RedMagic 8S Pro Review – Still the Best?

Only a few brief months in the past, Droid Gamer’s personal Meriel Inexperienced ran a RedMagic 8 Pro review, placing Nubia’s (on the time) newest Android gaming telephone by means of some fairly powerful paces. Her goal was to find if, the truth is, this was the last word gaming telephone.

It seems that it just about was, other than a number of quirks. It ticked the entire proper packing containers, with a incredible 120hz AMOLED show, insanely highly effective specs, and a veritable buffet of gaming-focused options. Probably the most thrilling of which is clearly the addition of energetic cooling.

And now, mere months later, we’ve obtained our palms on the 8 Pro’s successor the 8S Pro. I’m certain I’m not the one Android gamer that’s shocked how shortly Nubia has turned this factor round, in addition to somewhat bit stumped as to why. If it wasn’t broke within the first place, why repair it?

RedMagic 8S Pro Review – What’s New?

Nicely, let’s begin by having a look at what, if something, has modified within the 8S Pro. In brief: not an enormous quantity. The 8S Pro is extra a refinement of the unique than a revolution, with a handful of sensible additions that assist hold Nubia on high.

Crucial new characteristic is the inclusion of an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is probably going doable due to the inclusion of the opposite huge new characteristic, revamped cooling. Successfully, the fan now adjusts its pace on the fly, so that you’ll solely hear it throughout probably the most intensive gaming periods.

It’s hardly an evening and day distinction, with CPU and GPU speeds operating roughly 3x and 6x sooner than the unique, however it’s sufficient to maintain it high of the pack. I’d argue that for those who personal the 8 Pro, you actually don’t must improve, however a first-time purchaser would possibly as nicely achieve entry to this feature.

It additionally is available in double the storage on the bottom mannequin at 256GB up from 156GB, and with the newest model of the RedMagic OS. After re-reading Meriel’s assessment, I can affirm that this model is much more steady as I’ve actually not run into many, if any, points after hours of use.

Surprisingly, there are many aesthetic variations. One contact particularly I really like is the brushed metallic end on the reverse of the telephone, which is harking back to a vinyl document. It appears to be like far classier and trendy than the earlier iteration, which was fairly bland.

When it comes to these gamer options, probably the most thrilling new addition is an improve on the vibration mode discovered within the authentic. Whereas that was terrific, this one is the distinction between the DualShock 4 and the DualSense controller by Sony.

Successfully, what we get this time round is an equal of that haptic suggestions. It supplies a way more immersive expertise versus the extra primary providing within the 8 Pro. That’s extra a constructive reflection on the 8S than a detrimental on the 8 Pro although.

What We Like

Trying on the telephone holistically, and never simply evaluating it to the 8 Pro, there may be an terrible lot to love concerning the 8S Pro. That’s doubly true for those who plan on utilizing this as a gaming gadget, versus simply a normal Android telephone.

The primary characteristic that can possible impress is the display screen. It’s an AMOLED panel at 120hz, so count on deep blacks, vibrant colors, and tremendous clean gameplay. Not all video games help 120hz, thoughts, however these with 60fps help will nonetheless profit.

It’s only a incredible panel, and I loved simply seeing what every of my favorite video games would appear to be on it. Each single considered one of them I’d reasonably play on this panel versus my main Android telephone. The colors impressed with out wanting too intense.

Then there’s the efficiency, which was blistering quick. It had no downside operating any recreation I threw at it, and, consider me, I attempted to journey it up. Diablo Immortal, Genshin Affect, and Honkai Star Rail ran with out a hitch.

The 8 Pro already has a incredible popularity within the emulation neighborhood, and the identical could be stated right here. Nonetheless, if a recreation runs poorly on the 8 Pro, you’ll be able to’t count on it to carry out a lot better right here. The efficiency is simply too related throughout the telephones.

What you’re going to get is a a lot better cooling answer. Whereas the fan was by no means too intrusive earlier than, the 8S Pro’s means to routinely improve the pace throughout peak efficiency is a large enchancment. You’ll be able to positively hear the fan, however solely actually throughout disturbing durations.

One other distinctive characteristic I appreciated is the game-specific pink button on the aspect of the gadget. Press this, and you may tweak a bunch of settings to enhance your gaming expertise. From right here, you’ll be able to set contact sensitivity, CPU and GPU efficiency, and alter show settings.

The perfect half? You’ll be able to tweak these settings on a per-game foundation. It’s an ideal set-and-forget characteristic that solely takes a number of seconds on every recreation to set your most well-liked settings and transfer on. Many video games will routinely seem in your record once you boot it up, however others would require manually including.

Lastly, one other characteristic of the telephone that I’m tremendous impressed by is the battery life. When enjoying intensive video games at 60fps, I’m normally fairly shortly involved with the place the closest outlet is. Not so with this telephone.

Every time I completed a gaming session, I discovered myself shocked at how a lot juice I nonetheless had left. I haven’t even been being cautious with it. I’m operating at most settings, typically peak brightness (which may be very vibrant, by the way in which), and fairly loud. Additionally, with the fan on. So, you can eke out extra for those who’re conservative.

What We Don’t Like

If I’m being nitpicky, my least favorite characteristic of the RedMagic 8S Pro is definitely the audio system. To be clear, they aren’t unhealthy, they’re simply fairly tinny. I discovered myself reaching for headphones when watching movies or in a prolonged enjoying session.

The audio system do get impressively loud although, I’ll say that. They’re additionally completely serviceable for those who’re with out headphones, however it’s considered one of only a few points I confronted whereas utilizing the telephone.

RedMagic 8S Pro Review – Verdict

That is going to be a very simple conclusion to jot down, and I’m going to interrupt it down into two completely different solutions. First, for those who already personal the RedMagic 8 Pro and want to improve, I like to recommend holding off.

Whereas the 8S Pro is a extra performant telephone, with a number of further options, it’s not fairly improve sufficient to justify spending once more after you’ve simply bought the 8 Pro. The 8 Pro continues to be very shut, and price sticking with till Nubia makes a much bigger leap ahead.

Nonetheless, for those who don’t have an 8 Pro and also you need probably the most highly effective Android gaming telephone available on the market, the 8S Pro is a no brainer. Its efficiency, display screen, battery life, fan, and distinctive gaming options make this the present best-in-class.

The one criticism we have now is that the audio system aren’t fairly the most effective. They’re removed from unhealthy, and so they get a lot loud, however there are higher on the market. Ensure you spend money on pair of headphones to match them for those who’re delicate to that type of factor.

However whether or not you’re a gamer that depends on Google Play, video games streaming, or emulation, you’ll completely have a incredible time right here. It’s obtained the entire energy you want, a incredible display screen, and, maybe most significantly, a fan that retains issues good and funky even below stress.