Qualcomm is gearing up to announce its next flagship silicon next month, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but before that launch, we wanted to give you some unbiased thoughts on the REDMAGIC 9S Pro, an Android gaming smartphone packed with top-notch features inside. class hardware you can ask for, including upgraded versions Snapdragon 8 Generation 3.
The unit we got after overcoming many import hurdles retails for $899, so it’s worth it when you compare the on-paper specs to other leading brands. Overall, the ‘price to performance’ ratio of the REDMAGIC 9S Pro gave us an unmatched surprise and made us conclude that an Android flagship phone of this caliber doesn’t have to be expensive, but there is certainly a lot of room for improvement.
The REDMAGIC 9S Pro is a bit of a heavy duty ‘tanky’ piece of technology, but will likely stand the test of time
What we really appreciate is the step the company has taken to buck the trend where tech giants like Samsung and Apple fail to provide essential accessories. With the REDMAGIC 9S Pro, you get everything you could ask for, like a cable with very thick cables, along with a power brick that delivers meaningful wattage to pump out that big 6,500mAh cell in the shortest possible time. The plastic box it came in was more or less for aesthetic purposes as in just a few days it was covered in scratches. Plus, there’s a lot of paperwork to go through, but let’s put that aside and appreciate the build quality.
For lack of a better word, the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is ‘tanky’, and its design gives a vague impression of the Samsung Galaxy Note series thanks to sharper corners, no S-Pen, and a sturdy aluminum frame. like some flagship ships which are very expensive. The back side has a unique look, with several printed labels, including the active ‘COOLING SYSTEM’ label, as if the company is very proud of the mark. In short, it looks like the design team spared no expense in using premium materials to make this smartphone because of its high quality.
Driving the REDMAGIC 9S Pro every day is a breeze, but some software bugs and issues can be easily avoided
In short, the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is one of the sharpest devices we’ve ever used, with a combination of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16 GB RAM and UFS 4.0 storage that pretty much guarantees whatever you do on this smartphone, or how fast you do it, his flagship will keep up with you. The screen uses AMOLED technology, and for a device with a 6.8 inch screen, the 2,480 x 1,116 resolution appears quite sharp. The company claims that the REDMAGIC 9S Pro can reach a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, and although we didn’t use any external equipment or apps to test it, the phone looked bright outdoors.
The 120Hz refresh rate makes life much simpler, and once you enter the Settings menu, you’re greeted with endless customization options, including one where you can adjust the refresh rate. To maximize battery life, we set this value to ‘Auto’, although given the size of the battery, it likely wouldn’t have been a problem if we had left the REDMAGIC 9S Pro running at the maximum supported refresh rate of 120Hz. Additionally, personalization options abound, with the ‘Features’ menu providing an extra level of convenience to enhance the user experience. This option allows you to change the sensitivity of the touch sensor to prevent erroneous touches.
You can also bring up additional functions based on various finger movements, and there’s also the option to activate the flashlight by shaking the REDMAGIC 9S Pro. Some of these options are useful, while others are simply gimmicky, and we doubt users will get used to this interface, which goes against their muscle memory. One of the unique additions to this smartphone is the ‘Cooling fan’ and you can adjust its speed based on your preferences. Unfortunately, we found this feature less useful because the phone felt a little hot to the touch, but didn’t feel hot on our palms or fingers.
As for bugs, these are negligible, but we still hope that if some software optimizations are prioritized over adding some features that users will soon forget, the experience will remain pristine. For example, messaging apps like WhatsApp include the option to unlock them using fingerprints. However, even after your fingerprint is registered, the input logo remains stuck on the screen, so you need to press the power button once to turn off the screen before the logo disappears.
There were also instances where we swiped down to check a notification, and when we tapped the message to continue, our touch input didn’t register, forcing us to press the power button again. Additionally, during our use of the REDMAGIC 9S Pro, it has been installed on us twice, and this is acceptable, but we strongly recommend that the people in the quality control department do a thorough inspection in this area before officially launching it. next phone. Lastly, we had problems using the camera.
The camera app’s behavior was sporadic and frequently failed to start
While gaming smartphones often deliver unrivaled performance, they are bound to fare the worst in other areas. Apart from taking a few test shots to check the image quality personally, we cannot provide neutral results in various lighting conditions because the camera app will fail to start.
The surprising thing about this bug is that when we used the suite of messaging apps to send images or videos, the process went smoothly; it’s just the camera app that gave us the most problems. As we continue to carry out various tests on the REDMAGIC 9S Pro, the camera side will have to wait. We’ve looked at the imaging results from other reviewers, and let’s conclude that there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Its battery life exceeds the competition, making it an instant choice for those who want more durability than anything else
The 6,500mAh battery on the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is, without a doubt, one of its strongest features, and we can’t praise the company enough for taking this bold step to add such a large capacity. We have a ‘power user’ style of smartphone usage, where we are constantly bombarded with email notifications, X-alerts (formerly known as Twitter), messages, and a barrage of pings from Facebook Workplace. In short, our devices are always busy, and always connected to Wi-Fi. Somehow, before we finish the day and lie down in bed, we still have between 20-30 percent juice left.
During a bus trip that lasted more than 16 hours, the REDMAGIC 9S Pro was always connected to cellular data, managed to outlast the entire trip, and still had enough battery left to call a ride-hailing service. In short, getting nine hours of active screen time is an easy task for this flagship phone. While competing brands use various software techniques that limit the chipset frequency to applications that reduce battery consumption just to squeeze out an extra hour, the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is clearly ahead of the competition. If battery life is a ‘make or break’ issue for you, this smartphone will deliver above your expectations.
The battery supports up to 80W wired charging, which we confirmed when we used the included cable and connected it to one of our GaN power bricks. The cool thing about this feature is that a unique animation plays on the home screen based on how many watts the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is receiving, so it’s a nice touch.
Conclusion – Excellent hardware makes the REDMAGIC 9S Pro a 10/10 device, but the software hinders the experience
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 1TB storage mean you carry your notebook computing power in your pocket. The solid build quality will last for years, although we doubt this model will receive annual software updates, it’s still a great deal. REDMAGIC 9S Pro will keep up with your finger speed and the multitude of customization and gesture options will force you to get your ideas flowing.
However, the overall package is somewhat incomplete, and whatever bugs are discovered that may or may not have been ironed out before the smartphone was released, it is the synergistic role of hardware and software that ultimately determines the user experience. Whatever name the company chooses to name its flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, we certainly hope our concerns are resolved. After all, what smartphone brand doesn’t want to succeed in this cutthroat business?
If you are interested in getting the REDMAGIC 9S Pro, Amazon is offering a great discount on its flagship product, with this exact model sporting 16GB RAM and 512GB internal storage, get a $50 off coupon, dropping the price to $849. From a ‘price to performance’ perspective, this is an incredible deal and one you shouldn’t miss out on.