Nubia Redmagic 9S Pro Review: Gaming Smartphone Levels Up

At a look

Knowledgeable’s Ranking

Execs

• Nice efficiency
• Lengthy battery life and quick charging
• Helpful Recreation Area software program tweaks

Cons

• Large and heavy
• No waterproofing

Our Verdict

A beast in some ways, the Redmagic 9S Professional is a good gaming cellphone with loads of different advantages, making it a strong all-rounder. You simply want large pockets and robust arms to make use of it as your day-to-day cellphone.

Worth When Reviewed

$649

Finest Costs Immediately: Nubia Redmagic 9S Professional

Is Nubia’s flagship 2024 gaming cellphone as much as the duty? I used the Redmagic 9S Professional as my major smartphone to search out out.

Design & Construct

• Large and heavy gadget
• No waterproofing (as a result of followers)
• Futuristic design with RGB lights

If you happen to’ve used final 12 months’s Redmagic 9 Professional, the design and appointments on its successor are going to really feel very acquainted. Consistent with that, this gaming-focussed handset is a cumbersome and heavy gadget, primarily to accommodate the big 6.8-inch show and varied components that make up the ICE 13.5 cooling system inside.

In reality, the size are similar to the earlier mannequin, with the handset measuring 164 x 76.4 x 8.9mm and weighing in at a hefty 229g. It’s solely marginally completely different to the Redmagic 8S Professional and Redmagic 8 Professional too, so the corporate is unquestionably according to its design language. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

The flanks are slightly busier than you’d discover on a standard smartphone, because the 9S Professional wants to create space for a few of its signature options.

Alongside the precise edge you’ll discover two 520Hz set off buttons (they don’t truly push in, so that they’re extra touch-sensitive set off surfaces), an air outlet for the fan, the purple slider swap that opens the built-in devoted gaming software program, plus the round energy button and quantity up/down rocker. You’ll additionally discover one of many three microphones Nubia consists of on the Redmagic 9S Professional.

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Issues are extra sedate on the left aspect (because the gadget is designed for this to be pointing downwards when held in a panorama orientation), with solely a solitary fan outlet disturbing the brushed aluminium body. The shorter edges include a good bit of tech too, with the higher one being house to a 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker, and microphone, whereas the decrease one has a USB-C charging port, speaker, microphone, and the SIM card slot. 

As we’ve come to anticipate from this collection, the 9S Professional appears to be like cool and wouldn’t be misplaced in an industrial sci-fi setting. The steel again has varied etched panels and an RGB lighting strip that colors the fan and illuminates the ‘9S’ branding. The digital camera module even has a clean glass plate, so there’s no bump whenever you put it down on a desk. 

Sure, the load is a matter (significantly for my arthritic arms) and the sharp edges don’t precisely let it sink comfortably into the arms, however it’s a rattling good wanting cellphone that feels strong and constructed like a tank.

If you happen to’re anxious about dropping it, there’s a laborious plastic case included within the field, though it solely covers the highest and backside edges, not the perimeters, in order that it doesn’t block the fan shops. You possibly can decide up extra rugged circumstances on-line although, as I did for my Redmagic 9 Professional.

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

The followers are nice for cooling the gadget, however not for retaining it freed from liquids, so there’s no official water resistance ranking for the 9S Professional, similar to earlier incarnations. 

You do get a brand new color scheme this time round although, with the Snowfall (silver), Sleet (black), and Cyclone (clear black with gold) liveries from the 9 Professional joined by a brand new Frost (white) choice. It needs to be famous that the completely different colors additionally denote completely different RAM and storage specs, so be sure you verify that earlier than choosing out the mannequin you suppose appears to be like the most effective.

Display & Audio system 

• 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED show with 120Hz refresh charge
• Snapdragon Sound & DTS X Extremely Sound
• 3.5mm headphone jack

Nubia appears to have gone with the identical panel as on the Redmagic 9 Professional right here, which implies you get a really good 6.8-inch Q9+ FHD+ AMOLED show operating at a decision of 2480 x 1116.

The refresh charge is 120Hz, so that you get good, clean scrolling and flicker-free gaming efficiency. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Colors are vivid and effectively saturated, all of which is helped by the shortage of a entrance digital camera punch-hole or notch, as as soon as once more Nubia has gone for an under-screen lens (extra on this later) and fingerprint sensor.

This ensures you get an uninterrupted panel that’s wonderful for watching video or, in fact, taking part in video games. In reality, the 9S Professional has a screen-to-body ratio of 93.7%, which is likely one of the greatest round, all protected by Gorilla Glass 5.

Brightness isn’t a difficulty both, with the 9S Professional boasting a 1600 nits peak brightness. As with the earlier mannequin, I measured round 1300 nits in my very own check, which was already sufficient to make all the pieces readable in vivid sunshine. 

Players will need to know that any onscreen controls will probably be responsive, so the 2000Hz immediate contact sampling charge and 960Hz multi-finger sampling charge will put any worries about delays to mattress. It’s a quick performer when it comes to responsiveness, display screen brightness and colors – similar to earlier than.

One irritation was that the fingerprint sensor did appear a bit choosy about recognising my thumb. If you happen to’re utilizing this characteristic, I counsel making a number of entries of the identical digit, as this will typically enhance efficiency with these sorts of sensors. 

There’s not a lot new within the sound division, both. You continue to get twin audio system (one at both finish of the gadget) which may kick out some first rate quantity, even when issues get slightly skinny at greater ranges.

A 3.5mm headphone jack is there for the most effective audio efficiency, as you get no noticeable latency and there’s additionally assist for Snapdragon Sound and DTS X: Extremely sound. If you happen to desire wi-fi, then the Bluetooth 5.3 antenna delivers a strong connection. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Specs & Efficiency

• 3.4GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model 
• Devoted Pink Core 2 Professional Gaming Chip
• Robust gaming efficiency

Powering the 9S Professional is a 3.4GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is an enhanced model of the identical processor used within the Professional 9. As that was a little bit of a gaming powerhouse, it’s not stunning that the 9S Professional continues this custom. 

Whereas the main focus of this collection of telephones is gaming, that doesn’t imply they’re a one-trick pony. The 9S Professional utilises the ability at its disposal to ship a slick and clean day-to-day expertise, with apps opening and operating fluidly. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

If you do load up video games, such because the perennial testing favourites Genshin Affect, Asphalt 9: Legends, and a variety of different graphically demanding titles, the 9S Professional handles all the pieces with ease, due to the inclusion of the 1Ghz Pink Core 2 Professional gaming chip. Busy gaming environments don’t lead to slow-downs, and the big show makes it simple to see and management what’s happening.

The touch-sensitive triggers reply effectively in-game, and all the pieces is saved to an inexpensive temperature due to the 13.5 ICE cooling system. This 12 months, Nubia has added frost cooling gel to the already multi-faceted ICE, and it appears to do the job as I didn’t expertise any overheating points in my time with the gadget. It additionally stays snug to carry, even within the warmth of frantic battles or races. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

The efficiency is boosted by the selection of both 12GB or 16GB of LPDDRX RAM, plus 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The allocation depends on the livery you select, with Sleet or Frost fashions geared up with 12GB/256GB loadouts, whereas Snowfall or Cyclone grant you 16GB/512GB. 

Redmagic 9s Professional benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp Large and 50Mp Extremely-Large cameras
• 16Mp under-display selfie digital camera
• Protecting glass cowl eliminates digital camera bump

The cameras on this vary of telephones have been steadily bettering over the previous few generations. They nonetheless don’t match the most effective digital camera telephones, however most of these are actually costing much more cash than the 9S Professional. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Though there are three round components on the rear of the cellphone, the bottom one is the truth is the fan, replete with LED lights that present you when it’s engaged. Above that sits the dual-camera system, consisting of a 50Mp 24mm vast and 50Mp 13mm ultra-wide (Nubia doesn’t listing the f/cease numbers). 

On a sunny day, each carry out effectively, with a pleasant stability of publicity and color. They differ in that the ultra-wide lens generally is a little paler in its palette, however particulars appear roughly the identical. Busy scenes can result in some over-sharpening by the software program, however for common snaps, the 9S Professional can ship some very good photos.

The dearth of a telephoto lens means there’s no optical zoom, however you may go up 10x digitally. Nevertheless, I’d by no means actually advise this as you’re simply cropping in on a picture, you probably have a gradual hand and the topic is stationary, then it’s doable to get usable pictures. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Switching between the vast and ultra-wide positively opens up extra of the encompassing scene, which makes the distinction in the event you’re in a good house and might’t get additional away out of your topic.

Portrait photographs do a good job of isolating the item or individual, as long as the perimeters are outlined. Wayward hair and busy backgrounds can confuse the software program considerably, leading to blurry elements that needs to be in focus. 

Low-light efficiency is best than you may anticipate for a gaming cellphone. There will be points with color stability, because the software program tries to ‘right’ the temperature, however it typically washes out the picture. If you happen to get it proper although, there’s some respectable low-light photos to be discovered within the 9S Professional.

Focussing is robust too, and I discovered I didn’t miss many photographs because of inaccurate concentrating on. There’s a Evening mode, however I discovered a gradual hand (or tripod if you need actually good photographs) and the traditional Picture mode was extra pure. You additionally get a great deal of novelty picture modes to play with too, a few of which are literally fairly enjoyable. 

On the entrance of the 9S Professional is the under-display 16Mp selfie digital camera. Whereas is could be marginally higher than the earlier providing, I like to recommend that if you need a cellphone that may take nice selfies, look elsewhere. Plus, the ‘Magnificence’ mode is actually terrible to behold. 

You possibly can seize 4K/60fps on the principle rear digital camera, which additionally comes with OIS to maintain issues steady. Footage is nice, dealing effectively with publicity and focus. Audio can be effective, so you may positively double up the gaming with some social media movies of your individual (simply not on the selfie digital camera). 

Right here’s some pattern photos that I captured on the 9S Professional:

Battery Life & Charging

• 6,500mAh dual-cell battery
• 80W quick charging
• No wi-fi charging

Filled with a 6,500mAh dual-cell battery, the 9S Professional can final for ages. Regular, on a regular basis use will normally see you thru two days with no battle.

Whereas the gaming optimisation delivers between 4 and 5 hours of motion earlier than needing to be refuelled as soon as extra. In our PC Mark battery check, the 9S Professional scored 10 hours and 50 minutes, which is sort of half-hour greater than the 9 Professional. I put this all the way down to the improved effectivity of the processor, because the battery appears to be the identical one as on the older mannequin. 

Recharge instances are improved, with the included 80W charger getting the 9S Professional from 0% to 54% after a fast 15 minute top-up, 88% after 30 minutes and a full recharge solely taking 39 minutes.

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Nubia states that the tremendous quick recharging capabilities assist Qualcomm Fast Cost 5, and the gadget incorporates a separate charging system meaning it runs immediately off the charger when plugged in, fairly than by way of the battery. This could assist hold the cells more healthy for longer.

Regardless of the know-how beneath, you gained’t be anxious about operating out of juice with the 9S Professional. 

One draw back for some will probably be that there’s no wi-fi charging assist, however with such quick recharge instances, that doesn’t appear a lot of an issue.  

Software program & Apps

• Android 14 with Redmagic OS 9.5
• Recreation Area
• Some small bloatware and bugs

The 9S Professional runs Android 14 with the Redmagic OS 9.5 pores and skin on prime. It may be a bit quirky at instances, however there’s loads of customisation obtainable for themes, wallpapers, and menu color palettes.

One cool new addition this time round are the Tremendous Wallpapers, which act as totally interactive retro-games. There’s a Snake one, in addition to the basic Tetris. With the wallpaper set, you may merely hit the beginning button and play proper there on the house display screen. It’s foolish, however I beloved it. 

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

There’s a little bit of bloatware on the preliminary set up, with a number of firm apps pre-installed, however these will be deleted simply and then you definitely’re all good.

I did discover a number of little quirks within the system, similar to when downloading apps from the Play Retailer or updating them – they’d typically say they had been putting in, however not end for ages. However, if I left the Play Retailer and went to the app in query, it might have already completed and be prepared to make use of. Not the tip of the world, simply one thing to look out for when utilizing the 9S Professional. 

Sliding the purple swap on the aspect of the 9S Professional opens up Recreation Area, the devoted software program suite that you should use to effective tune the in-game efficiency, arrange set off button mapping, change refresh charges, modify CPU precedence, fan and RGB gentle efficiency, plus a great deal of different game-specific settings.  

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

Martyn Casserly

A brand new addition this 12 months is Display Extraction, which lets you choose part of the display screen in a sport, then have it mirrored elsewhere. This may be very helpful if you wish to see your present power ranges, however the indicator is hidden underneath your arms. Simply spotlight it and place the duplicate the place it’s extra seen.

There’s fairly a number of different new options, largely for sport optimisation and customisation, so players may have loads of enjoyable getting their system simply the way in which they need it. 

Nubia states on its web site that each one fashions get ‘greater than two years of software program assist’. It additionally ensures to supply a minimum of one main Android replace a 12 months, however how lengthy this lasts for isn’t clear. With firms like Google and Samsung now providing as much as seven years of assist, the providing here’s a little disappointing.

Worth & Availability

The Redmagic 9s Professional is offered for £579/$649 for the 12GB/256GB fashions, or £709/$799 for the 16GB/512GB variants.

You should buy one direct from Redmagic or Amazon within the UK, and Redmagic or Amazon within the US.

No networks or carriers are promoting the cellphone on contract, so your greatest guess is to purchase outright and pair with a SIM deal. Use the widget under to search out an choice that fits you.

You possibly can in all probability nonetheless decide up the earlier mannequin, Redmagic 9 Professional, for a short while as shares are offered by means of, and because the efficiency is sort of related it might be price monitoring one down if you will discover a good low cost.

The principle rival of the 9S Professional is the Asus ROG Telephone 8 Professional, which is a bit pricier but additionally boasts a quicker 165Hz refresh charge and better most RAM capability of 24GB. It launched at £1,099/$1,199 however you may in all probability discover it cheaper in the event you store round.

See extra alternate options in our information to the most effective gaming telephones.

Must you purchase the Nubia Redmagic 9S Professional?

As a pure gaming cellphone, the Redmagic 9S Professional is a sturdy and dependable performer. The improved cooling system does its job effectively, and the tweaked chipset makes quick work of even essentially the most demanding video games.

Add to this nice battery life, first rate cameras, and an ever bettering OS, and the Redmagic 9S Professional is a superb choice anybody eager to sport on the go.

Keep in mind, although, it’s a hefty beast, and also you’re unlikely to get the identical size of software program assist as you’d with the likes of Samsung, Google or Apple.

Specs

• 6.8-inch BOE Q9+ FHD+ flat display screen AMOLED show, 2480 x 1116 decision, Peak brightness of 1600 nits, 120Hz refresh charge, 2000Hz immediate contact sampling charge of 2000Hz, 960Hz general contact pattern charge, Large shade gamut of DCI-P3, Gorilla Glass 5, embedded fingerprint sensor
• 3.4GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model + devoted Pink Core 2 Professional Gaming Chip  
• 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM 
• 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
• 520Hz twin shoulder triggers with new backlight design
• REDMAGIC OS 9.5 geared up with Android 14
• Sleet (Black Model), Snowfall (Silver Model), Cyclone (Clear Black Model), Frost (White Model)
• 22,000 RPM Turbofan
• RGB lights
• ICE 13.5 cooling system (under-screen copper foil, under-screen graphene, 3D Ice Step Twin Pump VC, aerospace aluminum mid-frame, high-speed centrifugal fan, excessive thermal conductivity uncommon earth, excessive thermal conductivity gel, motherboard copper foil, high-speed aerospace aluminum air duct, and excessive thermal conductivity copper foil, with new frost cooling gel for ultra-low thermal resistance)
• 50Mp Samsung GN5 24mm (vast) major digital camera with OIS optical picture stabilisation, 7P lens, and APL-coated anti-glare
• 50Mp Samsung JN1 14mm (ultra-wide) digital camera  
• 16MP under-display entrance digital camera
• Recreation Area slider swap 
• Bluetooth 5.3 
• USB-C charging port 
• 3.5mm headphone jack, 
• NFC (Helps QuickPass and Google Pay)
• Twin audio system, three microphones, DTS:X Extremely Sound and Snapdragon Sound
• 6500mAh dual-cell battery with assist for 80W tremendous quick charging 
• 163.98mm, Width: 76.35mm, Depth: 8.9mm
• 229g