REDMAGIC 11 Pro Review | First SD 8 ELITE GEN 5 Gaming Phone!

Now, the Red Magic 10S Pro came out five full months ago. It's already so old that it constantly smells of wee and can't stop making racist remarks at dinner. So, hoy that junk right in the bin and get your wallet ready for the lovely fresh new Red Magic 11 Pro. It's the limberest gaming smartphone on the block and the first to be powered by Qualcomm's beefastic Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

Now, I've been thoroughly testing out the Red Magic 11 Pro these past few days. Endured endless kneecaps at the hands of filthy urchins on their school holidays in titles like Call of Duty and routinely had my tits ripped off by angry wildlife in games like Wuthering Waves. It's a good thing good old Mora's on hand to cheer me up then.

>> Captain, stop. Stop. I surrender. I surrender.

What's happened with her voice? Why has she gone all AI? And for more on the latest and greatest tech, please do poke subscribe, ding that notifications bell. Cheers.

Retrospective Unboxing

So, first let's begin with a retrospective unboxing. What you get slapped in there, besides, of course, the Red Magic 11 Pro. Well, my review sample came with a charging adapter. You probably won't get that in the EU thanks to good old regs. You've got yourself a lovely bright red USB cable. And they've even kindly chucked in a condom case so you can slap that around your Red Magic 11 Pro. And it's even ribbed for your pleasure. And that's it, absolutely everything that you get chucked in the box.

Design and Build

Now, the Red Magic 11 Pro does sport a few design changes over the previous generation, even though on the surface it is once again an absolute brick. As always, completely flat edges and surfaces, slightly rounded corners, but yeah, slightly less generous. It's almost 9 mm thick, and it weighs 230 g, which is as much as some of those fresh new foldable phones. But then when you consider the amount of tech packed into this thing, it's not really much of a shock.

As usual, an aluminium frame and you've got yourself Gorilla Glass front and back. Though Nubia didn't say what kind of Gorilla Glass, but it does feel like you've got a pre-installed screen protector on there at least. Now, you got a choice of three different colors: Cryo, Night Freeze, or this Subzero Effort. Or in normal speak: matte black, transparent black, or transparent silver.

And if we flip around to that lovely transparent back end, you'll see there's quite a lot going on now. Not just the usual obligatory RGB shenanigans, but the eye is drawn inexorably to that wide gaping ring right in the center there. This is actually the fresh new liquid coolant setup, which I'll be banging on about later when we're talking about performance and everything. Certainly quite a funky wee design feature as well.

And as usual, got a bit of the Snapdragon brand in there. And then the Red Magic logo and the fan and various other elements all lit up using the RGB shenanigans. And this extends to the edges of the phone where once again you can peer into those vents all lit up. The shoulder triggers all lit up. And as if that wasn't enough, the opposite edge is also getting in on the action now. So it's not just a gaming smartphone; it's a ruddy Christmas tree as well. But it is kind of a shame that that ring doesn't glow the same way the rest of it does.

It's quite a standout design. Probably going to attract a few looks when you whip it out down the local Spoons on a Friday night. Just be careful if you do opt for the Donner kebab afterwards cuz not much grip on this thing. It is a rather slippery bugger. So if you've already got greasy mates, you're in trouble.

Oh, and the Red Magic 11 Pro is now IPX8 rated. So fully water resistant despite all these gaping orifices, unlike the previous generation, but bugger all IP rating for dust resistance, although Nubia does insist it's fine when it comes to grit and stuff like that.

Biometrics and Software

Now the Red Magic 11 Pro actually sports an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. So as you can see there, incredibly fast and responsive and rarely buggers up even if your mitts are a wee bit moist. And then you're straight into Red Magic 11 slapped on top of good old Android 16. And I believe that here in the UK and in the EU, we will be blessed with five full years of OS updates and security patching. If you're in other regions, you might be out of luck; I think it's probably more like three.

And the overall UI feels familiar enough. You got your combined notifications and control center. You've got the weird Red Magic version of the Google Discover feed, which yeah, fantastic. And you do have a wee bit of crapware stuffed on here as well. The likes of Booking.com, Facebook, all the regular offenders, but thankfully you can get this all to piss off fairly easily.

And of course, you flick into the settings, you've got all kinds of customization in here. So you can play around with the likes of the cooling fan lighting. Fully customize all of the RGB shenanigans and you can even switch on that liquid cooling effect on the ring around back and determine whether it's a quick or slow movement.

Gaming Features

And then if you actually want to play a bloody game on this thing, well, you've got that magic key slapped on the right edge. Quick flick of this and you're straight into that gaming mode with its rousing soundtrack. As usual, this gives you fast access to all of your installed games. You've got a bunch of other stuff you can play around with, including adding plugins. You've now got added AI content, of course, and of course, you can jump into a conversation with your great mate Mora.

>> You scared me, Captain. Don't do it again.

Unfortunately, her original voice appears to have been replaced with just a robotic AI thing.

>> Dear Captain, are you ready for the next round of battles?

And what the hell happened? And she sounds like she took a bat to the head or something.

Storage

And good news on the storage front. It's UFS 4.1. You've got minimum 256 GB. I believe it's only the matte black version that comes with that. Believe these transparent models come with a minimum of half a terabyte. And you can upgrade to a full terabyte if you're going to be downloading lots of big bastards like Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact.

Game Space Menu

Now, as usual, when you're actually in a game, you can drag out that old Game Space menu with a quick swipe from either side, like so. This offers absolutely tons of features, so you can quickly tweak settings like the screen brightness, the volume. You got a small selection of gaming modes to choose between. Good old Eco if you're just playing something fairly lowkey, otherwise all the way up to Rise. And there is a Diablo mode as well if you want to absolutely push that performance to the maximum.

And yes, even good old Game Space has been pumped full of AI now. So, you've got this little AI coach thing that scrolls along the bottom, giving you little tips and tricks on how to use all of the various features. You can give this wee icon a tap and ask it questions as well if you're stuck on anything. This can give you strategies and little tips and tricks on how to get better at whichever games it is you're playing. So, for instance, here in Wuthering Waves can help you with upgrading your characters, etc.

As always, plenty of other bits chucked on here. So, you can directly control the fan. You've got an info panel that you can pull up if you want to see how your game is playing. You can record the action. You can make sure that you're not interrupted in the middle of a gaming session. And there's also a new Mora mouth feature, which apparently can reply to in-game chat on your behalf, either with cute and sweet replies or with funny, cynical replies.

Shoulder Triggers

And as always, of course, you can turn on and customize those shoulder buttons, the shoulder triggers if you want. It's just a quick tap of this icon up here. Just drag these wee icons onto whichever onscreen virtual buttons you want the left and the right trigger to replace. And away you go. As usual, supremely responsive. You've got 520 Hz response rate, so absolutely zero lag. Essential, of course, if you're properly competing in games like Call of Duty. For me, it's always my soggy booze-fueled reactions that let me down rather than the hardware. You know, a nice pleasing bit of rumbly haptics when you tap them as well. It's very subtle, but that's all it needs.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

But now, hey, let's talk performance quite. And the Red Magic 11 Pro is the first gaming smartphone and one of the very first phones to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Possibly one of the most clunkily titled mobile chipsets of recent times, but an absolute beefcake.

Now, that's backed by up to 24 gigs of RAM and the absolute Billy Big Bollocks top-end model. My review model has 16 gigs of RAM and it's still a proper freaking monster. I wasn't too shocked when I played Wuthering Waves on the highest possible graphics settings. Everything ramped up to the maximum possible levels and the Red Magic 11 Pro coped with it as if I was just playing a bloody game of Wordle. I didn't even have to stick it on the Diablo mode. Sorry, Diablo mode. I got told off in my ROG Ally video for saying that one wrong. Apparently on Reddit, they're probably already comparing me to Heinrich Himmler. But yes, didn't have to stick this thing into the Diablo gaming mode. On Rise, it was absolutely fine. Perfect 60 frames per second frame rate basically the entire time. Maybe dropped to 58 or 59 every so often when things got proper mental.

But uh, if you want something that can play the latest, most intensive demanding titles probably for years and years to come, well, this will do the job. And naturally, of course, because Wuthering Waves plays so well, you won't be shocked to hear that the likes of Call of Duty Mobile and other titles that are actually optimized play wonderfully again on those maxed out settings. Again, there's not a single judder in that frame rate the entire time, even if you're gaming for hours at a stretch. And you got that Red Core R4 chip stuffed in there as well, which helps to monitor the gaming performance, the cooling system, and power some of those in-game features.

Cooling System

And speaking of the cooling system, well, it's the fresh new Aqua Core coolant setup now with flowing fluorinated liquid coolant around back there. This apparently contains the same fluorinated liquid used in AI servers. Ooh, get you, Mr. Fancy Pants. And apparently that cooling setup has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it's drop resistant and also resistant to cold. In fact, apparently the Red Magic 11 Pro can operate in extreme temperatures all the way between -40 and 70° centigrade. And at those sorts of temperatures, I'm pretty sure I would expire well before this thing. And I certainly wouldn't be pissing about playing PUBG.

And as well as that, you've also got an enlarged vapor chamber, which now covers over 13,000 square mm stretching from the camera right down to that bottom speaker. And as if that wasn't bloody enough, they've also shoved that fan in there again, which now hits 24,000 RPM and yet is also somehow whisper quiet. So the fan's on just on a low mode right now. Can't hear it at all. If I chuck it up to the maximum freeze mode, you can now hear it. It is audible, but it's so soft that it'll be drowned out by the tiniest little noise. Literally a ladybird's fart would block this thing out. So, no worries if you are doing a bit of gaming into the wee hours next to your sleeping bed partner or whatever.

And you probably won't be shocked to learn that this cooling setup absolutely works a treat. Again, even in the most intensive titles like Wuthering Waves, you can be gaming for hours on this thing and it'll get just slightly warmer around back. That is literally it. Again, that's on the highest possible graphics settings on the likes of the Rise mode and the Diablo mode.

Display and Audio

As for the display, well, that's an absolute banger as always. A 6.85 in full view AMOLED screen. Got a 2688 x 1216 pixel resolution. So, pleasingly crisp despite the fact it's absolutely ruddy enormous. And as usual, as with the previous few Red Magic generations, bugger all notch or selfie cam orifice. So, it's a nice full-on full view experience. They've done an absolutely incredible job no matter how hard I squint at that top end of the smartphone. I can't see the selfie camera at all. Like, just just about make it out if the light is like directly shining off it. But honestly, at first, for a while, I was wondering if there was even a selfie camera in this thing. And as usual, got a bit of 144 hertz refresh action.

And it's a stereo speaker setup here on the Red Magic 11 Pro. Not quite front-facing sadly. You've got the earpiece speaker basically and then a bottom mounted speaker on the other end. But my gosh are they loud when you max out that volume. Absolutely blast your eardrums to bits. So yeah, great stuff when you are playing the likes of Wuthering Waves, Call of Duty, etc. They're pretty bassy for smartphone speakers at least. So, you know, gunfire, explosions, etc. don't just sound like wet farts. It's all good. Uh, but of course, you do, as always, have the old headphone jack, so you can get wired in if you want to enjoy really nice crispy high-res audio sound. Otherwise, the Bluetooth setups absolutely fine as well.

Battery Life and Charging

And as for the battery tech, well, despite packing in all of this clever bollocks new stuff like the liquid coolant, etc., Nubia has also managed to upgrade the battery capacity to 7,500 mAh up from I believe it was 7050 in the Red Magic 10S Pro. And again, this really really delivers. So, you'll enjoy just over 5 hours of Wuthering Waves action on the highest possible graphics setting in that Rise gaming mode. That's with the fans, the liquid cool, and everything switched on and maxed out.

As for Call of Duty, well, great news if you enjoy running around like your ass is on fire while school children try to smash your face in with a baseball bat, which appears to be the latest hilarious new mode in this thing because you'll be able to enjoy that shenanigans for a full sort of 8 to 9 hours with everything again maxed out, top possible graphics settings, etc., etc. So, a bloody amazing battery life. Of course, if you're actually just using it as a phone rather than gaming on it non-stop, you'll get full weekend of use from a single charge, no worries.

But if you're absolutely addicted to the likes of Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, etc., you can plug the cable in and you can actually bypass the battery charging as always. So, you can keep this thing powered up indefinitely and keep on gaming until basically your thumbs fall off. And if you do need to juice it up in a jiffy, well, no worries. The Red Magic 11 Pro supports 80W charging. You'd also have the wireless charging on there as well.

Camera Test

And of course, slapped there on the rear end in between all of the RGB acid trip nightmare stuff is a bunch of camera tech. I say a bunch of camera tech, it's actually just a dual lens setup. You've got a 50 megapixel Omnivision OV50 E40 main sensor. That's a one over 1.55 in 23 mil equivalent focus. You can also switch to a 14 mil ultra wide angle shooter again using a 50meg Omnivision sensor but this time it's the OV50 D40. It looks like there's a third lens on there as well but this is just a basic depth sensor. There's no telephoto shenanigans on here. I don't think anyone's buying the Red Magic 11 Pro for the camera tech. But here's just a handful of quick samples that I snapped around the old homestead these past couple of days.

And you can actually, if you want to, record up to 8K resolution video using the Red Magic 11 Pro's rear camera setup. I'm just recording this at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The image stabilization could be a little bit better. It's still a little bit juddery just with general hand motions, but the mic does a good job of picking up your voice and everything. So, good for a bit of vlogging action.

And then last up around front of course you've got that 16meg under-display selfie cam using yet another Omnivision sensor. What a surprise. And of course uh don't expect the best photo or video quality out of this because it is secreted away underneath that screen. You can record up to full HD resolution video using that selfie cam. There's no 4K option. Although frankly, even the full HD option looks kind of ass. Kind of looks like somebody accidentally smudged kebab grease all over that lens. And frankly, with a face like this, that's only a good thing.

Verdict

And there you have it, my lovelies. That in a delicious wee nutshell is the rather stunning new Red Magic 11 Pro. A supremely delightful gaming smartphone packed to the tits with incredible performance. That cooling setup is something else. So if you want to play the likes of Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, etc. Maxed out, absolutely fully stacked. This is basically the way to do it. I just wish they hadn't messed with Mora.

Anyway, that's what this bold northern prong reckons of the Red Magic 11 Pro, but be great to hear your thoughts down in the comments below. Please do poke subscribe and ding that notifications bell for more on the latest and greatest tech. I'm expecting a slew of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 smartphones to be hitting before 2025 finally buggers off and have yourselves an absolutely ruddy wonderful rest of the week. Cheers everybody. Love you.