Introduction and specifications
The Red Magic 10 series is the generational upgrade of Nubia’s gaming Red Magic series. The company is sticking with its bi-annual upgrade and we’ll focus in this review on the Red Magic 10 Pro – 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.
Unlike the biennial renewal, the 10 Pro brings a handful of improvements. The centerpiece of the new Red Magic is undoubtedly the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Plus, the 10 Pro is one of the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered options on the market. So it’s a perfect fit for those looking for extra horsepower, even if they’re not into gaming.
The new Red Magic also upgrades the screen with a slightly higher resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, compared to 120Hz on the 9S Pro.
ZTE nubia Red Magic 10 Pro specifications at a glance:
- Body: 163.4×76.1×8.9mm, 229g; Glass front, aluminum frame, glass back; Pressure sensitive zones (520 Hz touch sensing), built-in cooling fan, aviation aluminum center frame.
- Display: 6.85″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 144 Hz, 2000 nits (peak), resolution 1216x2688px, aspect ratio 19.89:9, 431ppi.
- Chip set: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2×4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830.
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1 Pro.
- Operating system/software: Android 15, Redmagic OS 10.
- Reversing camera: Broad (head): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.5″, 1.0 µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.88″, 0.61 µm; Macro: 2MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/3.06″, 1.0 µm, under display.
- Video recording: Rear camera: 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30/60/120/240 fps; Front camera: 1080p at 30/60 fps.
- Battery: 7050mAh; 100W wired.
- Connectivity: 5G; Double SIM card; WiFi 7; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.
- Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.
Last but not least, the device features a new silicon-carbon battery, which is touted to be more efficient than standard Li-Ion cells, but more importantly, it has an impressive 7,050 mAh charge. That’s almost tablet territory.
The rest of the hardware and design remain the same and all the features that make the Red Magic 10 Pro a unique, gaming-ready smartphone are still present. 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, an 80W charger and a USB-C cable.
There’s also an unusual-looking protective back that doesn’t hinder the use of the side buttons, but protects the glass back. We’re surprised it doesn’t feel cheap: it feels soft and also offers excellent grip.