Gaming smartphones are gradually becoming a thing with the likes of Razer phone and Xiaomi Black Shark already on ground. ZTE has decided to make an entrance into this still young category of smartphone with its new ZTE Nubia Red Magic. A gaming smartphone like this one has to have a fast processor, an effective cooling system, crisp display amongst other things. The smartphone has all these sorted out with a distinguished design that sets it apart from the rest of the bunch.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic Key Specs and Features
- 6.0-inch, LTPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 2160 X 1080 pixels (402 ppi)
- Octa-core Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 CPU with 6GB/8GB
- 64GB/128GB built-in storage with no support for memory card extension
- 24MP rear camera and 8MP front camera
- 4G LTE
- Fingerprint sensor (rear)
- 3, 800mAh non removable Li-Po battery
Design and Display
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic is unlike anything you have seen from other smartphones. What you see here is a bold and classy game-look on the smartphone while still having properties like an 18;9 aspect ratio and bezel-less display. The rear as distinguished diamond shaped design with 4 vents placed close to the edges and graphite coating for heat distribution. You also have the camera in an hexagonal shape module and the fingerprint sensor in a similar but longer shape.
As for the display, the smartphone has a Full HD+ screen which is not bad for a gaming smartphone considering a higher resolution will surely weigh more on battery. With a size of 6.0-inch, and a resolution of 2160 X 1080 pixels, the smartphone is well suited for a good gaming experience.
Battery and Camera
Talking about the battery power on the ZTE Nubia Red Magic which is a gaming smartphone and as so requires lots of power. It has a 3, 800mAh battery capacity, capable of supplying up to 6-7 hours of gaming straight on. There’s also quick charging and a USB Type-C port to plug into.
Unlike the Xiaomi Black Shark and in defiance of the recent trends of dual cameras, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic has a single camera both front and back. There is a 24MP camera on the rear side while the front houses an 8MP sensor. This is a pretty nice arrangement for a smartphone whose priority is not on taking pictures.
Hardware and Software
To enjoy the best of gaming on these smartphones, the processor must be of high performance to prevent lagging and slow control response during gaming. For this it has a top notch Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 with eight cores which is not the latest btw but still one of the best. There is also an Adreno 540 in play taking care of graphics.
In addition, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic is equipped with 6GB internal memory aligned with 64GB ROM. Also, there is a higher variant that has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage space built-in with no extension support for both. Like the others, it boots Android 8.1 Oreo with nubia Red Magic OS modifications.
Pricing and Availability
The smartphone is available for sale in various online stores for 140, 000 for the lesser variant and 180, 000 naira for the more premium model.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic Specs
Here are a few specs of the ZTE Nubia Red Magic:
General Features
- Platform: Android 8.1 Oreo
- Processor: Octa-core 4 x 2.35 GHz Kryo & 4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo (Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835)
- GPU: Adreno 540
- Memory: 6GB/8GB
- Colours: Red, Black
- Dimension: 158.1 x 74.9 x 9.5 mm
- Weight: 185g
- SIM Type: Nano sim
- SIM Count: Dual sim
Display
- Display: 6.0-inch, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 260 X 1080 pixels (402 ppi)
- Screen Protection: Dinorex T2X-1 scratch/shock resistant glass
Camera
- Rear Camera: 24MP camera, 2160 Video@30fps
- Rear Camera Features: Phase detection autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
- Front Camera: 8MP camera, 1080p Video@30fps
Storage
- Built-in Storage: 64GB/128GB
- Memory Card Support: –
- Bundled Cloud Storage: –
Network Support
- 2G GSM: Yes
- 2G CDMA 1X: –
- 3G WCDMA: Yes
- 3G CDMA EVDO: –
- 4G LTE: LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)
Internet & Connectivity
- GPRS: Yes
- EDGE: Yes
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes
- HSPA+: Yes, 42.2/5.76Mbps,
- CDMA EVDO: –
- 4G LTE: LTE-A (5CA) Cat 16 1024/150Mbps
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes
- Bluetooth: Yew, v5.0 with A2DP, LE, aptX
- NFC: –
- Infrared Blaster: –
- USB Port: USB Type-C 2.0
Messaging
- SMS/MMS: Yes
- Instant Messaging: Yes
- Push Emails: Yes
- Email Protocol: –
Entertainment
- Music Player: MP3/WAV/FLAC/eAAC+ player
- Video Player: MP4/H.264 player
- FM Radio: –
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- 3.5mm Jack: Yes
Navigation
- Navigation: Yes with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Maps: Yes
Sensors & Control
- Digital Compass: Yes
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Light Sensor: Yes
- Barometer: –
- SpO2: –
- Pedometer: –
- Heart Rate Monitor: –
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, (rear)
- Iris Scanner: –
- Face Unlock: –
- Intelligent Digital Assistant: –
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: –
- Voice Control: –
Other Features
- Video Streaming: Yes
- Active Noise Cancellation: Yee
- Wireless Charging: –
- Built-in Mobile Payment: –
- Water Resistant: –
- Dust Resistant: –
- Image Editor: Yes
- Video Editor: Yes
- Document Viewer: Yes
- Document Editor: Yes
Battery
- Battery: 3, 800mWh non removable Li-Po battery
- Talktime: –
- Standby Time: –
- Fast Charging: Yes
