ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro is an innovative gaming smartphone succeeding last year’s Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro. It has few similarities to the Nubia RedMagic 9S Pro Plus, which succeeds the nubia Red Magic 9 Pro+ featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leading version chipset with ICE 13.5 Magic Cooling System, an AMOLED display, and a triple rear camera. The Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro also comes with a large 6500 mAh dual-cell battery with 80W fast charging and runs on Redmagic OS 9.5 based on Android 14.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Key Specs and Features
- 6.8 inches AMOLED Display, 1116 x 2480 pixels (~400 ppi density), ~89.1% screen-to-body ratio
- Android 14, Redmagic OS 9.5
- Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) Octa Core Processor
- Built-in Cooling Fan
- 12GB, 16GB RAM
- 50 MP (wide) + 50 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (depth) Triple Rear Camera
- 16 MP Front Camera
- Fingerprint Sensor (under display, optical)
- 256GB, 512GB Built-in Storage
- 4G LTE Support
- 5G Support
- 80W Fast Charging Capacity
- 6500 mAh Non-removable Li-Ion Battery
Design
At first glance, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro design is so similar to the Red Magic 9 Pro with its blocky structure. It has a sturdy metal design, combining aluminum and glass to offer a durable and premium feel. The Android phone measures 164 x 76.4 x 8.9 mm (6.46 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches) and weighs 229 grams, thus ensuring a comfortable and ergonomic grip, making it ideal for extended gaming sessions.
The front of the Red Magic 9S Pro features a 6.8-inch AMOLED full-screen display finished with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. This design ensures durability and scratch resistance, while the display itself is perfectly flat and square with no rounded edges, enhancing the immersive viewing experience.
Thin bezels surround the screen, giving it a modern look and maximizing the screen-to-body ratio. Additionally, the device incorporates an under-display front camera and fingerprint reader, maintaining a sleek, uninterrupted display surface.
Meanwhile, the glass back panel features a distinctive design with angular patterns and bold lines, giving it a futuristic aesthetic that stands out. It has an RGB lighting strip, a signature element of the Red Magic series, that runs vertically down the center of the back panel. This lighting is customizable, allowing users to select from a range of colors and effects that can synchronize with in-game actions, music, or notifications, enhancing the overall gaming ambiance.
The rear profile also houses a sophisticated camera module, strategically placed on the left side corner to ensure it doesn’t interfere with the gaming experience. The three large rings house two of the triple camera lenses, such as a high-resolution primary sensor, and an ultra-wide lens, while the last one holds the cooling fan. Meanwhile, the third camera lens is the pinhole positioned below the LED flash sitting by the side of the rings.
Additionally, the frame of the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro is made from aviation-grade aluminum, providing a sturdy and premium feel. The right side of the frame is quite busy, hosting touch-sensitive shoulder triggers for gaming, a hardware switch/slider for the Gaming Space Center, and one of the two air vents for the cooling fan.
These vents are strategically positioned to ensure efficient airflow and heat dissipation, maintaining the device’s performance during intensive gaming sessions. The bottom of the device houses the SIM card tray, a USB-C connector, and a loudspeaker grille. Meanwhile, the top edge of the frame includes a 3.5mm audio jack, a second speaker grille, and an IR blaster, adding versatility and convenience for users.
Display
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro boasts a 6.8-inch AMOLED full-screen display made by BOE, designed to deliver an unrivaled visual experience. This display is finished with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, thus, it is durable and resistant to scratches, ensuring longevity. It also has a perfectly flat, square-edged design, free of rounded corners, which enhances the immersive viewing experience.
Furthermore, it also comes with a resolution of 2480 x 1116 pixels and approximately 400 ppi density, hence, the screen offers sharp, clear visuals. The AMOLED technology ensures vibrant colors, deep blacks, and high contrast ratios, essential for a rich visual experience whether gaming or streaming videos.
The display supports 1 billion colors and reaches a peak brightness of 1600 nits, providing excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. It also boasts a high 120Hz refresh rate, adjustable to 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and Auto modes, ensuring smooth and fluid animations crucial for fast-paced gaming.
Additionally, this display offers support for DC dimming, reducing flicker at low brightness levels for a more comfortable viewing experience. There is also the under-display front camera and fingerprint reader to maintain the screen’s sleek, uninterrupted surface, further enhancing its modern look.
Camera
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro is equipped with the same camera setup as the Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro+. The primary camera uses a 1/1.57″ 50 MP Samsung GN5 ISOCELL sensor with 1.0µm pixels, paired with an f/1.9 lens. This setup includes Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), ensuring clear, sharp, and stable photos even in challenging conditions.
The ultrawide camera is based on the 1/2.76″ 50 MP Samsung JN1 ISOCELL sensor, featuring 0.64µm pixels and an f/2.2 aperture lens, which allows for expansive shots with excellent detail and minimal distortion.
Both 50 MP cameras come with Optical Image Stabilization and a 7P lens, ensuring that photos are not only sharp and clear but also true-to-life. Additionally, there is a 2 MP depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, enhancing portrait shots by providing more accurate background blur and depth effects.
For video recording, the ZTE nubia Red Magic 9S Pro supports multiple resolutions, including 8K at 30fps, 4K at 30/60fps, and 1080p at various frame rates up to 240fps, providing versatility for capturing high-quality footage. The rear camera setup is complemented by features like LED flash, HDR, and panorama modes, enhancing its capability to handle various shooting scenarios.
On the front, the device sports a 16 MP under-display selfie camera using the OV16E1Q sensor, which is 1/2.8″ in size and paired with an f/2.0 lens. This front camera supports HDR and records video at 1080p@30/60fps, delivering clear and detailed selfies and video calls.
Hardware and Software
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor. This cutting-edge chipset brings significant improvements in both performance and energy efficiency, making it ideal for demanding tasks such as gaming, multitasking, and high-resolution video playback.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, specifically the Qualcomm SM8650-AC variant, represents the pinnacle of mobile processing power, built on a 4 nm process. It features a robust octa-core CPU configuration, including a high-performance 3.4 GHz Cortex-X4 core, three 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 cores, two 3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 cores, and two 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520 cores.
This arrangement ensures top-tier performance across both demanding applications and everyday tasks. It is coupled with the Adreno 750 GPU, which operates at 1 GHz, providing significant enhancements in graphics performance and efficiency, crucial for high-end gaming and multimedia experiences.
This chipset supports cutting-edge features such as UFS 4.0 storage technology, with configurations available in 256GB with 12GB RAM, 512GB with 12GB RAM, and 512GB with 16GB RAM, ensuring ample space and fast data access.
Moreover, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 includes an integrated 5G modem for blazing-fast connectivity, advanced AI capabilities for smarter and more efficient device interactions, and improved image signal processing for better camera performance.
Additionally, this 5G phone houses a 6500 mAh non-removable battery with 80W wired charging, achieving a full charge in just 35 minutes, according to advertised claims. It also supports 32-bit/384kHz Hi-Res audio and Snapdragon Sound for superior audio quality. It offers 3D sound effects with a 1.6cc large chamber and DTS Ultra Certification, thus producing crystal-clear audio, optimized with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound.
Furthermore, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options designed to ensure seamless integration with various devices and networks. It supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7 with tri-band capability, providing robust and versatile wireless connectivity with high speeds and stability.
Likewise, it features Bluetooth for wireless audio and accessory pairing, NFC for quick payments and data transfer, and USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 for fast data transfer and charging. The inclusion of OTG support allows for connecting external devices like keyboards or storage drives, while DisplayPort enables high-definition video output, enhancing multimedia experiences. These features collectively ensure that the ZTE nubia Red Magic 9S Pro remains highly adaptable and future-proof.
This device also operates on Redmagic OS 9.5, built on Android 14, which introduces a host of new features and improvements focused on enhancing user experience. This latest OS overlay brings over 20 new features, with a strong emphasis on AI integration and a more user-friendly, customizable interface.
Notable additions include “Super Wallpapers,” which offer dynamic and visually stunning backgrounds, and a new AoD (Always on Display) mode called “Game Information Overview,” designed to provide quick access to game-related stats and notifications.
The update also introduces “Game Shorthand,” a feature aimed at streamlining gaming functions and enhancing overall performance. These enhancements ensure a more tailored and efficient user experience, combining the power of Android 14 with innovative Redmagic features.
Cooling System
Nubia has taken inspiration from gaming laptops and desktops by incorporating a fan into the RedMagic phones, a signature feature that remains integral to their design. The fan’s ability to pull cool air through the chassis, over the internal radiators, and push hot air out is crucial to the high performance of the 9S Pro.
The REDMAGIC ICE 13.5 Cooling System is particularly noteworthy, capable of cutting temperatures by up to 19.5°C. This system boasts a 10-layer design that includes a 22,000 RPM airflow, achieving 30% better heat dissipation compared to previous models.
The fan retains its impressive 22,000 RPM specification, ensuring efficient cooling during intensive use. Nubia has also introduced a larger vapor chamber and a new cooling gel formula inside the handset, which enhances the cooling potential significantly.
The company claims these improvements can achieve up to 19 degrees of cooling, maintaining optimal performance and preventing thermal throttling even during the most demanding gaming sessions. This advanced cooling system underscores the RedMagic 9S Pro’s capability to deliver sustained high performance, making it a standout choice for mobile gamers.
Where to Buy ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro
Jumia Nigeria – See Offers | Amazon US – See Offers | Amazon UK – See Offers
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Price and Availability
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro price starts at $899.00 for the model with 16GB RAM and 512GB ROM on Amazon US Store. The Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Plus price in Nigeria is expected at around ₦1,415,000 in Nigeria.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro Specs
Here are a few specs of the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9S Pro:
General Features
- Platform: Android 14, Redmagic OS 9.5
- Processor: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) Octa Core Processor (3.4 GHz Cortex-X4 and 3.2 GHz tri-core Cortex-A720 and 3.0 GHz dual-core Cortex-A720 and 2.3 GHz dual-core Cortex-A520)
- GPU: Adreno 750 (1 GHz)
- Memory: 16GB, 24GB RAM
- Colours: Design Sleet (Black Version), Snowfall (Silver Version), Cyclone (Transparent Black Version), Frost (White Version)
- Dimension: 164 x 76.4 x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 229 g
- SIM Type: Nano SIM
- SIM Count: Dual SIM
Display
- Display: 6.8 inches AMOLED Display, 116 x 2480 pixels (~400 ppi density), ~89.1% screen-to-body ratio, 120Hz Refresh Rate, 1600 nits (peak)
- Screen Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Foldable Display: No
Camera
- Rear Camera: 50 MP (wide), PDAF, OIS + 50 MP (ultrawide), f/2.2 + 2 MP (depth), f/2.4 Triple Camera
- Rear Camera Features: LED Flash, HDR, Panorama, 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps
- Front Camera: 16 MP (wide), f/2.0 Under-Display Camera, HDR, 1080p@30/60fps
Storage
- Built-in Storage: 256GB, 512GB
- Memory Card Support: No
- Bundled Cloud Storage: –
Network Support
- 2G GSM: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
- 2G CDMA 1X: CDMA 800 / 1900
- 3G WCDMA: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
- 3G CDMA EVDO: CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
- 4G LTE: Yes
- 5G: Yes
Internet and Connectivity
- GPRS: Yes
- EDGE: Yes
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes
- HSPA+: Yes
- CDMA EVDO: Yes
- 4G LTE: Yes
- 5G: Yes
- WLAN: Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7, , tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes
- Bluetooth: Yes
- NFC: Yes (market/region dependent)
- Infrared Blaster: Yes
- USB Port: Yes, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, OTG, accessory connector, DisplayPort
Messaging
- SMS/MMS: Yes
- Instant Messaging: Yes
- Push Emails: Yes
- Email Protocol: –
Entertainment
- Music Player: Yes
- Video Player: Yes
- FM Radio: –
- Loudspeaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
- 3.5mm Jack: Yes
Navigation
- Navigation: Yes, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
- Maps: Yes
Sensors and Control
- Digital Compass: Yes
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Light Sensor: Yes
- Barometer: –
- SpO2: –
- Pedometer: –
- Heart Rate Monitor: –
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, (under display, optical)
- Iris Scanner: –
- Face Unlock: –
- Stylus Pen: –
- Intelligent Digital Assistant: Yes
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: –
- Voice Control: Yes
Other Features
- Video Streaming: Yes
- Active Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Wireless Charging: –
- Built-in Mobile Payment: –
- Water Resistant: –
- Dust Resistant: –
- Image Editor: Yes
- Video Editor: Yes
- Document Viewer: –
- Document Editor: –
Battery
- Battery: 6500 mAh Non-removable Li-Ion Battery
- Talktime: –
- Standby Time: –
- Fast Charging: 80W Fast Charging Capacity, Power Delivery 3.0 (recharges from zero to 100% in about 35 minutes minutes)