Chez RedMagicwe’re not slowing down and even if Qualcomm doesn’t make announcements, that’s not a good enough reason not to release a new smartphone aimed at mobile gamers every six months. As in previous years, the smartphone that comes out during the summer is an update of the smartphone released six months before. So here is the new RedMagic 9S Pro which takes up the essence of what the RedMagic 9 Pro is. Now available in France after its announcement last month in China, it is still the power monster that we expect from it and above all, its price remains reasonable.
We remember that the Redmagic 9 Pro was one of the very first smartphones that we tested with the high-end SoC of Qualcommnamely the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. And because the San Diego founder has not announced a + version this year, we therefore find a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version. Understand that this is a version that runs slightly faster (3.4GHz) and consumes slightly less, but the whole thing is not sufficiently differentiating to be a + version. And spoiler alert, the differences will not be seen in games or other demanding applications, it is above all an update for the most technophiles and especially fans of benchmarks.
As a reminder, the target audience always remains targeted, it is always the one who knows exactly what he wants, namely the best possible smartphone for the gaming on the move. If we hesitate, for example, with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or an iPhone 15 Pro, we are clearly not the target. Here is our opinion on the RedMagic 9S Pro.
RedMagic 9S Pro Features
As a reminder of the characteristics, the RedMagic 9S Pro offer you :
| RedMagic 9S Pro | |
|---|---|
| Screen | – 6.8″ integral True Full AMOLED display – Camera under the screen – Définition Full HD+ (1116×2480) – Density of 400dpi – 93.7% occupancy – Format 20:9 – Gorilla Glass 5 – 120 Hz – HDR10+ – Max brightness: 1600nits – DCI-P3 – NTSC on 10-bit – Touch Sampling de 480Hz à 960Hz |
| SoC and GPU | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version – Adreno 740 – Red Core 2 Pro – Technologie Magic GPU – ICE 13.5 cooling system – 22,000 RPM fan – Dual-Core Ice Dock en option |
| Memory | – 12Go ou 16Go de RAM LPDDR5X – Up to 6GB Virtual RAM – 256GB or 512GB of storage in UFS 4.0 – No memory expansion |
| Colors | – Metal outline – Sleet finish (Black back) – Snowfall finish (Transparent silver back) – Cyclone finish (Transparent black back) – Frost finish (White back) – LED lighting on the integrated fan, the “9” and the side buttons |
| Camera | – Three cameras on the back: – Main wide-angle camera: Samsung GN5 50 Megapixels, F/1.88 – Ultra wide-angle camera: Samsung JN1 50 Megapixels, 120° (13mm), F/2.2 – Macro camera: 2 Megapixels, F/2.4 – Phase detection autofocus – Front camera under the screen with a 16 Megapixel sensor (2nd Generation) |
| Battery | – 6500mAh – Fast charging up to 80W (100% in 35 minutes) – Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 |
| Connectivities | – 520Hz sensitive side buttons – Fingerprint reader under the screen – Bluetooth 5.3 – WiFi 7 – 5G – 2x nano-SIM – A-GPS+GLONASS, DNLA, Miracast (WiFi Direct), Google Cast – NFC – USB 3.0, USB Type-C – Video output up to 4K and 120fps – Barometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer – Proximity and light sensor – Infrared port with heart rate monitor function |
| Audio | – Stereo speakers – DTS:X Ultra Surround Sound – Snapdragon Sound – Prise Jack 3,5mm – Dual Haptic Motor |
| Software | – Android 14 – RedMagic OS 9.5 |
| Height and weight | – 163,98 x 76,35 x 8,9 mm – 229 g |
| Starting price | – Sleet et Frost (12Go + 256Go) : 649 euros – Snowfall et Cyclone (16Go + 512Go) : 749 euros |
| Availability date | – July 16, 2024 |
Gaming positioning requires, the box of the RedMagic 9S Pro does like its predecessors and attracts the attention of the gamer by taking up the codes of the gaming universe. Afterwards, it remains a smartphone packaging but the decoration of the box leaves little doubt about the target of this new RedMagic. Inside we find a fairly classic content with the smartphone, small booklets for a first handling and a small protective shell, we find a USB cable as well as an 80W charger.
Basically, it’s his predecessor
Unsurprisingly, we find the design of the RedMagic 9 Pro. The design is sharp and futuristic. It is simple in itself with flat edges and angles in all directions but we love it, especially with this full screen which allows you to fully enjoy the design. Obviously, because it is a gaming smartphone, we find gaming elements such as the small fan which also integrates LED lighting. However, it remains quite discreet and when you are in normal mode, without the LEDs, it is useless to remind you that the RedMagic 9S Pro passes for a classic smartphone. Whatever version the user chooses, the smartphones remain relatively discreet and can pass as an everyday smartphone. The screen edges remain thin, as does the chin and we have the impression of having a premium smartphone when it is only a high-end or even mid-range smartphone given its price positioning.
Regarding the screen, there is nothing new compared to the 9 Pro since we find a screen with a brightness that had already been revised. It is better than last year but it remains a notch below what high-end and premium smartphones offer on the market. Now, in reality, we have not noticed any particular problem on a daily basis, especially during gaming sessions. The finish itself is good, the outline is still made of metal and of very good quality. We find the two sensitive trigger buttons as well as a physical switch on the left edge which will be used to launch the Game mode of the smartphone. We also find the ICE cooling system which goes to version 13.5, a small update therefore for even better management of heat dissipation but nothing transcendent. And finally, for the audio part, unsurprisingly, the RedMagic 9S Pro takes up what its predecessors offered with speakers and support for DTS: X Ultra. The two speakers are present on the front to ensure good stereo. There is also a jack socket, always practical.
As for the photo block, we find exactly the same photo block as that of the RedMagic 9 Pro composed of a main camera with a 50 Megapixel Samsung GN5 sensor, and an ultra wide-angle. Unsurprisingly, we find the same performance with photos in normal conditions of very good quality. The ultra wide-angle still lacks precision and turns out to be a little soft. Everything will therefore depend on its requirements in photo and video on a daily basis. In low light conditions, we find this tendency to have a fairly significant smoothing which can affect the level of details. As for the front camera under the screen, it is still superbly integrated and almost invisible to the naked eye. And with this new screen with non-curved and super thin edges, we have a fairly impressive combo for a full screen. For the quality of the photos with the camera under the screen, it remains basic with a quality that does not really compete with the competitors. On this point, it is believed that Nubia has focused more on delivering a decent result in streaming.
Performance and battery life remain unchanged
The RedMagic 9S Pro still offers Android 14 with a RedMagic OS overlay. Nothing surprising in itself, it’s the same as what we found on its predecessor. No revolutions and still small translation bugs but nothing to really bother a mobile gamer on a daily basis. On the performance side, as we said above, we won’t see any real differences between a 9 Pro and a 9S Pro, especially since no current game uses the full power of Qualcomm SoCs. So, if this is not seen in everyday apps, the numbers in the benchmarks speak for themselves. It’s better but somewhere, we barely pay attention to it. So, whatever your uses, the smartphone will get by without batting an eyelid. All games run very well, regardless of the refresh rate. We will once again note a very appreciable resistance to throttling.
We also find the in-house processor, the Red Core 2, which will take care of certain specific tasks to free them from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Basically, it will not give more power but will manage functions that are not directly linked to graphics and performance. The Red Core 2 will be able to manage, for example, audio, haptic feedback or RGB effects. This allows the Snapdragon to have more resources to focus on games and/or demanding applications. Like all its predecessors, there is an application dedicated to games that can be launched during a game and which will allow you to manage notifications, calls or other small annoyances when you are entitled to have them when you play. You will also be able to manage shortcuts, the two triggers of the RedMagic, the vibration level of the haptic motor or even push the smartphone to its limits in terms of power. Note that on the RedMagic, it is a physical switch on the left edge of the smartphone that will activate the gamer mode. Practical.
And finally, we end on the battery since we are talking about a 6500mAh battery and this, with a weight of 229g. In daily use, and without surprise, if we had no doubts for a full day loaded, we were able to quietly last two full days and this, without even paying attention. Afterwards, as always, it will depend mainly on the user’s applications which will be able to vary the autonomy but we remain confident to have two days quietly.
Galerie
Source: www.journaldugeek.com
