The RedMagic 7 Pro is a gaming powerhouse

In 2022, it is easy for phones to be the center of your world. Features are integrated into your daily life, whether it’s capturing key moments, catching up with friends, or finding the next cool restaurant. But for mobile gamers, the priorities (like a display with a high refresh rate) are different. The Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro is a phone firmly focused on providing portable Android gaming fans. The result is many advantages for players as well as consequent disadvantages. And, interestingly, there are positives that everyone can appreciate.

First of all, this phone firmly sticks to its gaming craze. With a 120Hz display and 960Hz multitouch sampling rate, playing games on this phone comes with smooth viewing and unhindered touch interactions. Power fanatics may be disappointed that this machine opted for a lower refresh rate than the previous model, which featured a 165Hz panel, but rates beyond 120Hz are rarely fully utilized.

Fans of first-person shooters will see the RedMagic 7 Pro soar, with COD Mobile comfortably sitting at 120fps on max settings while barely getting warm to the touch. The on-board cooling system is the star here, including a pleasingly subtle fan. It’s activated by flipping a red switch on the side of the phone. This switch will also take you to the Nubia Game Space, where you can see all of your downloaded titles in one place. In a more demanding title like Genshin Impact, you’ll hit its 60fps max on this device on high settings, and it’ll run with barely a stutter. In our tests, it brushed up against uncomfortable heat after more than 15-20 minutes of gaming, even with the fan running, but performance didn’t falter.

Shoulder Buttons!

Apart from the bread and butter of this device – outstanding mobile gaming performance – there are a number of other gamer-friendly additions. The capacitive shoulder buttons are the most important. While a physical click would provide a more satisfying interaction, moving parts just aren’t that convenient on a phone. As such, touch with a pleasant level of vibration is a fair target for mobile gaming devices, and the RedMagic 7 Pro nails it. The two customizable buttons allow you to switch from on-screen controls to something more natural and traditional. These are very simple to set up via Nubia’s Game Space app, accessible by swiping from the left while gaming.

The Game Space overlay includes a small bar that will display the time, frames per second, download speed, battery life, and game session duration. The full menu includes a wider range of gaming options, like toggling 120Hz mode, quick access to social channels, screen recording, and more. Every feature I tested worked as expected, and the overlay didn’t cause any crashes or slowdowns.

Image issues

As a gaming phone, the RedMagic 7 Pro is nearly flawless. Mobile gamers will not be disappointed. However, if you’re looking for a fuller experience, this isn’t the phone for you. The first glaring craze is the under-display selfie camera. Don’t get me wrong, this makes for great immersive viewing, with the screen unobstructed by a notch or cutout. However, the trade-off is that the resulting photos are poor, with a lack of detail and sharpness, and blurry overlay caused by the screen placed in front. Also, there may not be a display to get in their way, but the rear cameras aren’t much better. They may be fine for capturing the eerie moment, but you’re unlikely to look back on the snaps fondly. Camera fans should steer clear.

The RedMagic 7 Pro speakers aren’t that great either, delivering basic sound that lacks precision at high volumes and satisfying bass. Luckily, there’s a headphone jack for those who’d like the option for wired sessions.

The thickness and weight of this device – 9.98mm and 0.52 lbs (235g) – will likely be heavier for you if you’re not used to a gaming phone, a necessity for something such power. There’s also no IP rating here for dust or water resistance.

Design demerits

Apart from its dimensions, the back of the phone is quite ugly. You get customizable RGB lights that will appeal to fans who prefer a touch of gaming finesse, but the clean angular pattern of the heatsink plate is cheaper than the rest of the rugged metal design. The back of the phone also fails to facilitate wireless charging. It’s not a big loss, and the blow is mitigated by a fast 65-watt wired charger.