While we’re used to seeing companies market phones with a variety of models and price points, few market them like Nubia. The Redmagic 8S Pro is undoubtedly an improvement over the Redmagic 8 Pro, but the upgrades are barely noticeable in what is essentially the same phone launching again six months later.
Nubia has improved the cooling system and chipset, but these changes aren’t very apparent in day-to-day use. However, if you don’t already own a RedMagic device, the 8S Pro won’t disappoint if you’re in the market fora top-of-the-line gaming phone, although some software woes remain as frustrating as ever.
RedMagic 8S Pro
The RedMagic 8S Pro is a stellar gaming phone that doesn’t need to exist. While you won’t be disappointed by the phone’s exceptional screen and performance, there are too many similarities between it and its predecessor. Unfortunately, this extends to the bugs that plague RedMagic phones. However, you won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for a budget gaming phone.
Availability & network connectivity
Like its predecessor, the RedMagic 8S Pro will ship to 44 markets, including the US and most European countries, but you’ll have to buy it through the Redmagic website.
The 16GB RAM/512GB model is available in the brushed metal Platinium and clear Aurora colors, but the Midnight scheme is restricted to the 12GB RAM/256GB model. These are priced at $779 and $649 respectively.
In my review of the Redmagic 8 Pro, I noted that it lacked support for popular 5G bands, including mmWave. This is still the case with the 8S Pro, so those reliant on common high-speed 5G bands in the US should note that this phone won’t utilize these bands.
The RedMagic 8S Pro follows an identical design language to its predecessor. Nubia hasn’t diverged from the sleek, professional look that marks the RedMagic 8 series apart from other gaming phones, and there are a couple of touches here that make this one of the best-looking gaming phones on the market.
My review device shipped with a flimsy clear plastic case which I immediately dispensed with after a day. The brushed metal back gives my fingers enough grip to hold the phone comfortably; it’s a neat blend of aesthetic choice and practicality that I wish more phone makers would adopt. The Matte version of the 8 Pro had a similar grippy rear, but the 8S Pro takes this a step further. It’s eye-catching without relying on obnoxious RGB effects.
The headphone jack (hooray!), microSD card slot, touch triggers, power button, volume rockers, and SIM card slot are all found in the same places as the 8 Pro. It’s aesthetically pleasing, but I prefer the rounded surfaces ofAsus’ latest ROGphones. I’ve regularly used the RedMagic 8 Pro to test games this year, and I wish that Nubia would sacrifice the (admittedly cool) look for more comfortable ergonomics.
The eye-catching design on the rear is broken up by subtle RGB panels, which you may customize for different apps or situations (e.g., charging or notifications). However, if you’re not a fan of RGB effects like me, you can turn them off.
Overall, the RedMagic 8 Pro’s design is one aimed at aesthetics, not practicality. You would be hard-pressed to game for long periodswithout an Android controller, and the under-screen selfie camera suffers for its placement.
The display would have felt like an obvious area to make a few micro improvements, but the AMOLED panel is identical to the 8 Pro. It’s undeniably a fantastic screen, but an increased refresh rate cap would have brought it in line with the 144hz Asus has included for a while in its smartphones.
That being said, it would be hard to justify a refresh rate increase (likely accompanied by a price increase) when the display is perfect. Few mobile games run at framerates higher than 120hz, and you can lower this cap to save battery life.
The brightness remains at 1300 nits, easily enough to enjoy long gaming sessions in the sun. You can still choose one of the five color modes ( Normal, Vivid, Natural, P3, and sRGB) to suit your preference.
Hardware, performance, what’s in the box
My version of the RedMagic 8S Pro came with 12GB RAM and 256GB memory. This is the lower end of the range (when available, the Redmagic 8S Pro+ will come with the option for 24GB RAM and 1 TB storage), but it was more than sufficient for any game I threw at it.
The theme of the RedMagic 8S Pro is incremental improvements, and the tweaks to the processor and cooling system highlight this. The latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset offers a maximum frequency of 3.36GHz over the 3.2GHz in the RedMagic 8 Pro’s chipset. Despite an incremental improvement, this does generate more heat which is where the new cooling system comes into play.
Nubia says the ICE 12.0 cooling system includes a “new duct structure and cooling gel.” These offset the increased frequency of the Snapdragon chipset, resulting in a device that runs at an identical temperature to the 8 Pro despite running at a higher frequency.
This means that you can comfortably play intensive games like Honkai: Star Rail or Call of Duty Mobile at maximum framerates without burning your hands. While the cooling fan can be loud, it does an undeniably good job of cooling the device. When I turned the fan off while playing, I noticed around a 10 C increase in temperature.
Nubia claims that the improved cooling system can drop the temperature by up to 17 C, but I struggled to force the device to hit these limits. However, I question the need for all this when the 8 Pro is still able to playany of the most demanding games without issue.
While the gaming performance is stellar, I was concerned about the battery life. However, the incremental performance improvements did not correspond to a noticeable drop in battery life. The 6,000mAh battery dropped to 55% after a day of regular use, barely different from the 52% battery life I experienced with the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Inside the box, you get a bundled 65W charger, a USB-C cable, and a clear plastic case. The RedMagic 8s Pro also comes with a pre-applied screen protector.
The RedMagic 8 Pro ships with RedMagic 8 OS, which, you guessed it, is an incremental improvement over RedMagic 6 OS that shipped with the RedMagic 8 Pro. While I noticed less bloatware on the device, it doesn’t fix the issues I had with RedMagic’s software.
We’ve frequently reported on the extensive bugs in RedMagic OS over the years, and things haven’t improved. During my initial setup of the 8S Pro, the device crashed twice and, for the third time, froze while syncing my files from the cloud. My fourth attempt was successful. As my review device is not the final product, I suspect some issues may stem from what is likely an early version of the OS.
The under-screen fingerprint sensor still needs to be more responsive, and lock-screen notifications are inconsistent at best. It’s deeply frustrating to still experience these bugs on such essential features after years, and they remain a major part of the reason why I don’t use a RedMagic device as my daily driver.
Of course, this is a gaming phone, so you’ll likely spend most of your time in the Game Space launcher. This remains an easy-to-navigate interface for launching your games, forgoing distracting flourishes in favor of a simple and easy-to-read UI.
Nubia knows that you’re not buying a gaming phone for the cameras. However, it’s still worth noting that you won’t take Instagram-worthy photos anytime soon with either the front or the rear camera.
The Samsung GN5 50MP sensor makes a comeback, delivering adequate shots in the daytime. However, try to use the macro camera or take photos without optimal lighting, and you’ll struggle to get a clear result.
The 16MP front-facing camera still results in washed-out, blurry, over-softened photos. I wasn’t sure about the value of under-screen camera placement with the RedMagic 8 Pro, and six months later, I’m convinced this is the wrong decision. While we don’t need the quality of the Pixel 7 Pro or the Samsung S23 Ultra, Nubia must make some strides in this area to market this phone beyond dedicated mobile gamers.
Competition
Nubia and Asus devices regularly top our list of the best gaming phones, so the recent ROG Phone 7 might seem like a notable competitor at first. However, it’s not cheap, so last year’s Asus ROG Phone 6 is the way to go if you’re looking for discounted performance.
TheAsus ROG Phone 6isn’t the latest ROG phone, but this means that you can expect to pick it up in the sale. While it doesn’t offer the same value as the RedMagic 8S Pro at retail price, a discount will net you a device with significantly better software support, better cameras, and a more comfortable grip.
The obvious competitor is theRedmagic 8 Pro. If the 8S Pro received an incremental price bump to match the improvements, I would recommend sticking with the 8 Pro, but the 8S Pro is simply a better phone in terms of raw numbers. However, as we saw on Prime Day, we’re already seeing discounts of over $150 off the 8 Pro. At this price, the 8 Pro is a better choice every time.
Should you buy it?
The RedMagic 8S Pro is undeniably an improvement over its predecessor, but I’m hesitant to recommend it even though it retails for the same price. Nubia’s aggressive strategy with marketing its RedMagic series is deeply frustrating. Why bother buying the 9 Pro next year when you might expect a slightly improved version to arrive right around the corner? While some RedMagic S models have offered substantial changes, their inconsistency is frustrating. If you factor in sales, the RedMagic 8S Pro won’t offer the same value as the 8 Pro for some time.
However, if you want a top-of-the-line gaming phone for an affordable price, the RedMagic 8S Pro is an excellent choice. But if you already own the 8 Pro, don’t let Nubia dazzle you with numbers and technical jargon; you won’t notice the difference. The RedMagic 8S Pro will be released on August 3.
The RedMagic 8S Pro is a budget gaming phone with a stylish streak. While it struggles to find its place when compared to its predecessor, it’s nevertheless a powerful device that can handle any Android game
