Nubia Redmagic 11 Air Review: Light Relief for Gamers

Value When Reviewed

$529

Finest Costs Right now: Redmagic 11 Air

Final yr, Redmagic launched a brand new slimline model of its gaming smartphone vary, dubbed (in Apple-esque trend) the Redmagic 10 Air. Now the second iteration has arrived with just a few upgrades to tempt these wanting a strong gaming platform with out the heft of the Redmagic 11 Professional. So, how does the brand new mannequin examine to its predecessor, and would you be higher off going with the full-fat model as an alternative?

Design & Construct: Slimmer however nonetheless chunky

For those who’ve ever used a Redmagic telephone, you’ll know that they’re not petite gadgets. The 11 Air, nevertheless, is as shut as the corporate has come to attaining this.

The metallic and glass development feels as strong as ever, however (as with the ten Air) the telephone sits properly within the hand, with out its 163.82mm x 76.54mm x 7.85mm dimensions feeling cumbersome. That is helped by its comparatively mild weight at 207g (the Redmagic 11 Professional is available in at 230g).

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As soon as once more, alongside the flanks are the 520Hz shoulder triggers for controlling motion in-game, plus there’s the purple Magic Key which may open the devoted gaming software program or will be configured to open different apps or options as an alternative.

The rear glass panel has a cool, futuristic sample, which is a traditional design alternative on Redmagic telephones, plus there’s the corporate brand that’s illuminated once you’re gaming due to the colorful RGB lights beneath. The digicam module space now additionally boasts a further round unit over the ten Air, however this isn’t one other lens. As a substitute it’s an indication that Redmagic managed so as to add a 24,000RPM fan this time round, to enhance cooling.

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It’s undoubtedly a two-handed system and the sleek surfaces make it somewhat slippery, particularly throughout a sweaty gaming session, however Redmagic does embody a plastic case within the field.

Additional ideas:

• Redmagic gives two color choices – Phantom (sort of clear black) and Prism (clear white).
• The Redmagic 11 Air has an IP54 ranking for mud and water resistance, which is similar because the earlier mannequin however not so good as the IPX8 ranking on the Redmagic 11 Professional.

Display & Audio system: Full display screen enjoyable

Redmagic stays just about the one smartphone producer to make use of under-screen selfie cameras, alongside the extra customary embedded fingerprint sensor, which permits the show on the 11 Air to remain free from notches or punch-holes. Whereas this does compromise the entrance digicam high quality, it’s a small worth to pay for the uninterrupted 6.85-inch OLED panel that’s completely designed for enjoying video games or watching video content material.

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The 2688 x 1216 decision and 144Hz refresh fee means the whole lot appears to be like good and sharp, plus the height brightness of 1800 nits is sufficient to half-blind you you probably have content material that options quite a lot of white scenes. The Corning Glass GG7i display screen ought to resist scratches and survive just a few drops, however it may be somewhat reflective in robust mild.

Audio is equipped by a twin speaker setup, with one speaker on the underside edge. The opposite is the telephone speaker on the prime of the entrance panel. These mix to supply an honest sound profile, though to get the very best quality, you need to join wi-fi headphones through the telephone’s Bluetooth 5.4 capabilities. Sadly, the Air vary doesn’t have the three.5mm headphone sockets that seem on Redmagic’s Professional gadgets.

Additional ideas:

• The show on the Redmagic 11 Air encompasses a 95.10% screen-to-body ratio.
• The panel additionally boasts a 960Hz world contact sampling fee and a pair of,500Hz on the spot contact sampling fee for correct and responsive gaming.

Specs & Efficiency: Loads of energy onboard

Gaming telephones require quite a lot of CPU and GPU energy. So, it’s no shock that Redmagic has gone for a top-of-the-line setup that features a 4.32Ghz Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, Adreno 830 GPU, and RedCore R4 devoted gaming chip. Add to those both 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X Extremely RAM and also you’ve received a fairly hefty set of specs.

Placing the 11 Air by means of its paces with varied video games, from light-weight titles comparable to Stardew Valley as much as Genshin Impression, confirmed that the highly effective processing capabilities had no drawback coping with busy 3D animations, whereas the cooling system (now together with that fan) saved issues to manageable ranges. Sure, the unit does get hotter throughout prolonged classes, however by no means so dangerous that it’s a must to put it down.

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One slight draw back is that in contrast to the Professional fashions, there’s no flat glass panel on the again to cover the digicam bump. This implies the lens covers fell underneath my fingers throughout panorama oriented video games which, whereas not uncomfortable, wasn’t as easy as the sleek surfaces on the Professionals.

The shoulder triggers are responsive, as is the show panel, and with the ability to assign these within the Sport Area software program stays an incredible characteristic for individuals who need probably the most from their cellular gaming.

Right here’s how the Redmagic 11 Air in comparison with a few of its closest rivals in our customary benchmark exams:

Additional ideas:

• The Redmagic 11 Air comes with both 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage.

Cameras: Succesful however not class-leading

Redmagic equips the 11 Air with two lenses (as with the ten Air): a 50Mp f/1.89 predominant shooter (which the system calls 23mm), plus an 8Mp unit (14mm), with OIS and an anti-glare coating to maintain issues sharp.

The primary digicam can take some good pictures, with a fairly fast focus which means I didn’t miss too many pictures (though Google lens saved making an attempt to open, as its button is true subsequent to the shutter one, which was fairly annoying). This may be fastened by enabling the setting that lets you use both shoulder triggers because the shutter button.

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Give the 11 Air some beneficial lighting and also you’ll be impressed with the outcomes. I did discover it struggled with blowing out highlights in more difficult conditions, however in any other case the colors are good and the photographs look full of life and balanced. Low mild is okay, though noise creeps in fairly shortly when taking pictures away from a light-weight supply. For those who’re not shopping for a telephone particularly for its cameras, the 11 Air is a wonderfully serviceable choice that may produce some beautiful pictures to share on social media or with your pals.

The under-display 16Mp digicam continues to make marginal enhancements with every iteration. Gone are the fuzzy selfies of older Redmagic efforts, with more moderen ones bringing sharpness to the occasion. It does are typically considerably software-corrected although, so whereas tremendous it’s somewhat overly processed at occasions. Nonetheless, it’s undoubtedly higher than it was a few years in the past.

The 11 Air is able to capturing footage as much as 8K / 30fps, however you’ll get extra usable (or not less than shareable) recordsdata in the event you go for 4K / 60fps and even 1080p / 60 fps as an alternative. I discovered it to be an honest unit, in a position to shortly refocus when switching topics and lighting with out a lot looking. Once more, it’s greater than adequate for day-to-day use.

Additional ideas:

• One of many rings on the rear of the 11 Air is for the devoted round flash.
• The 11 Air additionally comes with varied scene modes comparable to Star Path, Mild Draw, Gradual Movement, Time Lapse and several other others.

Battery Life & Charging: Greater battery, longer playtime

Battery life will be the place gaming gadgets stay or die. It’s all nicely and good having super-fast efficiency, but when the unit switches off after solely an hour taking part in your favorite sport, it’s going to be a disappointing expertise. Redmagic has at all times accomplished an excellent job of kitting out its telephones with massive batteries, and the 11 Air features a massive, 7,000mAh cell this time round, a full 1,000mAh greater than the ten Air.

In on a regular basis use, this simply makes the 11 Air a two-day telephone. In fact, you don’t purchase a Redmagic telephone until you propose to do some gaming and, utilizing it like this, the battery life is shorter however nonetheless excellent. Testing out an hour of Asphalt Legends noticed the cost drop by round 15%. So, if that is still fixed, you need to get between 6-7 hours of gameplay from a single cost.

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In our customary PCMark battery check, the 11 Air scored an honest 8hrs and 36mins, which makes it simply over an hour shy of the Redmagic 11 Professional, however that telephone has a 7,500mAh cell.

Recharging the handset with the included brick took the 11 Air from 0% to 35% in quarter-hour, 64% in half-hour, with a full restoration coming in at 1 hour 8 minutes, which is fairly snappy for a big battery like this.

Additional ideas:

• Redmagic features a charger within the field, so you may immediately make use of the 80W wired quick charging capabilities of the handset.

Software program & Apps: Not too bloated and Sport Area is nice

The 11 Air has Android 16 because the working system, with Redmagic OS 11 operating on prime. As any common person of a Redmagic telephone will know, there are many tweaks to Android, together with plenty of futuristic themes that may be chosen. One cool characteristic is the power to create bespoke wallpaper utilizing AI options on the system – I entered one brief immediate and received a Blade Runner-style backdrop in seconds.

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Other than this, there are different AI options comparable to transcriptions of recordings, stay translation, a notepad app into which you’ll be able to dictate notes, outlines or brainstorm concepts and have all of it transformed to textual content and even summarised.

There’s little in the best way of bloat software program, apart from the standard suspects comparable to Fb, Reserving.com, TikTok and few utilities. These can all be deleted, providing you with a clear system that behaves nicely.

One of many standout options of Redmagic telephones is Sport Area. This can be a devoted suite of instruments geared toward cellular avid gamers, permitting you to reinforce gameplay, handle screenshots, and modify the efficiency and mapping of in-game controls. There’s even an anime-style assistant that will help you with tactical recommendation, act as your in-game voice, or take vocal instructions to maintain your fingers free.

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I’m guessing that anybody significantly a Redmagic telephone may have gaming as a predominant requirement. As such, Sport Area will show a novel and genuinely helpful bonus over different choices. 

Additional ideas:

• Redmagic states that the 11 Air will get 5 years of Android and safety updates within the UK. Elsewhere, assist lasts for 3 years.

Value & Availability

The Redmagic 11 Air launched on 11 February 2026, with just a few configurations and costs, all of which will be ordered from the Redmagic web site.

Right here’s how the choices line up:

• Redmagic 11 Air 12GB+256GB (Phantom or Prism) – £439/$529
• Redmagic 11 Air 16GB+512GB (Phantom or Prism) – £529/$629

There are not any present networks that provide the Redmagic 11 Air on a contract, so that you’d most likely be finest pairing it with one of many gives in our SIM offers roundup.

As ASUS has introduced its exit from the gaming smartphone area, and retired the ROG vary of handsets, there’s not a lot direct competitors now for the 11 Air. Clearly, there’s the Redmagic 11 Professional, which has a much bigger battery and some different spec bumps, with costs beginning at 629/$749. Other than that, you can look in direction of any of the present suggestions in our Finest Smartphones chart, as these telephone may have top-shelf specs, albeit at costs a bit greater than these provided by Redmagic. 

Must you purchase the Redmagic 11 Air?

The slimline, lighter format of the Air vary does make them nicer day-to-day telephones than the Redmagic Professional lineup. The 11 Air has very succesful {hardware}, a clear design, and the addition of the fan is nice information for the cooling system. It might play the whole lot you’d need, and doesn’t kill your fingers within the course of. However, in order for you the most effective gaming telephone, the Redmagic 11 Professional has all of the bells and whistles, to not point out the revolutionary liquid cooling system. So, it comes right down to the outdated alternative between consolation and velocity. Take your choose.

Specs:

• Android 16
• Redmagic 11 UI
• 6.85in OLED show with 1.5K decision, 144Hz
• 4.32Ghz Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
• Devoted RedCore R4 gaming chip
• Adreno 830 GPU
• 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X Extremely RAM
• 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.1
• 24mm 50Mp predominant digicam
• 14mm 50Mp vast digicam
• 16Mp under-display selfie digicam
• Stereo audio system
• 520Hz Contact-sensitive shoulder triggers
• Underneath-display fingerprint sensor
• Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth 5.4
• NFC
• Twin SIM (Nano)
• ICE cooling system
• 24,000 RPM fan
• IP54 ranking
• 7,000mAh battery
• 80W wired quick charging
• USB-C
• 163.82 x 76.54 x 7.85mm
• 207g