REDMAGIC 11 Pro Gaming Phone Review

At a time when competitors are chasing thinness and cutting features to get there, REDMAGIC has remained consistent with its approach to its flagship phone: provide the very best mobile gaming hardware and supplement it with capable software. With the 11 Pro, the company has once again incorporated bleeding-edge components to give mobile gaming fans the best experience. Here’s my review after using the phone as my daily driver for two weeks.  

Going big on the specs

Let’s get the crazy specs out of the way first. Leading the charge is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, Qualcomm’s latest and greatest that will handle gaming and multitasking like a champ. This is combined with up to 24 GB of LPDDR5T RAM and up to 1 TB of UFS 4.1 Pro storage. 

Moving on to the screen, the 11 Pro boasts a 6.85” 1440p 144 Hz AMOLED display. This display remains uninterrupted, meaning there’s no hole for the camera or distracting Dynamic Island. Instead, when selfies are required, the under-display camera kicks into action.

When it’s time to recharge the massive 7,500 mAh battery, 80W charging should supercharge the phone in no time. 

Liquid cooling that you can see

The standout feature of the 11 Pro is the AquaCore, a liquid cooling system intended to keep components cool and performing optimally. It’s visible on the rear of the case and adds a nice bit of flair. It’s tastefully done and I appreciate anything that lets me eke out a few more frames in my games. 

During games, the efficiency of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro makes itself known. While other phones can boast similar internals, this phone’s cooling system legitimately helps prevent throttling, to the point where it can significantly increase benchmark scores. 

Get gaming

While gaming, another of the 11 Pro’s features becomes apparent: its shoulder triggers. Once their functions have been assigned, these buttons come in very handy indeed. 

As mentioned earlier, the 11 Pro features a 7,500 mAh battery. This is incredible for gaming, especially more demanding titles that tend to sap battery the most. With the 11 Pro, this phone should last a long while, and when it does need charging, that 80W recharge speed will rapidly have it ready to game again. 

Room for improvement

I feel like I’m forever repeating myself when it comes to the downsides of REDMAGIC’s latest flagship. While the 11 Pro does a hell of a lot right, masterfully tailored to the primary audience of gamers, it falls short in a couple of areas. 

First, the cameras, while a tad improved, are still significantly behind the competition in anything except bright, daytime conditions. The under-display selfie shooter looks a touch better, but it’s still relatively blurry. 

The other downside is the software. It’s still a step behind the competition when it comes to overall polish. Some translations miss the mark and there are almost too many options within redundant menus. With that said, gamers who like to tweak will find plenty to tune.

Disclosure: Review sample provided by REDMAGIC.