RedMagic loves cramming its gaming telephones with insane options, and we noticed that with the RedMagic 9 Professional earlier this 12 months. The RedMagic 9S Professional is not any exception—it’s a powerhouse full of all of the muscle you want for a significantly epic gaming expertise.
The 9S Professional landed only some months after its predecessor. It’d simply be a reputation change with an “S,” however it packs an overclocked chipset, a brand new look, and improved cooling. It’s not an enormous improve, however that’s anticipated because it’s extra of a mid-year refresh than a full-on new cellphone.
Should you’re new to the RedMagic model, the 9S Professional received’t allow you to down when you’re after a top-tier gaming cellphone. Simply be ready for some ongoing software program points that may nonetheless be a bit annoying.
RedMagic 9S Professional: Value and availability
The RedMagic 9S Professional is available in 4 variations. The bottom Sleet mannequin, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, is priced at $649. The Cyclone and Snowfall fashions, each packing 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, go for $799. After which there’s the Frost mannequin, which has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, additionally priced at $649.
The RedMagic 9S Professional retains the identical pricing because the 9 Professional, with one key change: the addition of the entry-level Frost mannequin.
| Class | RedMagic 9 Professional |
|---|---|
| Working System | Redmagic OS 9.5 (Android 14) |
| Show | 6.8-inch BOE Q9+ FHD+ OLED (2480×1116), 120Hz refresh, 1600 nits max brightness |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model, Crimson Core 2 Professional |
| RAM | 12GB/16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
| Rear digital camera 1 | 50 MP (huge), PDAF, OIS |
| Rear digital camera 2 | 50 MP (ultrawide), f/2.2 |
| Rear digital camera 3 | 2 MP (depth), f/2.4 |
| Entrance digital camera | 16 MP (huge), f/2.0, underneath show |
| Cooling system | ICE 13 10-layered system, 22,000 RPM high-speed Turbofan with RGB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 5G, GPS |
| Safety | In-screen optical fingerprint sensor, face unlock |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack, twin three-dimensional 1115K audio system, DTS:X Extremely, Snapdragon Sound |
| Battery | 6500mAh, 80W wired |
| Dimensions | 164 x 76.4 x 8.9mm |
RedMagic 9S Professional: What I like
I’m a giant fan of the RedMagic 9S Professional’s boxy design that’s each eye-catching and sensible, and RedMagic totally owns it with these flush rear cameras. Proper out of the field, you’ll discover its hefty, strong construct—this factor feels substantial. It’s visually placing, one thing you don’t see a lot in telephones lately. Better of all, it avoids the over-the-top, flashy look that plagues so many gaming telephones. It’s daring, positive, however there’s a clear, industrial vibe that’s exhausting to not love.
I’ve no gripes with this design method. Should you’ve used the RedMagic 9 Professional, the 9S Professional will really feel proper at dwelling. It’s nonetheless a chunky, heavy cellphone, however that’s the worth you pay for an enormous 6.8-inch show and all the heart of the ICE 13.5 cooling system.
Certain, the load would possibly bug some folks, and people sharp edges aren’t precisely hand-friendly, however it’s a significantly handsome cellphone that feels rock-solid prefer it may survive a drop off a cliff.
The cooling fan lights up when it’s spinning however in any other case blends proper in with the vertical digital camera stack. As for the shoulder buttons, they’ve received their very own lighting, too, doubling as standing or notification indicators. You may decide from seven colours and results like flashing, respiration, or a gentle glow.
One of many coolest issues right here is the edge-to-edge show—no digital camera notch, no gap, simply pure display. The entrance digital camera is tucked underneath the show like RedMagic’s completed earlier than, and I like it as a result of it lets your video games take heart stage. There’s a tiny bezel across the edges, with the underside a bit thicker, however it’s so near even you received’t actually care.
The display is available in at 1116×2480 pixels, which isn’t the very best decision on the market, however it’s spot-on for gaming. A decrease decision helps the GPU preserve issues operating easily, so body charges keep excessive. Plus, it’s sharp sufficient that even small textual content is straightforward to learn.
The panel’s peak brightness of 1600 nits additionally isn’t the brightest on the market, however it’s greater than sufficient for comfy out of doors use. In on a regular basis conditions, the show’s brightness held up simply wonderful, not often needing an additional increase.
The show has subtly rounded corners, and the sides are gently curved, making it extra comfy to carry. Plus, the pre-applied display protector blends proper in, so that you don’t have to fret about placing one on your self.
The seamless show is ideal for watching motion pictures or TV exhibits and gaming.
RedMagic has fine-tuned the 9S Professional with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model. This overclocked model of the already highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 boosts efficiency whereas maintaining energy utilization in verify. Plus, AI optimizations make the gaming expertise even smoother and extra responsive.
Whereas the advertising and marketing hype across the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model sounds spectacular, the real-world efficiency distinction in comparison with the usual model is probably going minimal. The overclocked chip does provide a slight increase, however in on a regular basis use, you in all probability received’t discover a lot of a distinction, particularly with much less demanding duties. To actually see what the chip can do, you’d must put it by way of its paces with some heavy-duty Android video games.
Whenever you dive into video games like Genshin Affect or different graphically demanding titles, the 9S Professional simply powers by way of, due to the 1GHz Crimson Core 2 Professional gaming chip. In its highest efficiency mode, the 9S Professional constantly hit 60fps with zero crashes, stuttering, or loading hiccups. Animations have been easy, and each motion felt instantaneous. Even in intense gaming moments, there’s no slowdown, and the massive show makes it straightforward to see and management all the things.
The RedMagic 9S Professional shines in gaming efficiency, however heavy classes, particularly with high-performance modes on, could make it warmth up quick. To keep away from discomfort, it’s a good suggestion to make use of a case or controller. With out them, the aluminum body can get fairly heat after some time.
Many flagship telephones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can battle with warmth and efficiency dips. Nevertheless, the RedMagic 9S Professional’s superior cooling system, together with the energetic fan, permits it to take care of peak efficiency for longer. This implies you get a easy, responsive gaming expertise, even throughout essentially the most demanding classes.
The RedMagic 9S Professional’s efficiency isn’t nearly gaming—it shines in on a regular basis use, too. Whether or not you’re scrolling by way of apps, switching between duties, or dealing with extra demanding apps, it does all the things easily and effortlessly, exhibiting off simply how succesful this machine actually is.
The RedMagic 9S Professional’s inside fan runs surprisingly quietly, which is a giant win for a high-performance gaming machine. Contemplating how necessary it’s for maintaining temperatures in verify, it’s spectacular. The quiet fan makes the entire gaming expertise higher by chopping down on distractions and making a extra immersive surroundings.
The machine comes loaded with a strong set of gaming options, constructing on what earlier fashions already nailed. Whereas plenty of these options will really feel acquainted to RedMagic followers, the model retains including cool new stuff with every launch. It’s positively one of the crucial packed gaming toolkits on any cellphone.
One function I actually dig is the touch-sensitive triggers with built-in LEDs. They mild up, making it method simpler to search out them throughout gameplay. And it’s not only for present—the LEDs additionally double as notification lights, which is a pleasant contact.
RedMagic 9S Professional: What I do not like
The rear cameras on the RedMagic 9S Professional aren’t on par with different Android digital camera telephones, however they do a strong job in good lighting. They’re greater than sufficient for snapping on a regular basis moments and social media content material, protecting the fundamental pictures wants of a gaming cellphone.
The RedMagic 9S Professional sticks with the identical digital camera setup as its predecessor, focusing extra on gaming efficiency than pictures. Whereas the digital camera has improved over time, it nonetheless lags behind devoted digital camera telephones, particularly in picture high quality and flexibility. That mentioned, given the worth, the digital camera does a good job for many customers.
You’re getting the identical 50MP Samsung GN5 sensor that’s been in the previous couple of fashions. It’s a strong digital camera, however it’s not precisely groundbreaking or new.
The first digital camera takes pictures with barely muted colours, and whereas it handles element effectively in good lighting, shadows, and darker areas can look a bit blurry. The ultrawide digital camera struggles in low mild, with much less element within the photos. RedMagic applies distortion correction, however the outcomes can nonetheless present some unnatural artifacts.
If there’s one main draw back to Nubia’s all-screen design, it’s the 9S Professional’s 16MP under-display selfie digital camera. The selfies are fairly terrible—element, publicity, and dynamic vary are all missing, making it worse than even some funds telephones with an everyday front-facing digital camera.
RedMagic 9S Professional digital camera samples
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One other factor that’s a bit annoying is how the entrance digital camera offers hazy pictures due to the display above it. It’s respectable for fast calls or streaming with mates whereas gaming, however when you’re into taking selfies for Instagram or need one thing extra polished, you’ll be let down.
On the software program entrance, RedMagic’s software program was once a little bit of a multitude, however the firm has come a great distance previously couple of years. As of late, utilizing a RedMagic machine day-to-day is glitch-free and fairly fulfilling.
The RedMagic 9S Professional runs on Android 14 with RedMagic OS 9.5 on prime. Whereas the interface generally is a bit quirky at instances, it offers you loads of customization choices to tweak issues like themes, wallpapers, and menu colours to match your type.
Nubia claims that each one fashions get “greater than two years of software program help” and guarantees no less than one main Android replace per 12 months. Nevertheless, it is unclear how lengthy it will truly final. In comparison with firms like Google and Samsung, which supply as much as seven years of help, this feels a bit missing.
On the finish of the day, you’ve received to make some trade-offs to maintain a $649 price ticket on a cellphone with the most recent Snapdragon. However in relation to gaming, the RedMagic 9S Professional completely delivers, and that’s what actually issues.
RedMagic 9S Professional: Competitors
Nubia and ASUS are normally on the prime of our gaming cellphone rankings, so the brand new ROG Cellphone 9 sequence would possibly catch your eye. However when you’re not trying to break the financial institution, the ROG Cellphone 8 from final 12 months remains to be a beast and a method higher deal.
The ASUS ROG Cellphone 8 won’t be the most recent mannequin, however it’s nonetheless a strong decide. Whereas it won’t have the identical bang-for-your-buck enchantment because the RedMagic 9S Professional, its higher software program help, improved digital camera, and extra comfy design make it an incredible all-around gaming cellphone. It’s also possible to go for the beefier ROG Cellphone 8 Professional if you would like a bit extra energy.
Moreover, the iQOO 12 is a strong competitor within the funds gaming cellphone class, providing spectacular worth for its value. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset delivers efficiency on par with the RedMagic 9S Professional and even beats it with 120W quick charging. Nevertheless, it falls brief within the gaming division with out options like devoted cooling and shoulder triggers, that are a should for hardcore cell avid gamers.
RedMagic 9S Professional: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase it if…
- You are after a strong worth cellphone with nice efficiency and an unlimited battery.
- You favor a cellphone that stays cool even throughout these marathon gaming classes.
- You desire a cellphone that lasts all day and fees up very quickly.
You shouldn’t purchase it if…
- You are after top-notch digital camera efficiency, because the RedMagic 9S Professional won’t be your finest guess.
- You are not a fan of generic-looking interfaces.
- Restricted software program help is a dealbreaker for you.
The RedMagic 9S Professional is a powerhouse in relation to gaming, with {hardware} that may deal with even essentially the most demanding duties with out breaking a sweat. Its superior cooling system retains issues cool, whereas the overclocked chipset ensures easy, lag-free efficiency in even essentially the most intense gaming classes. It is simply one of the crucial highly effective smartphones on the market proper now. Nevertheless it’s not nearly gaming. The 9S Professional additionally delivers a strong all-around bundle, that includes a basic headphone jack, a shocking OLED show, and a giant battery with quick charging to maintain you within the sport longer.
Whereas the RedMagic 9S Professional is a beast in relation to gaming, it doesn’t fairly shine as an all-around smartphone. The shortage of an IP score and its underwhelming digital camera efficiency is perhaps dealbreakers for these in search of a cellphone that excels in each gaming and on a regular basis duties. Certain, it affords strong worth in comparison with premium flagships and gaming telephones just like the ROG Cellphone 9, however its sturdiness and pictures shortcomings would possibly maintain it again from claiming a prime spot within the broader smartphone market.
Should you’re not too fussed concerning the digital camera or software program quirks, and also you’re simply after a beastly gaming cellphone with cool stuff like built-in cooling and air triggers, the RedMagic 9S Professional is a strong decide. It is a bit of overkill, however it’s rather a lot cheaper than the newer ROG telephones and nonetheless delivers critical efficiency. If gaming is your prime precedence, you’ll be able to’t go flawed right here.
Nonetheless reigning supreme
The RedMagic 9S Professional is certainly one of many prime gaming smartphones of 2024. With its spectacular show, highly effective internals, and funky further options, it’s a dream for avid gamers. That mentioned, it does carry over a number of the flaws from the earlier mannequin, so it isn’t excellent.