Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro review: the new king of mobile gaming

Recently, we wrote about a new gaming flagship ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro. And now ITC.ua has tested another interesting variant for mobile gaming called Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro, which is already officially sold in Ukraine. Nubia is a subsidiary brand of ZTE that specializes in smartphones for mobile gamers. The device stands out with a futuristic design, a camera completely recessed into the body, active cooling, backlighting, an adequate price tag for this category, and a powerful hardware. Are you interested? Well, yes, so let’s move on to the review itself.

Technical specifications of the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro

Screen	6.8″, AMOLED, 2480×1116 pixels, 400 ppi, 120 Hz, 1600 nits, 2160 Hz PWM
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 8 cores, 3300 MHz, 4 nm
Graphics	Adreno 750
Memory	12/16/24 GB, LPDDR5X and 256/512 GB or 1 TB, UFS 4.0
Battery	6500 mAh, wired charging 80 W
Main cameras	50 megapixel wide-angle (Samsung GN 5, OIS) + 50 megapixel ultra-wide-angle + 2 megapixel macro
Front camera	16 megapixels, sub-screen
Communication	Dual SIM, 5G (SA/NSA), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS (L1 + L5), IR port, NFC, USB Type-C (USB3.2 Gen1)
Features	Under-screen fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, active cooling, RGB backlight, game triggers, 3.5 mm audio jack
Case materials	Metal, plastic, glass
Dimensions	163.98 × 76.35 × 8.9 mm
Weight	229 grams

Packaging and equipment

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro comes in a silver box of slightly larger dimensions.

Inside is the phone itself with a screen protector, a transparent plastic case, a paper clip to open the SIM card slot, documentation and a user manual, as well as a USB-C to USB-C cable and an 80W power supply.

A smartphone has many accessories that you need to buy yourself. There are other cases, mobile gamepads, headphones, protective glass, a cooler, and more. But all of these must be ordered from outside Ukraine.

Design and ergonomics

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has a futuristic gaming design. We reviewed a model in Cyclone color, and there is also a simple black Sleet and white Snowfall. The smartphone body has a metal frame, plastic parts and a glass back cover. The edges are flat, the corners are rounded, and the cameras are completely recessed into the body. There’s no mention of moisture protection, but judging by the holes for the cooling system, it’s not there at all. So be careful.

The Cyclone color is highlighted by golden patterns under the glossy glass surface of the case back. There are also various inscriptions, including REDMAGIC and the brand logo.

The large numbers 09 stand out separately. This is not just an inscription, but a built-in multicolored backlight. We also see what looks like four camera modules and a flash, but in fact there are three modules (two large and one small sensor for macro). The last one, the one at the bottom, is not a camera, but a backlit fan. It is part of the built-in active cooling system.

The front panel of the smartphone is distinguished by thin bezels and the absence of a selfie camera. It’s there, but it’s hidden under the screen.

And the case covers only the back cover, top and bottom. Also, it is very scratchy. The photos seem to show how much it has been scratched in less than a week of use, although I was with it outside only once to take pictures. Most of it was testing at home and careful use, as with all devices in the tests. And still, the case is so scratched, as if I threw it around the house, threw it, or just deliberately scratched it with a knife. Therefore, I advise you to buy another case or be as careful as possible with this one.

I should also note that the phone itself is much more resistant to scratches, dust, and fingerprints. Of course, they remain on it, but they are hardly noticeable. Probably nothing will be visible at all in the white color.

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro is a large smartphone with a 6.8-inch screen, so this device is definitely not for one hand. At least not for a small one. I have long fingers, so I often used it with one hand, but sometimes you need to hold the phone differently to reach somewhere with the same hand.

Active cooling and case lighting

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro is equipped with an evaporation chamber, the aforementioned cooler, and two air intake and exhaust vents, which together make up a complete active cooling system for the smartphone. The evaporation chamber has an area of 10182 mm², and the cooler is capable of delivering up to 22,000 rpm.

Cooling can be turned on/off or activated in smart mode. In this case, the cooler turns on not only during gaming, but also during charging, especially fast charging, stress tests, etc.

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has backlighting on some elements of the case. These are the numbers 09 on the back cover, touch triggers on the right side, and the cooler fan. The backlight is controlled through a special menu item, and can be turned on or off. You can choose the color and backlight mode (breathing, flickering, or constant backlight). There is no classic RGB with color change. And the color selection is not rich. However, this is even useful because you can set the backlight for notifications, incoming calls, alarms, etc.

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro display

The gaming flagship received a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen from BOE. The use of some new Q9+ material is announced. The display supports HDR and 10-bit color. Its resolution is 2480×1116 pixels. The refresh rate is 120 Hz, and the frequency of the touch layer is 960 Hz. The maximum is 2000 Hz.

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro display has a high PWM dimming frequency (2160 Hz) and a pixel density of 400 ppi. The peak brightness of the screen is 1600 nits.

The screen of the gaming flagship has excellent viewing angles. It has a juicy detailed picture with bright saturated colors and adequate contrast. I also note the deep black color.

There is more than enough brightness, so even in direct sunlight, you don’t need to set the level to maximum. Of course, other non-gaming flagships have even more, but even this indicator is enough for all usage scenarios without any problems.

The refresh rate can be changed. There is an auto mode, 60, 90 or 120 Hz. When I set it to auto, it almost always produced 120 Hz, so I set it to 90 Hz, and I almost didn’t notice the difference, but I was able to save a little battery power.

There is also the Always-On Display function with detailed settings, the ability to change the color temperature and scheme, font and its size. Separately, I would like to note the full-fledged reading mode, which can also be set to turn on in specific applications. For example, it will work on your favorite mobile reader, and the experience will be similar to that of books with E-Ink screens. But I should note that it’s only an impression because this mode, although it saves your eyes a little, is still not electronic paper.

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has a fingerprint scanner built into the screen. The menu allows you to customize the effect of touching it. The sensor itself is adequate, works quickly and almost without errors. It reacts to wet fingers, but sometimes it still does not want to recognize them. Its location is convenient for me, but for some people it will be too high. However, I’ve heard that people don’t like the location too low either, so this setting is always a matter of taste for me.

I really liked the display of the smartphone and this is one of the main advantages of Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro.

Sound and vibration response

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has two full-fledged speakers, and with them, true stereo sound. Support for DTS: X Ultra technology. In the settings, you can choose automatic sound, AI-adjusted modes for music, movies, or games.

The speakers produce clear, detailed and loud sound. There’s even some bass and surround sound. You can use the speakers to play games, watch YouTube videos or movies on MEGOGO without any problems. You can also listen to music from them. Of course, this is not even a wireless speaker, but I liked the sound for a smartphone.

The vibration response is powerful and pleasant, but it cannot be further customized. However, there is a tactile response setting (weak, medium, strong), which works when you type on a virtual keyboard, etc.

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro cameras

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has a triple main camera. The main module here is a 50-megapixel Samsung S5KGN5 with f/2.2 aperture and optical stabilization. The second sensor is ultra-wide-angle and also 50 megapixels. It has a viewing angle of 122 degrees and an aperture of f/2.2. The third is a 2-megapixel macro module (f/2.4 aperture).

Of course, the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro is not a camera phone, but for this segment, the smartphone takes high-quality photos, especially during the day. The photos are detailed with rich, realistic colors. At least if you don’t use the built-in AI, which I don’t recommend. Contrast is also adequate. Night photos are more or less decent, especially if there is enough light around. The ultra-wide-angle sensor unexpectedly turned out to be on par, and the photo quality is almost the same as the main module.

Both sensors operate in 12.5 megapixel mode. But there is also a 50-megapixel mode, which significantly improves the quality of photos, especially the detail. If you are going to process them on a computer, then take pictures in 50 megapixel mode. And if they do not leave the phone and sometimes end up on social networks, then the standard format, as always, is more than enough.

The smartphone shoots video in 8K/30 fps, 4K at 30 or 60 fps, 1080p at 30 or 60 fps, and 720p at 30 frames per second. There is support for HDR and image stabilization. The latter works in all resolutions except 8K, and is not yet active at 60 fps.

The front sensor here is 16-megapixel (f/2.0 aperture), it can shoot video in 1080p or 720p at 30 fps. The peculiarity of this module is that it is hidden under the screen. This is supposed to improve the gaming experience, as there is no interference with the display.

In fact, it’s not really visible, and the module pops up for a second only when face recognition is triggered. In all other scenarios, you really won’t see it. However, this really affected the quality of the photos because they all have some kind of strange blurring effect with sparkles. It turns out that the selfie camera is the biggest disadvantage of a smartphone.

Productivity, software, and games

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro is equipped with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. The chip is 8-core (two 2.27 GHz Cortex-A520 cores, two 2.96 GHz Cortex-A720 cores, three 3.15 GHz Cortex-A720 cores and one 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 core) and is made on a 4 nm process. The graphics here are Adreno 750.

The smartphone has 12, 16 or 24 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and another 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of UFS 4.0 internal storage. It is also possible to add up to 12 GB of virtual memory, which has a positive effect on the smoothness of the system. Among the modules and interfaces are two SIMs, 5G (SA/NSA) support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS (L1 + L5), IR port, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS.

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro — is one of the most powerful smartphones of our time. At the time of this review, it was ranked sixth in the AnTuTu rating with 2051846 points. See other tests and benchmarks below.

I would like to note that the smartphone is really powerful and adequately copes with high temperatures. Even the stress test of the processor showed more or less acceptable results. And this is without using the cooling system. And I remind you that we have a very hot Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 here.

The smartphone heats up in games, but you can hold it in your hands without any problems, and most importantly, no trotting is noticed even after an hour of playing. However, once, during an extreme test in 3DMark because the usual test was maxed out, it almost boiled over and turned off. The sensor showed 93 degrees, and it was impossible to touch it. It is important to understand that this is due to various deliberate loads by special programs because in games everything is more than fine.

In general, the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro runs everything I «fed it» without any problems and at maximum graphics settings with 60+fps (Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone Mobile, Genshin Impact, Real Racing 3, PUBG Mobile, etc.). The only exception is Diablo Immortal, where there were only high graphics settings with 60 frames per second, and the ultra setting was simply blocked for this device. But as you can see from the screenshots, even at high settings, the picture is nice and detailed.

The Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro runs on Android 14 with the proprietary REDMAGIC OS 9.0 shell. I liked the add-on because, on the one hand, it has a lot of customization features: changing wallpapers, themes, unlock animations, icons, etc. On the other hand, there is nothing superfluous here, apart from just a few branded apps that are already available, no dozens of additional programs from partners, no ads, etc. You can also connect your smartphone to monitors and turn it into a kind of console for mobile games. This will definitely appeal to many fans of this segment of games.

I would also like to mention the branded game hub called Game Space. It conveniently displays all installed games, and if not, you can add them using the «+» button. There is also system optimization, cooling activation, changing the screen discrimination rate, control sensitivity, low network latency mode, recording gameplay, game broadcasts, and more. There is a separate virtual assistant, Maura, who acts more like a «tamagotchi» than a full-fledged assistant.

Autonomy of the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro has a 6500 mAh battery. The smartphone has a bundled 80W power supply and supports the same fast charging. However, there is no wireless charging function.

The device charges from 0 to 100% in 40 minutes. It takes 17 minutes to charge from 0 to 50%. As for me, this is an excellent indicator, especially for such a large battery.

In standard conditions of use with the Internet, social networks, watching YouTube, making calls, etc., the smartphone easily lasts for two days. Of course, if you play games, which is what you need it for, you can run out of juice in a matter of hours.

Depending on the project and its existing graphics, one hour of gaming drains the battery between 8-20%. This is with active cooling. For example, Fortnite «ate» almost 20%, Call of Duty Warzone Mobile 15%.

Unfortunately, the battery test in the PC Mark app in our case for some reason gave an error and did not want to run. In other reviews on the same device, it worked and gave 13–15 hours.

In general, the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro battery and its battery life is another significant advantage of the gadget.

User experience

I really liked the Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro. I was also constantly comparing it with the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro, which I recently tested. The design of the smartphone, like any model, is purely a matter of taste. I didn’t like it very much, and here the gaming smartphone from ASUS looks cooler to me. But this did not affect the overall positive impression of the device, and I would have liked it better in white. The main thing here is the price because it is much more affordable than the competition. Yes, it’s still a lot of money, but it’s much less.

Among the main positive aspects of the smartphone, I would single out the screen, power, battery life, cooling system, high-quality and surround sound, and even the main camera. But in the last point, I note that this is in comparison with other gaming smartphones. Because any camera phone for the same money, the same Xiaomi 14, will literally destroy the quality of photos and videos of Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro and ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro, or anything like that, and that’s okay.

The main drawbacks are the front-facing camera, lack of moisture protection, and mediocre ergonomics. At least for me. The smartphone seems to be comfortable and large, which is a plus in this case, but, as I wrote above, it constantly seemed to me that it was about to slip out of my hands without a case. And when you put the case on, it scratches like hell, and that’s even with very careful use.

Price and competitors

Nubia REDMAGIC 9 Pro is sold at a price of 29,500 UAH. This is the 12/256 GB version. However, this is probably a «gray» version because in the same «Hello» the same model costs UAH 32,999. The maximum version comes with 24 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage and costs 62,700 UAH.

In my opinion, and judging by the prices of competitors, the price is another advantage of this model. Yes, it’s a lot of money, but the price of 32,000 hryvnias for the official version is steep. I remind you that the official price tag of the same ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro UAH 54,500. True, this is for the 16/512 GB version, but the difference is still very significant.

Among the model’s competitors, it is worth noting the previous model Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro, and there are also Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro. There is also a more powerful version of this year’s model Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Plus. And it is impossible not to pay attention toAsus ROG Phone 8 and ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro.