An attractive and affordable Android gaming phone
Starting at $649, the RedMagic 10 Pro is a dedicated gaming phone equipped with the latest high-performing chip from Qualcomm, a beautiful screen with a high refresh rate, and customized gaming controls. We particularly like that its battery lasts all day and can be fully charged in about half an hour. Despite these strengths, its 5G support is limited, its cameras could be better, and its software support window is shorter than most phones. While it’s a solid pick for Android gamers, the Google Pixel 9 ($799) offers a more well-rounded experience overall thanks to its excellent cameras, impressive AI tools, and seven-year support window, making it our Editors’ Choice winner in this price range. Design: Stylish and Sturdy
The RedMagic 10 Pro is available in three configurations that share most features other than memory and storage. The base $649 model has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the $799 model has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and the $999 model has an impressive 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. I tested the 16GB/512GB model.
When it comes to design, the 10 Pro carries over the unapologetically boxy look of its predecessor, the RedMagic 9S Pro. It has a flat front, sides, and back. It measures 6.43 by 3.0 by 0.35 inches (HWD), making it smaller in every dimension than the 9S Pro (6.46 by 3.01 by 0.37 inches), but it weighs the same hefty 8.08 ounces. For comparison, the Pixel 9 is smaller and lighter (6.02 by 2.83 by 0.33 inches, 6.98 ounces).
A thin 0.7-millimeter bezel surrounds the 10 Pro’s screen, which is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The panel hides an under-display front-facing camera and a fingerprint sensor, which worked quickly and reliably in testing. Face unlock is also available, though it is less secure.
The right side features two capacitive shoulder triggers with a 520Hz touch sampling rate, a cooling grille, a volume rocker, a power button, and a red slider that activates the phone’s Game Lobby software. A headphone jack and speaker grille line the top edge, while a dual SIM tray, a USB-C (3.2) port, and a second speaker grille are on the bottom edge. A second cooling vent is positioned on the left rail. The phone’s corners are relatively sharp when compared with the Pixel 9, which has softer curves.
A gaming phone wouldn’t be complete without RGB lighting on the back. There’s one section that lights up the visible fan, another that lights up an X at the top right, and a third that illuminates the RedMagic logo at the bottom left. The transparent rear panel is made of Gorilla Glass 5 and gives you a view of screws, metal plates, ribbon cables, and other internal circuitry. The 10 Pro looks and feels like a high-end device with great attention to detail.
The phone is relatively tough. Its middle frame is made of aluminum and has a sturdy feel. The 10 Pro is rated IP54, so it is dustproof and resistant to light spraying water; the 9S Pro does not have an IP rating at all, so this is an appreciable improvement. The Pixel 9 is fully waterproof.
The colors are tied to the memory and storage configurations. The base model is Shadow (gray), the midrange model comes in Dusk (dark gray) or Moonlight (silver), and the most expensive model is Dusk Ultra (black). I tested the Moonlight model, which is pictured in this review. Display: Beautiful and Bright
With the 10 Pro, RedMagic upgrades the screen to a 6.85-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2,688 by 1,216 pixels, a refresh rate up to 144Hz, and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. This is bigger, faster, and brighter than the 9S Pro’s 6.8-inch display with 2,480 by 1,116 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1,600 nits peak brightness. In comparison, the Pixel 9 has a smaller 6.3-inch OLED screen at a resolution of 2,424 by 1,080 pixels, a refresh rate that ranges from 60Hz to 120Hz, and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits.
The front-facing camera bears calling out. It is contained in a second display layer integrated with the main screen. RedMagic says it spent five years developing this new layer, which also has a 144Hz refresh rate. The process creates a realistic illusion that the display is uninterrupted even though a camera is hiding underneath. It is difficult to spot the front-facing camera save from a few angles. This helps with gaming and watching media but impacts the selfie camera’s performance (more on that later).
Everything looks beautiful on the 10 Pro’s display. Animations are fluid, and the screen’s brightness makes it easy to see in most indoor and outdoor settings. The display has an incredibly high peak touch sampling rate of 2,500Hz and an average touch sampling rate of 960Hz.
