Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

I ’m not a gamer , but I care gaming phones for the fact that they push mobile computer hardware to its limit . The Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro is no different .

In fact , in my one hebdomad with the phone , it has storm me in the best way of life potential . I like having a singular element for the machine I ’m using , and the latest RedMagic phone has a handful of them .

RedMagic 9 Pro back with built-in lights on.

Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

The non-intrusive design is brilliant

The RedMagic 9 Pro is one of the few phones in the market without a camera bump . The insipid design from all sides render it a classy look . However , there are times when I pick up the phone , and I do n’t screw if it ’s upside down unless I ’m looking for the on - screen fingermark digital scanner . Functionality - wise , the troupe articulate it gives you a more well-off grip while play , and I concord . It feel premium with the looking glass and aluminum anatomy .

It ’s prosperous to hold during retentive gaming sessions despite the matted sides and big , bulky intent . While curved edges could have been better , the boxy design gives it a more “ gambling phone ” look . The shoulder joint triggers lie down precisely where my fingers would rest while holding it horizontally . These also double up as apprisal lights for charging , song , and more . They live on the right side alongside the cooling fan vent , a rotund power button , a slider , and volume rockers . The placement is a second affected , but you get used to it fairly quickly .

The non - intrusive design continues on the front , with the selfie camera located under the 6.8 - column inch display . It is cover with pixels and almost impossible to spot , which reach you a more enjoyable gaming experience . I ’ve write about how the under - showing photographic camera on theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5makes it more immersive , and the story preserve on the RedMagic 9 Pro .

Portrait shot of a Ugreen charger.

Portrait shotPrakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

I wish looking at the display no matter what I ’m doing . It ’s great for reading and media using up , and it ’s bright enough outdoors for salutary discernability . The experience is better after transfer the factory - applied screen protector , and I ’m fine peeling it off because the showing is protect by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 . You do n’t get Dolby Vision or HDR10 + support , but that ’s really the only downside here .

Packed with great gaming features

The RedMagic 9 Pro was among the first phone announce with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in December last class . It packs 12 gibibyte or 16 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 256 gigabyte or 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage . It ’s geminate with the company ’s frappe 13 Cooling System , which offers a vapour cool down organization and a rooter capable of speeds up to 22,000 rpm . You anticipate it to perform well , and it does so without hiccup .

Playing Genshin Impact at 60 skeletal system per second on the highest configurations , I experienced no frame drops or slowdowns . It did get affectionate after 15 proceedings of gameplay but was n’t uncomfortable to hold , and I had no problem in 30 - minute gambling sessions . Call of Duty Mobilecan go up to 90 fps , and the shoulder triggers are agile at 520Hz .

The Game Space feature make the gaming experience more nonrational . It can be activate with the yellow-bellied terrapin on the right side , so you ’re just a slide away from have all your installed games in one post .

Buildings shot on RedMagic 9 Pro.

Main camera shotPrakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

The Game Space gives you a place to customise the experience to your liking . Once triggered , you are taken to a Game Lobby that lie of all the establish games . you could aline the Performance , GPU preferences , and a lot more from this post .

exchange to Super Base , and you ’re greeted with a plethora of options . you’re able to encounter swarm games , tot up accessories ( include a full - vaned keyboard and mouse ) , and externalize your wandering screen on a bigger show . During game , you require to slither from the right or left edge of the screen to access plugins that help you customize the shoulder triggers , take the screen refresh rate , and more .

The customizable software system add more personality to the experience – similar to the Asus ROG and Lenovo Legion play phones . The RedMagic 9 Pro runs RedMagic OS 9.0 based onAndroid 14 . I wish the exploiter user interface for the most part . In a typical play phone manner , you’re able to add data like refresh charge per unit on the top proper corner of the display . I did n’t notice much difference when comparing it to the previous version .

Ultrawide scene with buildings shot on RedMagic 9 Pro.

Ultrawide angle shotPrakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

The UI , picture , and experience continue mostly the same , which means it is also meet with a ton of features to explore in the options menu . You get passel of tractableness with a customizable ignition lock screen , quick toggle styles , clock elan , and more . There ’s an consuming amount of options for always on display , too . you may also adjust the light-emitting diode lighting on the back per your penchant .

The RedMagic 9 Pro compact a 6,500mAh battery that hold out a full day easily — despite a couple of 30 - minute gaming sessions . It charges at 80 watts , which is just as fast as theOnePlus 12 . Unfortunately , there ’s no wireless charging .

There’s still room for improvement

There ’s no promise on the number of update the RedMagic 9 Pro will receive , but the company say security updates should come every two months in the first one-half of the class and every three months in the 2d half . I ’ve received one since January .

The cameras on RedMagic 9 Pro are better than before . It sports two 50 - megapixel sensors for main and ultrawide guesswork . The latter also extend anti - distortion correction , which improves the Pisces - heart effect around the border . Both photographic camera offer 12.5MP image by default , but you’re able to shoot in 50MP resolution if you prefer .

The images shoot down with the primary camera have pile of detail , good distinctness , and please colors in day . The dynamic kitchen range is n’t the best , though . you may zoom along up to 10x , but it ’s digital , so do n’t expect great - looking zoomed - in shots . The ultrawide photographic camera beguile decent images but nothing that ’d compare to the the like of mainstream phones . The portrait manner is good with edge detective work and quality of the output .

Selfie shot on RedMagic 9 Pro

Selfie portrait. My T-shirt isn’t that colorPrakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

I would n’t take this set of cameras with me on a vacation . The selfie shooter captures soft icon , too , but I ’m fine with that because I ’m getting an first-class display experience . It ’s also annoying that you ca n’t scoot trope with the trigger button . Let me double its functionality by making it a shutter clit for my camera !

The RedMagic 9 Pro is a superb gaming phone

The RedMagic 9 Pro offers a rightfully immersive and intuitive gaming experience . I care the design , display , public presentation , battery life-time , and substance abuser user interface . So long as camera quality is n’t a top priority for you , this is one of the better gaming phone you may buy in 2024 . In fact , it ’s a better value than theAsus ROG Phone 8 .

While gambling phones have made great strides in the photographic camera section , there ’s still room for advance . If you need a sound with first-class play carrying into action but proficient cameras are also essential , you should look at the iQOO 12 ( if it ’s available where you last ) . Otherwise , the RedMagic 9 Pro is well worth being on your shopping list .

The RedMagic 9 Pro ’s base variant , with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of depot , costs $ 649 and can be purchased from RedMagic ’s prescribed website and on Amazon .