Redmagic 9 Pro
November 2023Type
SmartphonePrice
$649Software
For me, software is one thing that can make or break my overall smartphone experience. I have been spoiled by One UI to the point where I found myself missing it when I was using OxygenOS 14.0 on my OnePlus 10 Pro. I did not have high hopes for the Redmagic 9 Pro in terms of the software, but I am happy to tell you guys that my experience was much better than I had expected.
The Redmagic 9 Pro runs Redmagic OS 9,0, which is a lightly skinned Android 14, and when I say lightly skinned, I mean it. Aside from a few built-in customization options, the OS is largely stock, and I love it. It is snappy, works like a charm, and has all the features that you would want in a modern-day smartphone OS that is built around utility without too much of an added flair. Despite the phone being a gaming device, the OS does not reflect it at all. Everything is clean, simple, and how it should be.
However, Redmagic would not let us forget that the phone is a gaming device, after all. The Redmagic 9 Pro has, what I would think, a separate OS that is built just for gaming in the name of Game Space. Now, I am calling it an OS, but it is more like a sandbox where you can play games without any interruption, and I love it. Especially when you activate it with the switch on the right side of the phone, game Space is entirely about games and allows you to customize every aspect of your gaming experience, and I could not be more pleased with it.
Honestly, while I will not say that Redmagic 9 Pro has won my heart with its operating system and how it handles everything, I can say that I like it a lot more than some of the other skins I have used. I like it certainly more than OxygenOS, and I would say it is the next best thing I have used after One UI. There are a lot of features from One UI that are not present here, but I do not blame Redmagic for that because Samsung took a long, long time to get where it is today with the software updates. The near-stock experience provided by the phone is great, and everything feels like it fits right in. The Game Space does end up running into some bugs every now and then, but nothing that cannot be polished out with software updates.
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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