Nubia’s aggressive update cycle for its Red Magic gaming phones is clearly working, with the company already having its third and fourth handsets of 2022 to date.
The Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro are official in China, but it’s no surprise to only see iterative updates to devices launched less than five months earlier. Like the Red Magic 7 series, the two new phones are expected to launch globally, but only one phone so far.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Red Magic 7S series.
Red Magic 7S release date
Nubia officially launched the Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro in China on July 11, where the phones went on sale on July 15.
Luckily, we don’t have to wait long for the Pro model to arrive elsewhere. A separate global launch event took place on July 26, ahead of pre-orders starting August 2. The phone will be released in the US, UK and Europe on August 9.
However, it’s unclear when (or even if) the regular Red Magic 7S will also be released elsewhere. The Red Magic 7 series was the first time two phones of the same generation were launched globally, so there’s a chance the 7S will remain exclusive to China. We will update this article once more is known.
7S Red Magic Pricing
As you might expect, at this point we only have international prices for the Red Magic 7S Pro:
- Red Magic 7S Pro (12GB RAM, 256GB storage) – $729 / £669
- Red Magic 7S Pro (18GB RAM, 512GB storage) – $899 / £809
That’s slightly cheaper than the cost of the Red Magic 7 Pro at launch (from $799 / £679), with the more expensive top-end model explained by more RAM.
If the standard model were to be released worldwide, Chinese prices give a rough idea of what you can expect elsewhere:
- Red Magic 7S (8GB RAM, 128GB storage) – ¥4,000 (about $595/£500)
- Red Magic 7S (12GB RAM, 256GB storage) – ¥4,800 (about $714 / £600)
- Red Magic 7S (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) – ¥5,500 (about $819 / £688)
The US and UK figures are direct conversions only, so they are unlikely to be exact, but they do provide a useful guide to how much you will need to pay. In these five configurations, prices range from powerful mid-range to flagship. Comparisons to the more expensive Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro are inevitable, but there are plenty of other gaming phones to consider.
Nubia
Red Magic 7S Specifications and Features
Nubia typically uses the ‘S’ generation of its gaming phones to deliver more iterative updates, and it’s no different here. The Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro are essentially the same as their predecessors, with a few exceptions.
Most notable is undoubtedly the move to Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm’s new high-end chip. It is paired with an Adreno 730 GPU and 8, 12, 16 or 18 GB of RAM in China, although not all of these options may make it to the global version.
The 6.8-inch, 1080×2400 OLED display is nearly identical, meaning you still get a 165Hz refresh rate on the standard model but 120Hz on the Pro. As before, this is compensated by a higher touch sampling rate of 960Hz on the more expensive phone (instead of 720Hz). Both phones now feature Gorilla Glass 5 displays for added durability, while the pressure-sensitive areas on the side of the device are 520Hz instead of 500Hz – it’s hard to imagine that make a big difference, though.
Both phones have identical rear cameras, consisting of 64Mp main, 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro. Curiously, the 7S Pro’s under-display selfie camera is now 8Mp instead of 16Mp, but it should hopefully offer better image quality. The standard 7S has the same 8Mp lens in a bezel above the display.
Nubia
As before, the only other main difference on the 7S Pro is a 5,000mAh battery, compared to 4,500mAh on the standard model. The Chinese version gets an incredible 135W fast charge on the Pro and 120W on the standard Red Magic 7S, but that didn’t make its way to the global version of the Pro model. You’ll have to settle for the same 65W we’ve seen before, and there’s still no wireless charging.
Given their similarity, our reviews of the Red Magic 7 and Red Magic 7 Pro give you a good idea of what to expect. Hardly anyone can justify the upgrade, but that won’t stop it from being considered for our best gaming phone chart. If you’re coming from an older handset, one of these phones might be an option. interesting.
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