The RedMagic 6 has an inner fan. But if that is not sufficient, you clip onto the again the Dual-core Ice Dock, a fan that lights up.
Patrick Holland/CNET
If you are into cell gaming, 2021 is a wonderful 12 months as a result of up to now couple weeks alone three gaming telephones have been launched. The Asus ROG Phone 5 made a splash with its everything-and-a-kitchen-sink strategy to options and specs. On Thursday, Lenovo launched the Legion Phone Duel 2, which has an standard design even for a gaming cellphone. And now there’s the Nubia RedMagic 6 and its first-of-a-kind 165Hz refresh-rate display. With so many choices, what units the RedMagic aside is its unimaginable worth. A $599 price ticket (or £509, which converts roughly to AU$915), a big battery, top-of-the-line Android efficiency, and a heaping quantity of customizable sport settings solely add to its enchantment. But past players, the enchantment of the RedMagic 6 is proscribed.
Like165Hz high-refresh-rate screenAmazing performanceGood worth for the value
Don’t LikeMissing ultrawide digital camera button in Photo modeLack of IP-rated water resistanceScreen exhausting to see in daylight
Most telephones, together with the iPhone 12, have a 60Hz show. The RedMagic’s 165Hz display seems extremely easy. There are literally loads of video games that assist 165 frames per second, although many mainstream titles do not. It’s exhausting to explain the distinction between a 120Hz display like on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a 144Hz show like on the ROG Phone 5 and the RedMagic’s 165Hz panel. But in comparison with a 60Hz show, the RedMagic 6 is sort of a first-class seat to your eyes.
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The display helps 10-bit colours and has a 500Hz single contact fee and 360Hz multitouch fee, which makes gameplay really feel responsive. When I performed video games like PUBG or Beat Street, on-screen presses and faucets felt extra correct.On the left aspect of the cellphone is a purple button that appears like a silent mode change, nevertheless it’s not. When you slide it over, the RedMagic 6 comes alive. The change places you into the Game Space. Think of it like a library, a management room and an enviornment for taking part in video games. You can select titles, management the lighting and inner fan all whereas muting notifications and different nongaming distractions.
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During sport play, Game Space controls might be accessed with only a easy finger slide. For instance, if a sport wasn’t really hitting 165fps, I may decrease the body fee with out exiting the sport. The Game Space management panel additionally has shortcuts for display brightness, mapping sport controls, creating macros for repetitive enter, recording gameplay and extra. There is even a 4D vibration mode that works type of like a PlayStation or Xbox controller albeit not as nuanced.On the aspect of the cellphone are two touch-sensitive areas that can be utilized as shoulder buttons for video games. The form of the cellphone’s corners make them straightforward to seek out. Button faucets felt reassuring, and I hardly ever made errors. Part of that may even be that the aspect inputs have a 400Hz refresh fee.The RedMagic 6 has a built-in fan. It took some time to get used to a cellphone sounding like my laptop computer with a number of tabs open in Chrome. Luckily, fan velocity might be adjusted. And if one fan is not sufficient, you should purchase the Dual-core Ice Dock accent which provides two extra. The exterior dual-fan unit clips onto the again of the cellphone, including extra airflow and much more noise.The RedMagic 6 with the Dual-core Ice Dock connected.
Patrick Holland/CNET
During lengthy bouts of gaming, the RedMagic 6 by no means acquired too scorching to carry. The inner fan, together with the cellphone’s liquid and graphite cooling methods, made it one of the crucial snug telephones to play video games on when it comes to temperature. Powering the cellphone is a 5,050-mAh battery that made it by a day with no drawback. Though it comes with a 30-watt charger, the RedMagic 6 helps 66-watt quick charging. I’m within the strategy of operating extra in-depth battery exams and can replace this assessment with the outcomes.The RedMagic 6 has a Snapdragon 888 processor, and my assessment unit had 12GB of RAM. There is a RedMagic 6 Pro mannequin that comes with 16GB of RAM. In efficiency exams, the RedMagic 6 scored on the prime of the 2021 class of Android telephones together with the Asus ROG Phone 5. That stated, the iPhone 12 Pro nonetheless scored greater than each.3DMark Slingshot Unlimited
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench v.5.0 single-core
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench v.5.0 multicore
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
The RedMagic 6 has a headphone jack, assist for 5G, Wi-Fi 6E and NFC, and it runs on Android 11. My assessment unit has “Tencent Games” written on the again, however the precise US mannequin will not. And if all you probably did was sport, then this $599 cellphone is value each penny. But exterior of gaming there are some downsides.The RedMagic 6 has a triple-rear digital camera.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The RedMagic 6 has a foremost 64-megapixel digital camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide digital camera and a 2-megapixel bokeh digital camera for depth. The foremost digital camera takes respectable photographs and may even file HDR10 movies. But accessing the ultrawide digital camera is hard. In Photo mode, there is not a button to modify to the ultrawide digital camera. You have to enter Pro mode as a way to use it. It’s bizarre and hopefully might be mounted with a software program replace. In good lighting, the broad 64-megapixel digital camera captures nice photographs.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The element within the tree roots is sweet, and the cellphone was in a position to seize the blue sky with out blowing it out to white.
Patrick Holland/CNET
I like how the cellphone captured the colours of this presunset second.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The RedMagic 6 would not have a devoted telephoto digital camera. This was taken at a 3x digital zoom. The picture seems respectable, however issues begin to disintegrate previous 3x zoom.
Patrick Holland/CNET
As spectacular because the display is, additionally it is fairly dim. In a shiny room or outside, it may be exhausting to see it clearly. The RedMagic 6 is heavy, making one-handed sport play practically not possible. It would not have an IP score for mud or water resistance, and it lacks wi-fi charging. And I’m not the largest fan of the RedMagic OS.The Dual-core Ice Dock is hard to arrange. A USB-C cable connects it to the cellphone. The directions say to pair it to the cellphone by way of Bluetooth. I attempted many occasions to do that, however may solely get the Ice Dock to work utilizing the cable. And who desires to sport with a cable connected to the underside of the cellphone and to an exterior clip-on fan?The RedMagic 6 is heavy and broad which makes one-handed sport play a problem.
Patrick Holland/CNET
I’m not the target market for the RedMagic 6. Mobile players are. And till Asus and Lenovo announce an official US worth for his or her gaming telephones, the RedMagic 6 represents a superb worth for the value.Nubia RedMagic 6 specs vs. Asus ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 5 Pro, ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Nubia RedMagic 6
Asus ROG Phone 5
Asus ROG Phone 5 Pro
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Display dimension, decision
6.8-inches OLED, 2,400×1,080 pixels, 165Hz refresh fee, HDR10, 500Hz single contact fee
6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080 pixels, 144Hz refresh fee, HDR10+, 300Hz contact fee
6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080 pixels, 144Hz refresh fee, HDR10+, 300Hz contact fee
6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080 pixels, 144Hz refresh fee, HDR10+, 300Hz contact fee
Pixel density
387ppi
395ppi
395ppi
395ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.69 x 3.04 x 0.38 in
6.09 x 2.72 x 0.36 in
6.09 x 2.72 x 0.36 in
6.09 x 2.72 x 0.36 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
170 x 77 x 9.7mm
173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
7.76 oz; 220g
8.57 oz; 243g
8.57 oz; 243g
8.57 oz; 243g
Mobile software program
Android 11
Android 11
Android 11
Android 11
Camera
64-megapixel (broad), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth)
64-megapixel (broad), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 5-megapixel (macro)
64-megapixel (broad), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 5-megapixel (macro)
64-megapixel (broad), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 5-megapixel (macro)
Front-facing digital camera
8-megapixel
24-megapixel
24-megapixel
24-megapixel
Video seize
8K
8K
8K
8K
Processor
2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G
2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G
2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G
2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G
Storage
128GB UFS3.1
128GB, 256GB UFS3.1
512GB UFS3.1
512GB UFS3.1
RAM
12GB
8GB, 12GB, 16GB
16GB
18GB
Expandable storage
None
None
None
None
Battery
5,050 mAh
6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAH)
6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAH)
6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAh)
Fingerprint sensor
In-screen
In-screen
In-screen
In-screen
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Special options
5G-enables, 66W quick charging, 400Hz contact delicate aspect buttons, RGB lighting and emblem, Game Space {hardware} change, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, dual-SIM
5G-enabled, 65W fast charging, ROG emblem, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case
5G-enabled, 65W fast charging, ROG Color Vision show, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case and AeroActive Cooler 5
5G-enabled, 65W fast charging, ROG Black and White Vision show, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case and AeroActive Cooler 5
Price off-contract (USD)
$599
TBA, however European costs convert to $950 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), $1,065 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), $1,185 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to $1,420 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to $1,540 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage)
Price (GBP)
£509
TBA, however European costs convert to £685 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), £770 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), £855 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to £1,025 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to £1,110 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage)
Price (AUD)
UK worth converts to AU$915
TBA, however European costs convert to AU$1,235 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), AU$1,390 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), AU$1,540 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to AU$1,850 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage)
TBA, however European worth converts to AU$2,000 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage)