I don’t race cars for a living, but I can certainly appreciate the horsepower, engine tuning, and aesthetics of a sports car. Likewise, I’m not a hardcore mobile gamer but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a phone built with high-end gaming in mind.
Nubia has dropped another quarter for its REDMAGIC line of consoles, continuing its quest to create the ultimate in mobile gaming. There are two models to choose from in 2022, the 7 and 7 Pro, the former of which I was able to test.
Considering that my smartphone needs are pretty much met by any mid-range or better device, sometimes I can only value something for what it costs on paper. At a certain point there is so much memory and performance that I don’t really understand things in the real world.
Is it just that I don’t fully appreciate the REDMAGIC 7 phone, or is there a different reason why I’m considering the phone in my own interest? As it turns out, there’s something to like about the device, even for casual types.
Design
The REDMAGIC line has nothing wrong with any other brand of phone. Although they vary from year to year, they carry the hallmarks and signature designs. REDMAGIC 7 is no different.
This is a beautiful phone with a unique design and color combination. It comes in three colors (Obsidian, Pulsar and Supernova) which are more or less black, iridescent purple and blue and semi-transparent.
My review unit was the Supernova which is more or less a combination of black and silver with a few clear spots. It’s really fun to look at and it’s different from anything else on the market. The last thing you want to do is cover up or hide this interesting feature with a case; Fortunately, REDMAGIC offers a clear protective case to show just that.
Similar to other gaming phones, the REDMAGIC 7 has two shoulder pads for gaming as well as a headphone jack and turbo fan cooling. The port is great for those with a preferred pair of gaming headsets or headphones. As for the fan, it turns on automatically to keep the phone cool during a gaming session.
You won’t see it, but there are a handful of things that keep the phone cool and comfortable. There are air cooling, liquid cooling, VC heat sink, insulating heat pad and other methods at work.
The phone comes with a protective case that creates a more rugged experience that helps during gaming. It doesn’t add too much and I think it definitely helps to make it feel natural.
Software
REDMAGIC 7 runs Nubia’s custom Red Magic OS (v5) based on Android 12. While there is no firm commitment on any update, I suspect it will receive Android 13 later this year.
I found the software difficult but I didn’t find it to be so. I might call it inconsistent. It doesn’t look like it was designed together from top to bottom. Between settings, notifications, and the whole launcher, it takes a while to figure out where the controls are and how things work.
As someone who prefers the “stock” Android or Pixel experience, it was a little disappointing at first. For example, taking photos resulted in watermarked results. You can go into the settings and change this, but I prefer it to be an opt-in option. I am not trying to promote any company with my photos.
Likewise, the way it handled the app drawer was aggravating out of the box. You can turn on the traditional drawer and access apps quickly, and I recommend doing so, especially if you plan to use your phone for things other than gaming.
To its credit, everything feels built to cater to users who want to get into games and spend most of their time there. The game space gives users control over performance and customization aspects of the device. I find it inviting to tinker with the options and customize the experience.
There are tons of widgets and shortcuts sprinkled across your home screen, some of which are there by default. If you want to track stats and performance, you’ll appreciate them. But I removed them and rearranged them because I thought the layout was messy.
Performance
The REDMAGIC 7 is probably the most capable phone I’ve touched in years. Packed with top-notch hardware from top to bottom, it’s tuned for gaming and handles every task I throw at it. Looking at AnTuTu Benchmarks, I see that it ranks first in the list of Android phones available today.
Using shoulder buttons is good and useful during games. In fact, the more I deal with button compatibility, the more I find myself thinking that mobile gaming might be something I can get into from time to time.
The 6.8-inch display is big and beautiful and a real treat to use. It has incredible visuals, high refresh rate (up to 165Hz), high touch sampling rate (up to 720Hz) and 2,400 x 1,080 resolution. This means it doesn’t just look good for graphics-intensive games, but Netflix and video streaming as well.
Scrolling through the timeline on social media is silky smooth and the display register taps as effectively as any other phone I’ve used. To be sure, you’ll want to change the refresh rate to 60Hz or 90Hz for basic tasks and texting. It is not necessary to go higher and it also helps with the battery.
When you plug in the charger, the turbo fan turns on. If you’ve used a recent flagship phone, you know that sometimes charging while playing games on the phone can make it very hot.
Between the graphics, high-resolution screen and refresh rate, and high-end processor, gaming sessions can eat into the battery. For that, I would have liked to see a 5,000mAh power source. Many mid-range phones, and some entry-level models, have more than the REDMAGIC 7’s 4,500mAh battery.
To its credit, the 65W charging speed is very fast, charging it almost half full in less than fifteen minutes. You should be able to get from 0% to 100% in about half an hour if you just plug it in and leave it unattended.
There’s no wireless charging capability here, but I’m still torn as to whether I want or need that feature. Also, you can’t charge wirelessly and play games at the same time.
Since the phone was tilted towards gaming, I didn’t have high hopes for the camera. The main rear shooter is a 64-megapixel camera that produces good photos. It’s more than passable, and if you do a little post-shoot processing, you’ll get great results that are social media and timeline worthy.
Dynamic range was generally impressive, but exposure was sometimes too high. A quick pass through Snapseed or another photo editor cleaned things up.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and 2-megapixel macro sensor are okay, but don’t seem to hold the same level of detail. Even in good light, the macro camera misses more than it hits. Fortunately, these are modes I don’t use very often.
Conclusion
Although I’m not the target user, overall I really like the REDMAGIC 7. Performance-wise it’s as good as anything I’ve tried in recent months.
I don’t like the operating system and interface especially out of the box, but some of them can be adjusted in the settings. With that in mind, I can see how gamers would dig the “get in, play and get out” feel.
As a general phone user, I appreciate the big screen with all the bells and whistles. I’m also a fan of super fast charging and headphone jacks. I wouldn’t recommend this for the camera experience, but otherwise it’s high-end hardware at a mid-range price.
If you’re a hardcore mobile gamer or looking to level up in the space, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more well-rounded device.
Learn more about the REDMAGIC 7 and other models on the phone maker’s website. You can buy the handset in three colors and configurations. The Obsidian ($629) comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage; Pulsar ($729) 16GB RAM with 256GB storage; The Supernova ($799) has 18GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
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