate use with some gaming sessions. However, if you play intensive games for long periods or use other power-hungry features such as the fan or the RGB lighting, you may need to charge the phone more often. Fortunately, the fast charging feature can replenish the battery quickly when needed.
Overall, the RedMagic 7 Pro has a decent battery life that can satisfy most users. However, it does not offer wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, which are convenient features that some users may miss.
Cameras
The RedMagic 7 Pro has a triple camera setup on the back that consists of a 64 MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8 MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view, and a 2 MP macro camera with an f/2.4 aperture. The main camera supports phase-detection autofocus (PDAF), electronic image stabilization (EIS), and 8K video recording at 30 fps. The ultra-wide camera supports EIS and 4K video recording at 60 fps. The macro camera supports fixed focus and 1080p video recording at 30 fps. The front camera is a 16 MP under-display camera with an f/2.0 aperture that supports fixed focus, EIS, and 1080p video recording at 30 fps.
The camera app of the RedMagic 7 Pro offers various modes and features such as photo, video, pro, portrait, night, panorama, time-lapse, slow motion, macro, and more. The app also has some filters, stickers, and beauty effects that can be applied to the photos and videos. The app is easy to use and has a simple interface that can be accessed by swiping left or right on the screen.
The camera performance of the RedMagic 7 Pro is decent but not impressive. The main camera can capture good photos in daylight with accurate colors, sharp details, and balanced exposure. However, in low-light situations, the main camera struggles to produce clear and bright photos, even with the night mode on. The photos often look noisy, blurry, and dull in dark environments. The ultra-wide camera can take nice photos with a wider perspective, but it suffers from distortion and loss of quality at the edges. The macro camera can take close-up shots of small objects, but it has a very narrow focus range and low resolution. The front camera can take selfies with good skin tones and facial features, but it has a noticeable black spot on the display that covers part of the lens.
The video recording of the RedMagic 7 Pro is better than the photo shooting. The main camera can record smooth and stable videos in 8K or 4K resolution with good audio quality. The ultra-wide camera can also record good videos in 4K resolution with a wider view. However, both cameras have limited dynamic range and color accuracy in video mode. The front camera can record decent videos in 1080p resolution with acceptable quality.
Overall, the RedMagic 7 Pro has a mediocre camera system that can take acceptable photos and videos in good lighting conditions, but it falls short in low-light situations and compared to other flagship phones.
Software
The RedMagic 7 Pro runs on Android 11 with RedMagic OS 5.0 on top. RedMagic OS is a custom skin that adds some features and tweaks to the stock Android experience. Some of these features include:
- A dark mode that can be scheduled or activated manually.
- A theme store that offers various wallpapers, icons, fonts, and animations.
- A fingerprint animation that can be customized with different effects.
- A gesture navigation that can be enabled or disabled.
- A quick settings panel that can be accessed by swiping down from the top or bottom of the screen.
- A smart assistant that can be accessed by swiping from the left edge of the screen. The smart assistant shows various cards such as weather, calendar, steps, music, etc.
- A game space mode that can be activated by sliding the switch on the right side of the phone.
RedMagic OS is a relatively clean and smooth software that does not have much bloatware or ads. However, it also lacks some features that are common on other Android phones such as an always-on display, an app drawer, a notification LED, a face unlock option, etc. Moreover, some users may find the software to be buggy or inconsistent at times. For example, we encountered some issues with the under-display fingerprint scanner and the under-display selfie camera that did not work properly sometimes.
Overall, the RedMagic 7 Pro has a decent software that offers some useful features for gaming and customization. However, it also has some drawbacks and limitations that may affect the user experience.
Conclusion
The RedMagic 7 Pro is a gaming phone that delivers excellent performance, features, and battery life for gamers who want a powerful and immersive device. The phone has a distinctive design with RGB lighting and a cooling fan, a high refresh rate display with an under-display selfie camera, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor with up to 18 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, a Game Space mode with various gaming features and accessories, and a fast charging feature that can charge the phone quickly.
However, the RedMagic 7 Pro also has some drawbacks that may deter some users from buying it. The phone is bulky and heavy for everyday use, it does not support wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, it has a mediocre camera system that struggles in low-light situations, and it has a buggy and limited software that lacks some features and options.
Therefore, the RedMagic 7 Pro is a phone that is best suited for gamers who prioritize performance and features over other aspects. For other users who want a more balanced and versatile phone, there are better options available on the market.
