We previewed the RedMagic 11 Pro last year, but with any technology it feels better to have a real-world, lived experience with it. And as someone who hasn’t used an Android device for 13 years, it was about time I tried again – given that Apple continues to offer a little more bang for a lot more buck.
The first thing you’ll notice out of the box is that the design of the 11 Pro is absolutely unique, with its transparent flat-back design, that lets you watch its signature blue cooling liquid circulate when powered up. But it’s not just a pretty face – it’s designed to push Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset to its limits, handling pretty much everything you can demand of it.
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Of course, this smartphone prioritizes gaming, and it offers a seriously great experience even at the tail end of a day-long session (don’t judge me). And a large part of this endurance is due to that lava-lamp-esque liquid system that pumps device-chilling coolant around the device – a world first in terms of mass-produced phones – along with a turbo fan to keep the processor and graphics chips doing their jobs without the expected lag. It’s snappy, and it stays fast.
That said, it can be unashamedly loud. The WindRide 4.0 turbo fan spins at 24,000 RPM and an air duct instantly disperses heat generated, so if you’re really pushing it, the phone is audible in quiet rooms. But the trade-off is, of course, performance – and the fan can be manually deactivated if needed.
Hand-on Experience | REDMAGIC 11 Pro
Its satisfying hand-feel is matched by its stats: A 6.85-inch (17-cm) 2,688 x 1,216-pixel high-resolution BOE X10 AMOLED display with a 144-Hz refresh rate. So even before you open a game, you’ll notice that it’s speedy as you scroll through apps or watch videos.
When you do load a game, this phone really does stands out. Any title requiring responsiveness – first-person shooters, racing, to name just two – is handled really well, and the large screen at times makes you forget you’re on a smartphone and not, say, a Switch. In addition to this, the tactile vibration adds to the experience, as do the powerful stereo speakers (the handset come with a 3.5-mm headphone jack, too, to keep things a little more civil in public).
This model is not exactly lightweight, but at 8.1 oz (230 g) – coupled with its sleek, sharp frame – it’s easy to see it’s built to be held like a controller and does that job very well indeed. It also has a pre-applied screen protector that hasn’t succumbed to a single mark so far, and it feels incredibly sturdy overall. Expect the back display to get some fingerprints, but a case removes that issue. It also uses 3D ultrasonic under-display fingerprint recognition, which offers faster and more accurate unlocking – even with wet fingers – and touch shoulder buttons that are handy for gaming. There’s also a red toggle to activate its special gaming platform, and the volume buttons are easy to find and operate.
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One of the other impressive features of this device is its battery. If it’s not being used for gaming, expect to see it still kicking for days. The mighty 7,500-mAh battery delivers a full day of mixed use – and even more if you’re not leaning heavily on what it’s built for. Wired charging (up to 80 W) is met with 80 W wireless fast charging, and the capacity is among the largest of any well-known smartphone, gaming-oriented or not.
The phone’s camera is about as good as an iPhone 8 and one of its weakest points, but unlike Apple, the lenses are flush to the handset and protected by the slim transparent back cover. The rear 50-MP camera array does a decent job of capturing daytime snaps but struggles more in challenging light, and the 16-MP under-display front camera is not exactly made for detailed selfies.
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In terms of software, the 11 Pro is loaded with Android 16, and RedMagic is offering two years of OS updates (to Android 18) and a period of security patches. There’s no doubt the hardware outperforms the software, but there are some new AI features to both the system and the famed Game Space platform, with RedMagic’s mascot Mora offering more playing assistance too. Still, overall the software feels a little less refined than some more mainstream Android models and it’s not always intuitive – however, this could also come down to switching over from Apple.
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RedMagic’s OS has promotional prompts and app suggestions (bloatware) in its default software, but they can be disabled or uninstalled. It can feel a little overwhelming at first, just be warned. But there’s a surprising amount of customization that can be done in the Game Space to really make this phone your own.
Currently at US$699 for the basic model – with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage – it’s a decent investment and it’s hard to not be happy with how well the 11 Pro leans into its strengths and doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. There are three different appearances offered – Cryo (12 GB/256 GB), Transparent Silver Subzero (16 GB/512 GB and 24GB/1 TB) and Transparent Black Nightfreeze (16 GB/512 GB and 24 GB/1 TB).
Product page: RedMagic
