Let’s start with the Red Magic 6; though the smartphone hasn’t been completely redesigned on the surface, there’s a lot to love about the new model. The headline feature of the Red Magic 6 is the incredible 165Hz AMOLED display, blowing the 144Hz used by alternatives out of the water. That’ll have a significant effect in mobile games, allowing you to get the jump on enemy players simply because the screen refreshes quicker, and it’ll be buttery smooth in general use too. That’s paired with an impressive 500Hz touch input rate, meaning the display picks up on your touch 500 times a second, translating to impressive response times. It’s also larger than the previous-gen Red Magic 5S, measuring in at a huge 6.8in. At its heart you’ll find the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM, which should be capable of powering the high-end gaming experiences at high frame rates that gamers want. That’s paired with up to 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, although it’s worth nothing that there isn’t a microSD card slot, so that can’t be expanded upon later. To keep things cool, the Red Magic 6 sports Ice 6.0, a wide set of measures designed to keep the phone cool during intense gaming sessions. It includes a new 20,000rpm active fan along with the ‘worlds thinnest’ vapour chamber and a layer of graphite to absorb any heat from the beastly Snapdragon 888 chipset. That’ll need a serious amount of power, but with a combined 5,050mAh battery and improved 66W fast charging that provides a full charge in just 38 minutes according to Nubia, it’s likely not something many gamers will need to worry about. There are also new software improvements, allowing Red Magic 6 users to stream gameplay to a PC screen using the phone’s USB-C port, a handy addition for streamers that play mobile games like Genshin Impact on Twitch, and the side-mounted triggers have made a return with the Red Magic 6 too. There’s also 5G connectivity alongside Bluetooth 5.1 and support for Wi-Fi 6 too. Though not a focus for most gamers, the smartphone also sports a rear-facing triple camera setup comprised of a 64Mp snapper and two yet-unconfirmed snappers, which we assume will be an ultra-wide and macro lens, and they’re accompanied by a single-lens selfie camera on the front. Given previous camera performance, we’re not expecting iPhone 12 Pro Max-level photography here, but it’s good to have the option of snapping a decent photo.
That’s all well and good, but what if you want even more from your gaming phone? Nubia also revealed the upgraded Red Magic 6 Pro. While there are plenty of similarities between the two models, the Red Magic 6 Pro offers improved thermal cooling technology, sporting an “aero-grade heat dissipation ice blade design” that can reduce the heat on the back of the phone by up t0 5 degrees Celsius. There’s also increased RAM on offer to max out performance, topping out at a whopping 18GB. That’s impressive, but it’ll undoubtedly drain more power, so Nubia also decided to increase the fast-charging capabilities of the Red Magic 6 Pro to a spectacular 120W, which will dramatically decrease the amount of time you spend tethered to the wall. The battery is marginally smaller, at 4500mAh, but it’ll mean it’ll fill up incredibly quickly – just 17 minutes according to Nubia. There’s also an electrochromatic casing on the rear of certain models of 6 Pro that appears black, but with the press of a button, it can turn clear and showcase the internals of the device. It’s niche, but considering the fact gamers like upgrading their gaming PCs, it’s fun to see the inner workings of a gaming-focused smartphone. Both phones are set to go on sale in China soon, and we’ll find out more about global availability – including UK & US pricing – at the international launch in a few weeks’ time. If you want to find out more, take a look at the latest Red Magic 6 news. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.