ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Smartphone Review – Not too long ago, ZTE introduced their new flagship gaming phones, which will bring the newest Qualcomm chipset, which is expected to offer 15% more performance as compared to the previous chip model. The smartphone makers are offering the Red Magic 9 Pro and 9 Pro Plus. Both of the models have identical specs with some noticeable differences in the battery and storage section.
However, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Plus variant costs slightly more, and it’s a bit overkill if you aren’t a gaming enthusiast. But at the same time, if you want to experience the same level of fun with decent gaming sessions and appealing camera quality, then the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro won’t be a bad deal. It has almost everything you need as a compact gaming smartphone. So, let’s not delay further and dive into the review.
Table of Contents
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The phone arrives with a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate support.
- In terms of the software, you are getting the Android 14 based on the Redmagic OS 9 configuration.
- As for the hardware, the Red Magic 9 Pro is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
- With this combination, you will receive a 50MP triple camera on the back panel with a 16MP under-display selfie lens.
- Last but not least, the phone offers a Li-Po 6500 mAh battery support with 80W wired charging.
Design and Display
Red Magic brings a similar design layout as their previous phone with edged corners and a tactical back panel. But unlike last year’s Red Magic 8-series phones, the camera module is shifted to the corner, which gives the new Red Magic 9 Pro a better look. Furthermore, it gives premium vibes, especially the Sleet (black color) variety.
But if you are looking for something out-of-the-box design, then consider checking out the snowfall or cyclone variant. Both of them appear with their equine metallic and transparent build that makes the phone aesthetically more appealing for gamers. Besides this, it doesn’t weigh that much and offers proper gaming triggers (pressure-sensitive zones) on the side panel, which further enhances the overall gameplay experience.
Not to forget, those touch sensors have 520Hz touch-sensing. As for the front display, you are getting an in-display camera on the 6.8-inch AMOLED panel that offers a 120Hz refresh rate, 1600 nits brightness, and FHD+ resolution. All of that factor combined brings an amazing viewing experience. Besides this, the advanced refresh rate also plays an important role in providing smooth UI usage. Moreover, the front display brings corning glass protection.
Memory and Internal
One of the most appealing factors about the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro is the 4nm Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. To begin with, this chipset arrives with better clocking speed so that the users won’t feel any delay or lags during the gameplay, while at the same time, the phone can push its limits up to 1×3.3 GHz cloaking speed. In terms of the graphic units, the users can rely on the Andreo 750 GPU.
Through this graphic unit, it’s possible to play games like Call of Duty, PUBG Moblie, and Genshin Impact at the highest resolution and frame rate settings. In addition to that, the phone also offers dedicated gaming software that will manage almost every aspect of gaming. Furthermore, the in-built cooling system supports thoroughly and provides a suitable gaming experience. All of those comes to a full circle with the entry of the Redmagic OS 9 based on the Android 14 interface.
Apart from the simple customization privileges, the users can take a deep dive into modifying the UI as per their wish. Following this, you are tons of gaming-related software appears inside the interface, which will tweak the interest of the gamers. Alongside this, the company also makes sure to provide between 256GB to 512GB UFS 4.0 space, which will tag along with the 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB RAM configuration.
Camera
It’s a common myth that gaming-centric smartphones usually don’t have enough appropriate camera support, which is true to a certain extent. Those things happened in the past, but nowadays, gaming phones are offering enhanced photography experience. One of the major reasons would be the improved hardware that allows users to explore different filters, effects, and modes.
With the Red Magic 9 Pro, taking daylight photos with a 50MP primary lens would be delightful as you won’t notice any noise in the background. The same goes for the lowlight photos, which come with boosted contrast. Following this, you can rely on the 50MP ultra-wide lens for capturing wide-angle images in a hassle-free manner. Furthermore, the users are also getting a decent 2MP macro lens on the back panel.
On the other hand, a 16MP selfie camera appears on the front screen. However, you won’t notice it in the first place since it’s an under-display camera. With this camera configuration, the users can take above-average photos, while the videography level is pushed to 8K video resolution through the main camera. Overall, the camera configuration of the Red Magic 9 Pro isn’t disappointing.
Battery and Others
In terms of the battery configuration, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro phone brings a Li-Po 6500 mAh capacity, which is considerably great if you want to enjoy long gaming sessions. In general, the battery can endure up to 7+ hours of gameplay without charging the Red Magic 9 Pro once. Moreover, the phone arrives with the PD3.0 charging support with an 80W charger inside the box. With this configuration, it won’t take long to refuel the battery in less than an hour.
On the other hand, multiple attributes make this phone special. For instance, you are getting a pretty loud speaker that brings a whole new experience to gaming. Moreover, you can also connect your headset using the 3.5 mm jack port. Furthermore, you will receive the latest Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC sensors.
Plus, the users can also connect gaming accessories on this phone, while at the same time, it also offers a Display port, which allows you to stream your gameplay on a big screen. Last but not least, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro will priced at around $620 (Rs 51,690 in India) approx, which is a pretty decent price for a gaming-centric phone, while you can also purchase higher storage and RAM variants according to your convenience.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Pros and Cons
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro smartphone.
| Specifications | ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | November 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.46 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 229 g |
| Size | 6.8 inches |
| Display | AMOLED 1B colors (China only) 120Hz 1600 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~400 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Pressure-sensitive zones (520Hz touch-sensing) Built-in cooling fan Aviation aluminum middle frame |
| Resolution | 1116 x 2480 pixels |
| OS | Android 14, Redmagic OS 9 |
| Chipset | 4nm – Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| CPU | Octa-core 1×3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 5×3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A520 |
| GPU | Adreno 750 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB |
| Internal | 256GB, 512GB UFS 4.0 |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF, OIS 50 MP (ultrawide) 2 MP (macro) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 8K@30fps |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide), under display HDR Max – 1080p@30/60fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes 32-bit/384kHz audio |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, accessory connector, DisplayPort |
| Sensors | Under display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 6500 mAh 80W wired, PD3.0 |
| Colors | Sleet (Black), Snowfall (Silver), Cyclone (Transparent Black) |
| Expected Price | $620 (Rs 51,690 in India) approx |
Conclusion
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro offers a wide range of perks that will appeal to gamers as well as normal users. Besides this, the phone doesn’t feel overpriced since you are getting the latest snapdragon chipset, the newest Android skin, and advanced gaming software and hardware support. However, the phone does lack when it comes to camera aspect as compared to other flagship phones.
But still, the Red Magic phone’s true strength would be its impressive hardware configuration, long-lasting battery, decent display, and overwhelmingly great gaming experience. With all of those aspects combined, the phone has become one of the best gaming-centric phones of this year. But if you are looking for an alternative option, then you should consider checking out the Vivo X100 Pro.
Both models will bring value-for-money specs and features, which will appeal to gamers. On the other hand, the new ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro will be released for the global market in December 2023, so make a decision that fits your requirements.
