The RedMagic 8 Pro and the RedMagic 8 Pro Plus are available from today in China, while the company has confirmed that it will roll out to other markets from January 16, 2023. As such, this might just have become the fastest phone on the market. The first phones running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 have only just started dribbling out, but this is the first dedicated gaming phone to pack Qualcomm’s impressive chip. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is an off-the-shelf component, RedMagic’s ICE 11.0 cooling system (which includes 11 layers and a dedicated cooling fan) should ensure that the chip can run flat out for longer periods, resulting in superior sustained performance compared to regular phones. Both phones also feature the Red Core 2 gaming chip, which can apparently handle various effects and vibration feedback. I reviewed the RedMagic 7S Pro in July, and found it to be “an incredibly powerful gaming phone with slick physical controls and a relatively reserved look”. That seems to be the case here with the RedMagic 8 Pro line too, with a bold new industrial flat-edged design and an all-screen front, as well as the return of those shoulder buttons. Both phones are led by a 6.8-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate (not the highest for a gaming phone, but still decent) and a 1300 nits peak brightness. Those 1.48mm-thick bezels look especially slick, aided by a 16MP under-display selfie camera. I found this component to be terrible at actually taking selfies in the RedMagic 7S Pro, but maybe this second generation component will be better. As for the main camera, Nubia (a former sub-brand of ZTE) has improved matters with a 50MP Samsung GN5 sensor. That’s the same sensor that you’ll find in the Galaxy S22. There’s no telephoto again, and the ultra-wide is a humble 8MP example, accompanied by a 2MP macro sensor. There’s a 6000mAh battery powering the Pro along, and a 5000mAh battery in the Pro Plus. The regular 8 Pro gives you 80W charging, while the Plus model goes all in with 165W. As always, the more expensive model, the RedMagic 8 Pro Plus, comes with the option of a transparent back cover, exposing some of the phone’s inner workings. Pricing starts from 3999 yuan for the RedMagic 8 Pro, and 5199 yuan for the 8 Pro Plus. We’ll let you know once global prices become available, but these are generally very well priced phones given their meaty specs.
