Redmagic 9 Pro
November 2023Type
SmartphonePrice
$649If you clicked on this after looking at the Judas Priest reference, we are going to be good friends. If you are here for the review, then I have to thank you. A little disclaimer before I start the review: I am not a mobile gamer, so when I did fill in the form to review the Redmagic 9 Pro, I was hoping I would get away with just reviewing the looks, performance, display, battery, but after unboxing the phone, I immediately realized that I would not do it justice if I do not test out the gaming experience on this phone.
I have been using this phone for the better part of the week, and although I am sad that it took such a long time to reach my hands, I am happy to report that this is, by far, the best smartphone I have used in recent times. However, a few things concern me, but other than that, it is a flawless victory through and through.
Looking at the specs, the Redmagic 9 Pro has everything that you would expect from a gaming phone in 2024. If you are looking for a non-gaming phone with the same stellar specs, you can check out the ZTE Z60 Ultra, which is another favorite phone of mine. Although I could not get my hands on that for review, I am sure that phone is just as good, if not better, than what we have here.
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO |
| 4G bands | LTE |
| 5G bands | SA/NSA |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE-A, 5G |
LAUNCH
|
|
| Announced | 2023, November 23 |
| Status | Available |
BODY
|
|
| Dimensions | 164 x 76.4 x 8.9 mm (6.46 x 3.01 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 229 g (8.08 oz) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Pressure sensitive zones (520Hz touch-sensing) Built-in cooling fan Aviation aluminum middle frame | |
DISPLAY
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|
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 111.6 cm2 (~89.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1116 x 2480 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~400 ppi density) |
PLATFORM
|
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| OS | Android 14, Redmagic OS 9 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 5x3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.3 GHz Cortex-A520) |
| GPU | Adreno 750 |
MEMORY
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|
| Card slot | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 4.0 | |
MAIN CAMERA
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| Triple | 50 MP, (wide), 1/1.57", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 50 MP, (ultrawide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) |
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps |
SELFIE CAMERA
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| Single | 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.12µm, under display |
| Features | HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30/60fps |
SOUND
|
|
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio | |
COMMUNICATIONS
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| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, accessory connector, DisplayPort |
FEATURES
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| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
BATTERY
|
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| Type | Li-Po 6500 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 80W wired, PD3.0 |
MISCELLANEOUS
|
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| Colors | Black, Black/Transparent, Silver |
The Redmagic 9 Pro comes in a standard Redmagic silver/grey box. As someone who is used to modern smartphone boxes having absolutely nothing in the packaging, I was happy to unbox this phone because not only is it a sizeable package, it also comes with everything that you need to get started. The unboxing experience is simple and no-nonsense. You get a clear case, a USB Type-C to Type_C cable, an 80W charger, a SIM ejector pin, and the phone itself. Documentation is included, of course, but do we really need to read that?
The moment you take the Redmagic 9 Pro out of its packaging and turn it on, you realize that you have gotten yourself into something that you were not expecting. At least, that was my reaction, considering how this is the first actual gaming smartphone that I managed to get my hands on. This thing is massive, and I have seen massive phones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but there is something about this phone that makes it seem larger than those two phones, and after spending a full week with it, I am beginning to understand what it really is.
Contents
Based alone on its price and performance, the Redmagic 9 Pro is the best gaming smartphone that you can pick up with more than enough features to make sure that it becomes your daily driver going into 2024.
- Excellent display
- One of the fastest phones I have used
- Loud and clear speakers
- Battery champion
- Main camera is actually great
- Built like a tank
- Game Space is fun to use
- Lightly skinned Android 14 with a lot of useful features
Pros
- The front-facing camera needs improvement
- Macro camera is only a novelty addition
Cons
About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.
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