In Malaysia there will be two RedMagic 9 Pro offered. One through official Shopee Mall for global set without official warranty and in physical store of Malaysian set with warranty by ZTE Malaysia. In this review, I am using the official units. This phone is one of the best ZTE has ever produced, but is it worth owning or just wait for the ASUS ROG Phone 8 that just launched at CES earlier this morning.
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
RedMagic 9 Pro
6.8-inch OLED BOE Q9+ screen, 2480 x 1116,
120Hz, 1600 nits, Netflix SD
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (4nm)
Red Core 2 Pro
1x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 chip
5x 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720
2x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520
Adreno 750 Graphics Chip
RAM 12/16 GB LPDDR5X
Internal Storage 256/512 GB UFS 4.0
Main Camera 50 MP, OIS (Wide Angle)
50 MP, (Ultra Wide Angle)
2 MP, (Macro)
16 Megapixel Front Camera, UDC 2.0
6500 mAh battery
80W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Infrared Yes
Waterproof None
Fingerprint Scan System under the screen
Selling Price RM3699 12/256 GB
RM4499 16/512 GB
(Global set, unofficial)
Apart from Nothing, I've really loved the RedMagic designs since the 7S Pro, 8 Pro and most recently the 9 Pro. They use a completely flat design from the front screen, sides and even behind the camera hump is missing. The transparent element is still retained on the fan and the RGB is also still there but like the 8 Pro it is limited to the fan, logo and shoulder buttons.
RedMagic 9 Pro also doesn't look like a gaming phone because it no longer looks fancy, instead it's more simple and very minimal. All the buttons are on the left side only, on top there is still a 3.5mm audio jack port, there is still an infrared emitting sensor and the least that cannot be forgotten is the most beautiful screen design on the market right now.
SCREEN
NO, yes no other smartphone dares to offer a screen like the RedMagic 9 Pro. It's practically bezel-less, no notch, no forehead/chin and no camera hole. The screen is also beautiful and bright enough to use under the hot sun, but it's not as bright as the vivo X100 Pro. The refresh rate is also strange because it is only 120Hz and not like the iQOO 12 or competitors that reach 144Hz or 165Hz.
It is also not of the LTPO type with limited switching between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz only. What I can't forgive is that most video streaming apps don't support HDR display. Netflix is limited to SD, Prime Video is only HD or FHD and the Enhanced Display Mode feature is not as good as the Oppo, OnePlus or Xiaomi offerings.
BIOMETRIC SYSTEM
The fingerprint scanner used is an optical type. The location is also strategic for my large hands as it is slightly above compared to competitors which are so far down that the fingers can hurt. It's also able to scan quickly but sometimes in the dark it's hard to detect my finger.
USAGE AND SOFTWARE – REDMAGIC OS 9
After many times I complained that Redmagic OS is not good because of the use of English that seems to be translated using Google Translate and there is no guarantee of long-term updates. This time ZTE and Nubia changed their software bringing the best iteration I've ever used. Although it is still not perfect, but compared to the last generation, this RedMagic phone is the most satisfying
RedMagic also provides an ad-free phone experience as well as fat applications. Even many stock Android elements are included so I can easily explore all the features and functions of the phone. The widget support is also neat, the launcher is user-friendly and most importantly there is the Z-SmartCast feature that can turn the phone into a controller while the content is displayed to a monitor, television or computer.
For software my big problem is just on memory management. The phone uses 16GB of physical RAM and 12GB of virtual RAM but many apps refresh after not being opened for a while. WhatsApp messages are also slow to arrive even though they are always connected to the Internet and the application is locked in the background. I hope RedMagic takes this seriously and fixes it in a future update.
Among the interesting ones are;
RAM capacity
Virtual memory that adds up to 12GB on top of the 16GB already in use.
Turbo charge and Charge separation
A fast charging system that follows the phone's state and the first charging-while-playing feature that doesn't affect battery health.
Cooling fan
Physical cooling fan with 59-blades that spins at a rate of 22,000 RPM.
SyncMind
Pinntar 5G features, Z-SmartSidebar and Floating Window for more efficient productivity.
DTS Sound
DTS audio system for the ZTE ecosystem.
Enhanced display mode and Tiny screen adjustment
Makes the screen more beautiful as well as the small screen manual control that protects the selfie camera.
Light strips
RGB controls, many specific to the number 9 – logo on the back of the phone.
Gopher
Accessory control under the RedMagic ecosystem.
Mora
An anime character as RedMagic's mascot and user's digital assistant.
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS – SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 3 + RED CORE R2 PRO
Since the RedMagic is a flagship phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, in this performance comparison I will compare it with the iQOO 12 and also the vivo X100 Pro. The benchmarking software is AnTuTu 3D, Geekbench 6 and also 3DMark with Solar Bay and Wild Life Extreme.
This test is based on a freshly set up phone with all the apps I use pre-installed. I also turned on prime and fan mode to get the most optimal score.
Geekbench 6
RedMagic 9 Pro – 2153/6775
iQOO 12 – 2181/6631
vivo X100 Pro – 2071/5032
Antutu 3D
RedMagic 9 Pro – 2,114,787
iQOO 12 – 2,075,821
vivo X100 Pro – 1,852,552
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
RedMagic 9 Pro – 31.33 FPS
iQOO 12 – 30.22 FPS
vivo X100 Pro – 24.35 FPS
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
RedMagic 9 Pro – 33.10 FPS
iQOO 12 – 32.43 FPS
vivo X100 Pro – 26.35 FPS
This is the second Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phone to enter the Malaysian market after the iQOO 12. It's a shame, despite having a physical fan, the phone still heats up after playing three COD Mobile sessions. I can imagine it getting as hot as the Sony Xperia 1 V with the fan off. All the games I played, light or heavy, had no problem running. RedMagic 9 Pro provides the best performance so that I can play many games in one day until satisfied.
TELEPHONY AND GPS
The 5G connection for Maxis is very smooth and stable on the RedMagic 9 Pro. Fast speed, no disconnection problems and always receive full signal. Same with the WiFi which in my house now uses a 5GHz WiFi connection and I use the phone in the room no problem happens. The GPS is a bit strange, it is slow to lock the location but after it is done it is able to give precise instructions.
CAMERA
For years, gaming phones have not offered good camera capabilities because photography and videography are not the main focus. The last time a phone like this focused the camera was on the Black Shark which now I don't know how this brand is doing. RedMagic 9 Pro this time uses a 50+50+2 Megapixel camera with a 16 Megapixel under the screen for selfies.
The quality of the camera is just like a mid-range phone. 50MP produces attractive colors, sharp details and reasonably good HDR values. But there are inconsistent focus issues, a messy portrait mode and a selfie camera that feels like the 3GP phone era.
AUDIO
The speaker of this phone is still not able to offer good audio quality. It is so focused on the vocals that the bass is forgotten. It's also loud and loud, but if it doesn't provide an immersive listening experience – it's a disappointment for a gaming phone.
BATTERY
For extreme use such as gaming for several sessions, streaming videos, listening to music and being active on social media while the physical fan is on and the screen is always the brightest with 120Hz – the RedMagic 9 Pro has no problem lasting over 5 hours SOT.
Lighter fanless usage with adaptive refresh rate – the phone has no problem reaching up to 7-8 hours SOT. An interesting addition to this phone is that it supports use while the phone is connected to the charger but does not charge the phone so that the first can be stretched until you are tired.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
For every purchase of RedMagic 9 Pro, you will receive;
1x RedMagic 9 Pro
1x GaN 65W Charger
1x 1x C to C Cable
1x Hard plastic protective frame
1x Set of manual and safety book
CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that the RedMagic 9 Pro has many changes. What surprised me the most was that the software was getting more mature and not confusing. There are just a few more strange terms due to direct translation. The performance is definitely one of the fastest even beating the iQOO 12 because of the physical fan and the additional Red Core R2 Pro chip that further improves the phone's performance to the most optimal level.
The screen is also beautiful, bright and immersive – best if you don't mind HDR10+ on Netflix. My main problem with this phone is the weak speaker and the software which has no future guarantee. The RedMagic 9 Pro is a solid 2024 gaming phone so far because of the yet-to-be-launched ASUS ROG Phone 8.
PRO
Unique design with a sexy screen.
A real fan cooling system that competitors don't have.
Terrible performance with interesting software.
Useful shoulder buttons with other buttons that are nice to press.
There is still a 3.5mm audio jack.
CONS
Software no update guarantee.
The speaker is only standard.
A camera that is not worth the selling price.
Dimming RGB lights.
Phone marketing is confusing, Shopee Mall is a global set and a physical store is an official set.