Yes, the RedMagic 11S Pro is the best phone I've tested for gaming, but that's only on paper

It's time for Nubia's annual refresh of its flagship, and this year's is... a little underwhelming. That's not to say the RedMagic 11S Pro is in any way a bad device, its base Pro model still tops our list of the best gaming phones on the market after all. The problem is there's very little actually different about this S device, apart from the price tag.

Sure, you're going to get a small bump in performance thanks to that Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 'Leading Version' (the same SM8850-1-AD we saw in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra), but for $100 more than the RedMagic 11 Pro launched last year, some mathematical gymnastics aren't quite sticking the landing.

The RedMagic 11S Pro looks, weighs, feels, and (for all intents and purposes) plays the same as the original version. This is the same boxy, industrial aesthetic, the same dimensions, the same liquid cooling window. We've got the same 6.85-inch 144Hz OLED display, the same 50MP camera setup to the rear, and the same 7,500mAh battery under the hood. The 11 Pro's top features; wireless charging, IPX8 water resistance, easy monitor and peripheral connection, and 520Hz touch triggers all still remain in place, without any new flashy toys to join them. In fact, it swaps SK Hynix's LPDDR5T RAM of the original, replacing it with LPDDR5X Ultra.

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What I loved about the RedMagic 11S Pro

Much of what I came to love about the RedMagic 11S Pro can actually be said for the previous model as well. Such is the similarity between these devices, you'll find little in this section that isn't also true of the cheaper device. Still, if you're looking for the slightly boosted processor, you'll be glad to hear that blistering performance, sturdy durability, high-end panel, and unique extra capabilities are all still present.

High-end performance

It's no secret that Nubia produces some of the most powerful gaming phones on the market, that much is evident from in-game performance. These things just don't stutter, running more demanding titles like Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile in 144Hz refresh rates (where compatible) without breaking a sweat. Every time I come back to the RedMagic 11S Pro I'm treated to incredibly smooth gameplay, excellent motion handling, and immediately responsive controls.

I say all that because Nubia came under fire earlier in the year for boosting its gaming phones' power rates to allegedly unsafe levels when running UL Benchmarks' 3D Mark software. The benchmark brand posited that the RedMagic 11 Pro was caught running in a 'Diablo' power preset when it recognized its software performing tests, a power setting that wasn't automatically toggled when the brand used an off-market version of its program.

The brand stated that, due to the inability to turn this high performance mode off, "3DMark cannot produce results for these models that reflect normal, real-world gaming behavior."

When I took the issue direct to RedMagic earlier this year, the brand provided the following statement:

"REDMAGIC devices support multiple performance modes that can significantly impact output depending on how the device is configured. Our devices are designed to dynamically allocate resources under high-load scenarios, whether in benchmarking environments or real-world use cases such as gaming. These performance capabilities are not limited to specific testing tools; they are part of the overall user experience and can be accessed depending on user settings."

(Their emphasis)

3DMark results are generally used in our reviews to cross-compare devices in a like-for-like performance scenario. While that comparison may not be entirely level here, the RedMagic 11S Pro's performance in-game, when it matters most, speaks for itself.

While I'm hesitant, therefore, to use 3DMark scores to compare the 11S Pro against other competitors' models (thankfully, the gaming phone market is remarkably small these days), it can still serve us when looking between the new release and the original 11 Pro. After all, the scores were still achieved - just not under scenarios that would make them comparable with their competitors'.

With that said, let's take a look at the numbers.

What's clear is the RedMagic 11S Pro extends the 11 Pro's scores by 3.5% (Wild Life Extreme) and 3.8% (Solar Bay). When we're already talking about performance that can take on pretty much anything you throw at it without tanking battery life, that 3-4% performance upgrade isn't going to be worth $100. It's impressive that Nubia managed to take a high-performing gaming phone and inject even more juice into it, but whether or not it's necessary for the vast (vast) majority of gamers is perhaps a more potent question these days.

That's performance that will comfortably take you into emulation territory, extending beyond anything Google Play Store needs from you and locking into more demanding retro experiences. If that's your primary use-case, gathering all the juice you can is going to be a top priority.

The 11S Pro runs my PS2 collection via PPSS22 just fine, it'll only be newer systems that need the extra turbo.

Sturdy design

As you'll no doubt have noticed by now, the RedMagic 11S Pro design is identical to that of the 11 Pro. Some of Nubia's more impressive feats in this engineering, however, deserve another shout with the new release. This is an IPX8-rated gaming phone, able to survive in water for up to 30 minutes at up to 1.5m - that's incredibly rare in this space, especially with all these vents.

The actual chassis can take its knocks as well. A heavy industrial aesthetic is matched with an aviation-grade aluminum mid-frame and the 11-Series has also been upgraded with a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i display sheet.

Aside from all those fancy durability features, though, the 11S Pro just feels dense in the hands. It's no lightweight, matching the main release's 230g form factor, and could prove troublesome in smaller hands or pockets. It is rock solid, though, impossible to feel anything other than premium in the hands.

Excellent display

Again, it's the same as the last release, but the 1,216 x 2,688 OLED display is one of the 11S Pro's best features. In fact, these panels are often some of my favorite parts of any RedMagic device - phone or tablet. It's seriously bright, aggressively punchy, and accommodates high-speed motion (whether it's in-game or on TV) without a single fragmentation.

It keeps its colors, saturation, and detailing in bright sunlight without draining battery life (at least, not to an extent that would be noticeable in a day's use).

In short, whether I'm browsing the web, playing a game, or watching some YouTube, pictures appear bright, bold, colorful, and sharp.

Easy to connect to monitors and peripherals

The RedMagic 11 Pro introduced new streaming and connection features that opened it up to new playstyles for mobile titles, outside of traditional small-screen touch controls. Gravity X is a relatively recent addition to the GameSpace software that allows for easy mapping of a mouse and keyboard (or an additional controller) to onscreen controls in any given game. But it also works both ways.

That's because the 11 Pro and RedMagic 11S Pro can also run on an external monitor with a USB-C dongle and HDMI or DisplayPort connection (or via the RedMagic Studio, if you want a slower wireless casting solution). In this scenario, keyboard and mouse are still open to you, but the phone itself can be configured as a separate controller for maximum versatility.

The whole system just works (something I didn't expect to be the case), with an easy setup, reliable connection, and snappy controls. It takes your gaming phone and turns it into a portable console filled with all your day to day titles, ready and waiting for big-screen play.

Hefty battery life

That 7,500mAh battery certainly pulls its weight. Easily lasting me three days when used in a more casual setting (your regular messages, emails, UberEats, YouTube, and a few thumb-twiddlers every now an then), it's one of the more sophisticated systems straight out the box. Of course, heavier gaming sessions will cut that time down, but I never found myself nervously checking power during sessions.

Charging is also on the RedMagic 11S Pro's side. Wireless juicing is difficult to find on a dedicated gaming device, but the newer release keeps the surprising feature from the original. Meanwhile, an 80W wired connection takes around 50 minutes to get you back up to 100%.

What to consider about the RedMagic 11S Pro

These aren't flagship cameras

It's no surprise that a gaming phone doesn't have the best camera system in the world. The RedMagic 11S Pro doesn't improve on the previous model's setup, this is still the same 50MP Main / 50MP Ultrawide / 16MP selfie array.

Again, the detail, tones, and post-processing aren't going to be as skillful as you'll find on a mainstream flagship. There's a lot of vibrancy enhancement in final shots, details appear smudgy when zooming, and greens in particular have a slightly unnatural hue to them. Shots are still clean and sharp in high lighting with the main camera, though, even if ultra-wide and low-light shots suffer in noise and dynamic coloring.

I'll say it again

Perhaps the biggest consideration for those shopping for a new gaming phone is still going to be the similarity between the RedMagic 11 Pro and the RedMagic 11S Pro. That wouldn't normally be a massive point of contention, but this time the price is a pretty significant factor.

After all, many 'S' models are simply new versions of the same phone with a slightly refreshed chipset. That's all fine and dandy as long as the price reflects such a small change. It looks like ongoing component shortages have hit the RedMagic 11S Pro here, though. The only difference I can see between the two devices is that 3-4% uplift in high-demand performance thanks to the 'Leading Version' Snapdragon chipset.

Should you buy the RedMagic 11S Pro?

The RedMagic 11S Pro is, technically, on paper, a better gaming phone than the RedMagic 11 Pro before it. Only because it does everything the original does, in the same form factor, with (pretty much) the same software, with a slight edge in its performance. If the price was right, that would still be enough for me to nudge it into the top spot among our tested devices.

Unfortunately with a $100 price difference between the two (I say it again) pretty much identical devices, the 11S Pro can't quite hold its own on the market. If you're looking to run a particularly modern ROM collection and you want all the juice you can get, it might make sense. In all other scenarios, I'd recommend sticking with the main flagship.

How I tested the RedMagic 11S Pro

I used the RedMagic 11S Pro as my daily device for two weeks, sandwiched in between a month of testing across games, streaming, and web browsing. I primarily tested across MTG Arena, PUBG Mobile, and Genshin Impact, while also loading my PS2 ROM collection (and playing SSX Tricky, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, and Jak 3). Synthetic performance was measured across 3DMark Wild Life Extreme and Solar Bay. For more information on how we make our recommendations, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.