nubia Red Magic 10 Pro review

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Introduction and specs

The Red Magic 10 series is the generational upgrade of the gaming Red Magic lineup from nubia. The company is sticking to its bi-annual upgrade and we will focus on the Red Magic 10 Pro in this review - a slightly toned-down version of the 10 Pro+, which has more storage and faster charging. That's because the Plus variant is reserved for the Chinese market. However, the global Red Magic 10 Pro, which we have here, is a closer sibling to the Chinese 10 Pro+ as it adopts the larger 7,050 mAh battery and almost as fast 100W charging.

Unlike the bi-annual refresh, the 10 Pro brings a handful of improvements. The centerpiece feature in the new Red Magic is undoubtedly the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Moreover, the 10 Pro is one of the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered options on the market. So, it will be a perfect fit for people looking for extra horsepower, even if they are not into gaming.

The new Red Magic also upgrades the display with a slightly higher resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, up from 120Hz on the 9S Pro.

ZTE nubia Red Magic 10 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.4x76.1x8.9mm, 229g; Glass front, aluminum frame, glass back; Pressure sensitive zones (520Hz touch-sensing), Built-in cooling fan, Aviation aluminum middle frame.
• Display: 6.85" AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, 2000 nits (peak), 1216x2688px resolution, 19.89:9 aspect ratio, 431ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1 Pro.
• OS/Software: Android 15, Redmagic OS 10.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.88", 0.61µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/3.06", 1.0µm, under display.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; Front camera: 1080p@30/60fps.
• Battery: 7050 mAh; 100W wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

Last but not least, the device sports a new silicon-carbon battery, which is touted as more efficient than standard Li-Ion cells, but more importantly, it holds an impressive 7,050 mAh worth of charge. That's almost tablet territory.

The rest of the hardware and design remain the same and all of the features that make the Red Magic 10 Pro a unique, gaming-ready smartphone are still at hand. It retains the pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers, the unobstructed full-screen front panel with an under-display selfie camera and an active cooling fan that keeps the chipset cool.

Unboxing the nubia Red Magic 10 Pro

The box contains the usual user manuals along with аn 80W charger and a USB-C cable.

There's also an unusual-looking protective back cover that doesn't obstruct the usage of side buttons but protects the glass back. We are surprised that it doesn't feel cheap - it's soft to the touch and provides excellent grip too.