prologue
Keeping track of things in the game space is not an easy task. To stay relevant, we need to keep churning out new models with the latest hardware. So here’s why the new nubia Red Magic 8 Pro is launching just five months after the Red Magic 7S Pro. As expected, the new model is equipped with the latest and greatest chipset from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But there is more than a simple hardware update.
The Red Magic 8 Pro has improvements in several key areas, including a new boxy design, a new Red Magic logo, and a display with higher resolution and brightness, and a larger 6,000 mAh battery. .
ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro specs overview:
- body: 164.0×76.4×8.9mm, 228g; Front glass, rear glass, aluminum frame. Pressure sensitive zones (520Hz touch sensing), built-in cooling fan, Aviation aluminum middle frame.
- screen: 6.80″ AMOLED, 1B color, 120Hz, 1300 nits (peak), 1116x2480px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
- memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM. UFS4.0.
- OS/Software: Android 13, Redmagic OS 6.
- Rear camera: wide (main): 50MP, f/1.8, 1/1.57″, 1.0µm, PDAF; super wide angle: 8MP, f/2.2, 120 degrees, 13mm, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm; big: 2MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 16MP, (wide), under display.
- Video capture: rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; front camera: 1080p@30/60fps.
- battery: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 35 minutes (as advertised).
- others: fingerprint reader (below display, optical); 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers.
Everything about Red Magic 8 Pro is designed for one purpose: gaming. From a revised internal cooling system to a dedicated Red Core 2 gaming chip meant to handle specific functions and offload them from the main chipset.
But before that, we need to clarify a few things about the Red Magic 8 lineup. At the time of writing this review, the Red Magic 8 exists in his two models, the Red Magic 8 Pro and Pro+. The main difference between the two concerns the battery and charging.
The top-of-the-line Pro+ model features a blistering 165W peak charge rate and a smaller 5,000 mAh battery to match. The only variant with a transparent back cover and his RGB lights on the internal fan, up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. However, Pro+ is unlikely to be released outside of China.
The Red Magic 8 Pro I have for review has a 6,000 mAh battery and a matte black finish on the back. Its charging is limited to 80W peak for Chinese models and 65W peak for international models. The units we have for review are the matte black, 12GB and 256GB, 6,000 mAh, 65W international charging units.
Now that everything is clear, let’s take a look at the phone’s retail packaging.
Unpacking
The nubia Red Magic 8 Pro ships in a standard two-piece cardboard box. It’s thick and sturdy and has a nice metallic finish with silver accents. I really like the geometric shapes and the overall color scheme. The inside of the box is sprinkled with all sorts of “gamer-ish” graphics and drawings.
As for accessories, it included a very compact 65W PD+PPS USB Type-C GaN charger and a thick red Type-C to Type-C cable.
Also included in the box is a clear hard snap-on case for your phone. The case doesn’t cover most of the sides of the device, but it’s appreciated as an add-in bonus.
