Nubia’s aggressive update cycle for its Red Magic gaming phones is clearly working, with the company announcing its third and fourth handsets of 2022 so far.
The Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro are official in China, but it’s no surprise to see only iterative updates to the devices that launched less than five months earlier. But like the Red Magic 7 Series, both new phones are getting a global launch, and we don’t have too long to wait.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro.
Red Magic 7S release date
Nubia officially launched the Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro in China on 11 July. Pre-orders are live now, ahead of release there on 15 July. However, the top-spec 7S Pro will be released at a later date.
Fortunately, we won’t be waiting long for the phones to arrive elsewhere. The company has already confirmed a global launch date of 26 July, but it’s not clear exactly when they’ll go on sale in the US, UK and Europe. But unlike some Chinese phone companies, Nubia consistently releases Red Magic phones in North America.
Red Magic 7S pricing
As you might expect, we only have Chinese pricing for the Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro at this stage:
Red Magic 7S (8GB RAM, 128GB storage) – ¥4,000 (approx. $595/£500)Red Magic 7S (12GB RAM, 256GB storage) – ¥4,800 (approx. $714/£600)Red Magic 7S (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) – ¥5,500 (approx. $819/£688)Red Magic 7S Pro (12GB RAM, 256GB storage) – ¥5,200 (approx. $774/£650)Red Magic 7S Pro (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) – ¥6,200 (approx. $923/£775)Red Magic 7S Pro (18GB RAM, 1TB storage) – ¥7,500 (approx. $1,116/£938)
The US and UK figures are just direct conversions so unlikely to be accurate, but they provide a useful guide as to how much you’ll have to pay. Across these six configurations, prices range from powerful mid-ranger to high-end flagship. Some of those expensive models rival the Asus ROG Phone 6 Series in price, but there are plenty of other gaming phones to consider.
Nubia
Red Magic 7S specs and features
Nubia typically uses the ‘S’ generation of its gaming phones to deliver more iterative updates, and that’s no different here. The Red Magic 7S and 7S Pro are essentially the same as their predecessors, with a handful of exceptions.
Undoubtedly the most notable is a move to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm’s new top-of-the-line chip. It’s paired with and Adreno 730 GPU and 8-, 12-, 16- or 18GB of RAM in China, although it’s possible not all these options will make it to the global version.
The 6.8in, 1080×2400 OLED screen is almost identical, meaning you’re still getting a 165Hz refresh rate on the regular model but 120Hz on the Pro. As before, this is offset by a higher 960Hz touch sampling rate on the more expensive phone (instead of 720Hz). Both phones are now equipped with Gorilla Glass 5 screens for extra durability, while the pressure-sensitive zones on the side of the device are 520Hz instead of 500Hz – it’s hard to imagine it making much of a difference, though.
Both phones have identical rear cameras, consisting of 64Mp main, 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro. Curiously, the under-display selfie camera on the 7S Pro is now 8Mp rather than 16Mp, but it should hopefully deliver better image quality. The regular 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 5000mAh battery, as opposed to 4500mAh on the regular model. The Chinese version gets an incredible 135W fast charging on the Pro and 120W on the regular Red Magic 7S, but that feature didn’t make its way outside of China before. Global customers may be limited to 65W wired charging on both phones and no wireless charging.
Given how similar they are, our reviews of the Red Magic 7 and Red Magic 7 Pro give you a good idea of what to expect. Barely anyone can justify the upgrade, but that won’t stop it being considered for our best gaming phone chart. If you’re coming from an older handset, these phones could be attractive options.
