The RedMagic Astra 2 is undeniably powerful, but it might need some help to stick the landing

Compact gaming tablets are few and far between; this is a niche within a mobile gaming niche after all. But, if the prices of the best gaming handhelds have you down and you're not quite ready to swap to one of the best gaming phones, they do represent a growing area of interest.

RedMagic turned its attention to this 9-inch market with the original Astra slab last year. That was a high-powered OLED device ready to take on both portable and, to an extent, console performance. Now it's back with a boosted Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, additional liquid cooling, a faster refresh rate... and a higher starting price, as is the way with most tech in 2026.

The RedMagic Astra 2 is a little marred by its predecessor's power. After all, most thumb-tappers and emulation systems won't need much more than the original Snapdragon 8 Elite just yet. Considering the price jump from a base $499 model to a 12GB / 256GB $749 version in 2026, those extra new additions to the overall experience are going to need to pull their weight.

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Early Bird Pricing - $699 for base configuration | Notify via RedMagic
The RedMagic Astra 2 is still a little way from release, but its earlybird pricing details have now been made public. The first tablets to ship will do so at a reduced $699 base rate, with notifications now open at RedMagic's site.

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RedMagic Astra 2 Performance

In its synthetic benchmarks, the RedMagic Astra 2 initially proves itself with slightly higher Wild Life Extreme and Solar Bay performance compared to its predecessor. First runs look good, with the RedMagic Astra 2 coming in roughly 1,000 points in the lead. I scored 7,212 in my first Wild Life Extreme test and 12,106 in the first Solar Bay run. Things get a little spicy after that, though.

Repeated runs brought those numbers way down, to the point where the system averaged 6,705 in Wild Life Extreme and 10,677 in Solar Bay (across all three runs), dropping it below the previous generation on the latter. That, while the system was growing noticeably hotter.

RedMagic states its new liquid cooling tech is an advancement on what came before, but it doesn't feel like it between the hands. More intensive runs like this quickly proved too uncomfortable to keep hold of, something I noticed with more demanding games like Call of Duty: Mobile as well. It looks pretty running across the back panel, but something seems to be awry here. After a cooldown, Solar Bay ran to a final score of 13,152.

I was curious, then, to see what the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test revealed. Without that liquid cooling enabled, the system showed a 43.9% stability score, with the final loop operating at less than half the performance of the first. With RedMagic's new system in full force, things ran a little smoother, jumping up to 65.7% stability. That's a good nod in the direction of the objectively neat liquid running across the back of the device, but sustained performance does drop from what I expected from the invigorated system.

What I loved about the RedMagic Astra 2

All about that display

The OLED panels RedMagic uses in its Android devices is among one of the more impressive I come across day to day. Its incredibly vivid sensibilities handle bright pops of color with a serious punch, keeping everything crisp and sharp in the process. The smaller screen keeps everything beautifully tight as well, with stringent color handling and razor sharp detailing.

It may be the same panel as we saw last year (albeit running at a faster 185Hz refresh rate) but it's certainly a screen to be proud of.

Compact form factor

I said it last year, and I'll say it again, the 9-inch design of the RedMagic Astra 2 gives it a fantastic feel in the hands, while still affording a nicely dense display space and keeping controls at your fingertips. On-screen buttons and thumbsticks feel easily reachable and weight is kept to a manageable 363g (slightly lighter than the original's 370g) to keep fatigue at bay.

It's the perfect size to combine a more immersive gaming and streaming experience than you'll find from a phone, without proving too unwieldy for either the hands or your bag.

Dual ports

There are two USB-C connections here, designed for charging and utilizing accessories at the same time. We've still got the beefier connection on the right side (frustratingly it's still off-center, so you'll be relying on Bluetooth for any mobile controllers you've got going on) as well as a new port on the lower lip.

Massive battery

Yes, larger 13-inch tablets will generally run with a 9,000-odd mAh battery, but more compact options typically stick at around 5,00mAh. That's why the 8,300mAh charge in the RedMagic Astra 2 stands so tall. This isn't a chunky device, but it's still sparring with some of the more endurance-focused tablets on the market.

In a week of more casual use (emulation gameplay, a few CoD Mobile rounds, YouTube sessions, and web browsing) I only needed to charge the tablet once. Considering my aging iPad Air needs to be plugged in every few nights, that's a win. Of course, this is straight out of the box - but the capacity of that charge means that, even with some degradation over time, you're still looking at an all-dayer here.

Of course, more demanding games are going to drain your system. I noticed a 20% drop during an hour or so of more intensive runs at full brightness.

Packed Game Space

RedMagic's Game Space software is where it keeps all its unique gaming-focused bonuses. Flipping the familiar red toggle automatically launches this completely separate system, but this is far more than a game launcher. Like its phones, RedMagic uses this space for all your saved gameplay, in-depth performance and control settings, and accessory connections. Dive a little deeper into plugins and you'll find options for additional rumble haptics, motion and gesture controls, specific enemy filters to improve visibility, and additional screen map modes.

There's a whole world of tweaks and adjustments to make your favorite games run better and, crucially, be more enjoyable here. But this is also where you'll find my second favorite software feature: Gravity X.

This is what changes the RedMagic Astra 2 from a gaming tablet to a potentially console-like experience. Connect the device to your monitor, pair up your keyboard, mouse, or controller, and you're essentially getting a "dockable" experience for big screen and on-the-go play.

What to consider about the RedMagic Astra 2

Hands still get in the way of speakers

This was a design concern I had with the original model, and it doesn't look like it's been rectified in the Astra 2. The speaker grills, while nice and powerful, are located on the top and bottom panels of the tablet. In portrait mode, that's fine, but in landscape mode, the natural resting position of the hands can often cover some or, when reaching towards the top of the screen) all of these little dots. That means audio quickly becomes muffled when that grip is adjusted.

Still no memory card slot

Like the Astra before it, the latest iteration still keeps that memory card slot at bay. That's a little frustrating for emulation purposes, or if you also need a tablet for everyday productivity and media markups. While mobile releases typically don't take up too much space, with a Genshin Impact download coming in at roughly 40GB right now, that 256GB version may start to struggle in the future. Your saved screenshots and video captures will all be contributing to that load, after all.

Some noticeable whine

Now this is one that seems to be new for the RedMagic Astra 2. The system displays a surprising amount of coil whine when running more demanding titles in higher settings. It's not necessarily loud enough to be audible when the speakers are cranked, but it's a considerable side effect when no audio is playing.

Should you buy the RedMagic Astra 2?

Even without the performance concerns, I'd be hesitant to recommend the RedMagic Astra 2 while the previous generation model is still around. You're looking at a hefty markup over the original price tag for a minor performance bump, a new cooling system that doesn't quite have the benefits you may expect, and a higher refresh rate display that the vast majority of games aren't equipped to deal with.

Unfortunately, the original RedMagic Astra is now unavailable in the US (the UK still has some stock left). That being the case, this is likely the definitive Android experience for now, especially with an additional cooler applied. After all, there's an incredible amount of power packed into this compact, sturdy chassis, hiding behind a gorgeous display. We're still talking about power that the vast majority of titles won't even stress. It's just a shame its costs have ballooned higher than its processing upgrades.

How I tested the RedMagic Astra 2

I used the RedMagic Astra 2 as my daily driver for mobile gaming, game streaming, emulation, YouTube, movies and TV shows for two weeks. I primarily played across my PSP collection, while spending a good amount of time in Call of Duty Mobile and sprinkling in a few Marvel Snap matches. I performed dedicated tests across 3D Mark's Wild Life Extreme and Solar Bay tests, running each one three times before taking a final score. I also ran two Wild Life Extreme Stress Tests. For more information on how we test gaming tablets check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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