Nubia Purple Magic 7 Professional Evaluation: Solely 'Professional' in Components

Razer might need launched the very first gaming telephone, however three different corporations have dominated the market since then. Asus’s ROG Telephones have lengthy been thought of the units to beat, with Xiaomi’s Black Sharks usually a extra reasonably priced different.

However Nubia is essentially the most prolific, with a complete of 14 Purple Magic telephones in simply 4 years. The Purple Magic 7 Sequence sees each common and Professional fashions launched globally for the primary time.

A value improve means the 7 Professional is the costliest gaming telephone Nubia has ever made. However relying on what’s necessary to you, it’s not essentially an improve over the common Purple Magic 7. Listed below are my ideas after spending a couple of weeks with the telephone.

Design & construct

Premium construct, together with metallic plate on again
Underneath-display selfie digicam makes telephone extra compact
Even heavier than common Purple Magic 7

Not like some Professional telephones, you possibly can immediately inform the distinction between the Purple Magic 7 Professional and its common counterpart.

Nubia has taken the courageous determination to embed the front-facing digicam below the show, reasonably than in a high bezel or notch. It is fully hidden when utilizing most apps, however you’ll in all probability discover it with the display screen off.

Initially, I used to be upset with Nubia for basically downgrading the Purple Magic 7 Professional cameras. However that all-screen design does assist ship an immersive gaming expertise, and I doubt most avid gamers will care about decrease high quality selfies.

It nonetheless helps face unlock, however I think about most individuals will use the optical in-display fingerprint sensor as an alternative. That is simple to arrange and has a excessive success charge.

The Purple Magic 7 already had slim bezels, however the 7 Professional takes issues to the subsequent degree. An 87.1% screen-to-body ratio is spectacular for a gaming telephone, and it permits for a similar giant 6.8in show inside a extra compact physique. It’s considerably simpler to make use of one-handed and extra pocketable consequently.

Nonetheless, that hasn’t had an impact on the load of the 7 Professional. At 235g, it’s truly 20g heavier than the common mannequin. Nonetheless, I had no difficulty utilizing both system for lengthy gaming classes.

The 7 Professional’s additional weight comes from an aluminium plate which extends down the again of the telephone. Nubia says that is to assist with warmth dissipation, nevertheless it’s presumably additionally why the corporate modified the digicam module design from the common mannequin too.

The perfect factor about that is that the digicam module sits virtually flush with the again of the system. The 7 Professional is thicker than most at 10mm, however this can be a worthwhile trade-off.

In comparison with earlier Purple Magic telephones, color choices on the 7 Professional are extra muted. The ‘Supernova’ mannequin which exposes some internals is just accessible on the top-spec mannequin. If 256GB storage is sufficient for you, Obsidian (black) is your solely choice.

Nubia features a clear plastic case within the field, which does a great job of defending essentially the most fragile components of the telephone. Nonetheless, it undoubtedly detracts from the 7 Professional’s design. When you nonetheless need that additional layer of safety, I’d advocate the one official case accessible on the Purple Magic web site.

It’s enterprise as standard on the perimeters of the system, at the very least by Nubia’s requirements. The proper aspect is the place you’ll discover virtually all bodily controls – quantity rocker, energy button and shoulder triggers – alongside one among two fan grilles. This is sensible, as you’ll need easy accessibility to all these whereas gaming.

The one button you’ll discover on the left aspect is a slider for Sport House, Nubia’s software-based gaming mode. There’s additionally nonetheless a 3.5mm headphone jack, saved out of the best way on the highest of the telephone. A single USB-C port stays in its conventional place on the backside, flanked by a SIM tray and speaker grille. No complaints right here.

Display & audio system

6.8in Full HD+ AMOLED show
Refresh charge right down to 120Hz, however contact sampling now 960Hz
Respectable stereo audio system

A smartphone is nothing with out a nice show, which the Purple Magic 7 Professional undoubtedly delivers. It has the identical 6.8in AMOLED display screen because the common mannequin, sticking with a 1080×2400 decision. Rising the latter to 1440p would’ve been an apparent improve, however its omission right here isn’t a dealbreaker by any means.

A extra peculiar change is the decreased refresh charge, from the class-leading 165Hz right down to 120Hz. It’s an odd transfer on a Professional-branded system, nevertheless it does convey the 7 Professional in step with many different flagship smartphones.

Nonetheless, I can clearly perceive why Nubia has taken this determination. Solely a handful of video games can output at 165Hz, a lot of which aren’t common amongst cell avid gamers. Even with each telephones aspect by aspect, I struggled to note the distinction between 120Hz and 165Hz. Battery life additionally advantages, however I’d wish to see an adaptive refresh charge launched. At present, you’re mounted at 60, 90, or 120Hz.

To compensate for this transformation, Nubia has elevated the contact sampling charge of the Purple Magic 7 Professional. It now stands at 960Hz, the very best you’ll discover on any telephone. Which means it could actually register contact enter as much as 960 instances each second, one thing that’s keenly felt whereas gaming. This ultra-responsive show is a pleasure to make use of.

With all that in thoughts, the primary conclusion right here is that the show continues to be very spectacular. Colors are wealthy and vibrant, and it nonetheless has greater than sufficient element for most individuals. With a max brightness of 459 nits in testing, I had no issues utilizing the telephone exterior, both.

Gaming may be the precedence, nevertheless it’s simply as spectacular when searching social media or watching movies. For the latter, audio system tackle higher significance.

The Purple Magic 7 Professional has a stereo setup that produces audio that’s impressively loud and punchy, albeit vulnerable to distortion at increased volumes. The sound can also be barely missing in bass, making it higher suited to voices than music.

Specs & efficiency

Snapdragon eight Gen 1 and separate gaming chip
16GB RAM on each world fashions
Excellent efficiency in all situations

Efficiency is an space the place Purple Magic telephones often punch above their weight. However with an rising variety of mid-range telephones outfitted with Qualcomm’s flagship processors, the 7 Professional doesn’t fairly stand out in the identical means.

On the worldwide model, the Snapdragon eight Gen 1 chip is paired with 16GB of RAM throughout each configurations. An 18GB choice is just accessible on the common mannequin, however that’s overkill even in demanding conditions.

You additionally get Nubia’s customized ‘Purple Core 1’ gaming chip right here, which optimises vibration, suggestions, lighting, and sound results for the very best gaming expertise.

Even enthusiast-level avid gamers will wrestle to note any slowdown. I examined a collection of titles, together with Name of Obligation: Cellular, Actual Racing 3, and FIFA Cellular. Efficiency throughout all three is great, as is the case with extra informal video games reminiscent of Rocket League Sideswipe and eight Ball Pool.

Nonetheless, when accessing the ‘Sport House’ mode, the built-in fan will kick in each time by default. That is high quality in case you’re enjoying an in depth open world sport; much less so for a 2D pool sim. Thankfully, this may be turned off in case you’d desire.

Sport House can also be the place you possibly can enhance efficiency even additional (at the price of battery life) and configure the shoulder triggers. When you often play FPS video games, having devoted controls makes a giant distinction.

Predictably, this wonderful efficiency extends to on a regular basis utilization. Alongside the 120Hz refresh charge and 960Hz contact sampling, all the things from internet searching and social media to prompt messaging apps and taking photographs are super-smooth and responsive.

This wonderful efficiency is mirrored within the benchmarks under:

Disappointingly, there’s nonetheless no choice for microSD expandable storage. Contemplating the dimensions of some sport recordsdata, 256GB might not be sufficient house. 512GB is your solely different on the worldwide model – it will’ve been good to see the 1TB mannequin launched exterior China.

After all, the Snapdragon eight Gen 1 chip means you additionally get 5G assist. That’s been a function of Purple Magic telephones since early 2020, and is backed up by Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC assist.

Cameras

Triple rear cameras
64Mp primary lens is nice, ultrawide and macro underwhelming
Poor selfies from under-display digicam

Despite the fact that cameras aren’t a precedence on gaming telephones, Nubia has continued engaged on bettering them. The Purple Magic 7 Professional, like its common sibling, has a set of triple rear cameras: 64Mp primary, 8Mp ultrawide, and 2Mp macro.

Other than a barely longer focal size on the ultrawide, each telephones have similar digicam {hardware}. What’s extra, the standard of pictures on provide right here means pictures can not be thought of a weak spot on Purple Magic telephones. They will’t compete with the perfect digicam telephones round, nevertheless it’s a giant step ahead.

Supplied the lighting is nice, that primary lens will serve you nicely. It’s significantly adept at panorama pictures, that are vibrant, well-exposed and provide an honest quantity of dynamic vary. I used to be typically tempted to change to the ultrawide lens, however a noticeable drop in high quality made me reluctant.

The 7 Professional gives single-tap switching between them inside the digicam app, in addition to 2x and 5x zoom. With out a separate telephoto lens, high quality takes a success, however pictures are nonetheless usable.

With no separate depth sensor, portrait-style pictures are reliant on software program. I bought some very nice stills with a blurred background, even when edge detection is a typical difficulty. The software-based Night time mode does a great job in low-light too.

However the low-quality macro sensor is fairly ineffective – you’ll get higher close-up pictures from the primary lens.

After all, essentially the most controversial change on the Purple Magic 7 Professional is that selfie digicam. Housed below the show, it’s a really totally different strategy to the normal 8Mp sensor on the common mannequin. Nubia has bumped it as much as 16Mp to assist compensate, nevertheless it’s not sufficient.

Like earlier under-display sensors, selfies lack a number of the definition and element you’d usually count on. Nubia applies some aggressive software program processing after you’ve taken the shot, however they will nonetheless find yourself blurry or poorly uncovered.

Nonetheless, that is clearly a step ahead in comparison with early iterations of the under-display digicam, and a gaming telephone might be a great place to check out the tech. Low high quality selfies aren’t a problem for many cell avid gamers, so it’s a compromise many can be blissful to make.

The Purple Magic 7 Professional has pretty primary video specs, providing 1080p video at both 30fps or 60fps. However the inclusion of optical picture stabilisation (OIS) means footage stays regular even when there’s numerous motion.

Battery life & charging

5000mAh battery
All-day battery life, together with some gaming
65W adapter delivers full cost in 30 minutes

The battery on the 7 Professional is an odd one. On the one hand, a 5000mAh capability is a transparent improve on to the 4500mAh cell within the common Purple Magic 7. However it’s truly barely smaller than the 5050mAh battery on the worldwide model of final yr’s 6S Professional.

Nonetheless, I’m happy to report that battery life is considerably higher on the 7 Professional than the common 7. In the identical Geekbench four battery take a look at, I recorded eight hours and 44 minutes with the brightness at 120 nits. That’s virtually 50 minutes longer than the Purple Magic 7, which might make all of the distinction whereas gaming.

This solely serves as a measure of screen-on time, however dropping the refresh charge right down to 90 or 60Hz will prolong this even additional. After a full day’s utilization, I nonetheless had some battery to spare, even with an hour or so of gaming.

When the battery does run out, the 65W adapter included within the field will get you up and working very quickly. From off, I recorded a 65% cost in 15 minutes; the telephone was totally charged in below half an hour.

It is a disgrace to not see the eye-catching 135W quick charging come to the worldwide model – that is still excusive to China. I doubt many individuals will take difficulty with these speeds, however the continued lack of wi-fi charging is extra disappointing.

Software program & updates

Purple Magic OS 5.Zero over Android 12
No particular software program assist commitments
Nice for gaming, much less spectacular for different conditions

As standard, the 7 Professional runs Nubia’s customized Purple Magic OS pores and skin over Android 12. This fifth iteration provides a number of gaming-focused widgets and different tweaks, however continues to be barely tough across the edges.

You continue to get full Google entry, together with Uncover to the left of the house display screen. Nubia has included a number of of its personal apps, however many of those might be uninstalled.

Annoyingly, the Purple Magic 7 Professional nonetheless doesn’t allow you to swap out the default launcher for one thing totally different. The choice is lacking from the Settings app, which gives in-depth customisation however might be complicated at instances.

The stripped-back UI of Purple Magic OS is designed to get you gaming as shortly as doable. Activating Sport House by way of the bodily slider takes you to a hub for all of the titles you could have put in.

It gives a number of instruments to assist maximise efficiency and minimise distractions. Nonetheless, you possibly can nonetheless shortly entry key messaging apps, together with WhatsApp, Telegram and Discord. It’s a bit complicated to navigate, however genuinely helpful when you get the dangle of it.

Nowadays, Nubia telephones are comparatively fast to get new variations of Android after they launch. However the firm hasn’t publicly dedicated to a particular variety of years of software program assist. Contemplating Purple Magic telephones’ aggressive replace cycle, that’s a trigger for concern.

Worth & availability

Nubia has saved issues easy on the subject of Purple Magic 7 Professional pricing, at the very least on the worldwide model. It begins at £679/$799 for 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage, however doubling the latter to 512GB will price you £759/$899.

To purchase the telephone, you’ll want to move to the Purple Magic web site within the UK and US – it’s not accessible by way of every other retailer. There are not any carriers stocking the telephone both, nevertheless it’s simple to pop in your individual SIM or reap the benefits of a fantastic SIM-only deal.

Contemplating you’ll want to purchase the 7 Professional outright, that pricing could also be a priority. The common Purple Magic 7 has an analogous function set and is considerably extra reasonably priced – ranging from £529/$629 – whereas Asus’ ROG Cellphone 5 is just barely dearer. Loads of different options can be found in our gaming telephone chart.

Verdict

The Purple Magic 7 Professional is essentially the most superior gaming telephone Nubia has ever made, but in addition essentially the most divisive.

It gives beautiful efficiency, because of Snapdragon eight Gen 1, a separate devoted gaming chip and beneficiant helpings of RAM. The massive, silky-smooth AMOLED show is a pleasure to behold, full with class-leading 960Hz contact sampling charge.

Elsewhere, a hefty 5000mAh cell delivers all-day battery life, whereas 65W quick charging means you’ve bought a full cost again in lower than 30 minutes. Even the rear cameras are spectacular as of late.

However it’s that front-facing digicam that can divide opinion. Embedded below the show, its outcomes are demonstrably worse than a standard selfie lens. Nubia’s option to drop the display screen refresh charge to 120Hz additionally hurts a part of the Purple Magic line’s distinctive attraction.

Mixed with a value hike, solely essentially the most devoted avid gamers ought to pay additional for the Purple Magic 7 Professional. Most can be happier with the common mannequin, or one of many rising variety of options.

Specs
Nubia Purple Magic 7 Professional: Specs

Android 12 with Purple Magic OS 5.0

6.8in Full HD+ (1080×2400) OLED show, 20:9, 120Hz

Qualcomm Snapdragon eight Gen 1

12/16 GB RAM

256/512GB inner storage (non-expandable)

64Mp primary, 8Mp ultrawide, 2Mp macro cameras

16Mp selfie digicam (under-display)

Fingerprint scanner (in-screen)

Wi-Fi 6E

Bluetooth 5.2

GPS