Introduction
If anyone is really and truly playing the specs game, it’s the Red Magic team. The never-ending quest for the best mobile hardware inevitably results in similar devices with only incremental upgrades, which is definitely one way to look at the Red Magic 9S Pro. It looks so much like the Red Magic 9 Pro that the two have practically exactly the same dimensions and weight. Most of our observations in the Red Magic 9 Pro Review are therefore still applicable to the Red Magic 9S Pro.
But wait a minute. If both devices have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, what’s the point of the new one? Well, you’ll notice that while both phones have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the new Red Magic 9S Pro has the top-end SM8650-AC version of the chip, which has been dubbed the “Leading Version” but is also known as the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy” when used by Samsung. The exclusivity contract with Samsung has clearly ended, so the Red Magic team finally has access to the best version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset. The version that bumps its primary Cortex-X4 CPU core to a maximum of 3.4GHz (up from 3.3GHz) and bumps the GPU frequency to 1GHz.
ZTE nubia Red Magic 9S Pro specifications at a glance:
- Body: 164.0 x 76.4 x 8.9 mm, 229 g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame, glass/metal synthetic back; Pressure-sensitive areas (520Hz touch sensor), Built-in cooling fan, Aviation-grade aluminum midframe, RGB light strip.
- Display: 6.80″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120 Hz, 1600 nits (peak), 1116x2480px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 400 ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.4 GHz Cortex-X4 and 3×3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 and 2×3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 and 2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 750 (1 GHz).
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
- Operating system/software: Operating System: Android 14, Redmagic OS 9.5.
- Rear camera: Broad (head): 50 MP, 1/1.57″, 1.0 µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.76″, 0.64 µm; Depth: 2MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide angle), 1.12 µm, under display.
- Video recording: Rear camera: 8K@30 fps, 4K@30/60 fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240 fps; Front camera: 1080p at 30/60 fps.
- Battery: 6500mAh; 80W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 35 min (advertised).
- Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT; NFC; Infrared port; 3.5 mm jack.
- Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under-display, optical); stereo speakers.
It goes beyond the higher-clocked chipset too – the Red Magic 9S Pro also features an improved cooling system. The integrated 22,000 RPM active cooling fan is still at the helm, but the new ICE 13.5 setup also features a 10,182mm2 vapor chamber and a new cooling gel compared to the ICE 13 setup in the Red Magic 9 Pro. This apparently allows the cooling to reduce chipset temperatures by up to 19.5 degrees C, compared to 18 degrees C for the ICE 13 system.
The result of these upgrades, according to the company, is: 2,369,542 points in AnTuTu – the highest of any Android to date. And that’s what the Red Magic 9S Pro is all about – ultimate performance.
The phone up for review today is the 16GB/512GB Red Magic 9S Pro with a 6,500mAh battery and 80W charging. This is the international version of the device. The astute among you may have noticed that 16GB of RAM was originally only available on the Red Magic 9S Pro+, but that is apparently not the case for international models. The only other difference besides the memory is that the Plus model has a smaller 5,500mAh battery but faster 165W charging. So you can apply all of the other findings in this review to the Red Magic 9S Pro+.
Unpacking
The Red Magic 9S Pro comes in a sturdy, two-piece cardboard box. It’s finished in silver, which is quite eye-catching. The inside has a plastic holder for the phone and some accessories, which isn’t great from an environmental perspective, but does provide excellent protection during shipping.
The Red Magic 9S Pro has a rich accessory package. The phone comes with a bundled charger that’s rated for 80W charging, and it appears to deliver more than PD+PPS. Quick Charge 5 is also supported, though. You also get a red, sturdy Type-C to Type-C passive 3A cable to go along with the charger. Plus, a nice transparent hard case.