RedMagic’s 11S Pro gaming smartphone went on sale globally Thursday, bringing Qualcomm’s top-end mobile processor to a device priced below most flagship rivals.
The handset runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the same processor found in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series and other high-end Android devices released in 2025.
The Device
RedMagic, a subsidiary of Shenzhen-based Nubia Technology, has positioned the 11S Pro as a gaming-first handset. It includes an internal cooling fan — a feature most mainstream flagships omit — along with shoulder trigger buttons designed for mobile gaming.
The phone ships with up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage in its highest configuration. That matches or exceeds the storage ceiling on Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, according to the companies’ official product pages.
Pricing and Availability
RedMagic has not yet published full regional pricing across all markets. The base model starts at $649 in the United States, according to the company’s official website at the time of publication.
By contrast, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1,299 in the U.S., per Samsung's official U.S. storefront. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max begins at $1,199, according to Apple's U.S. pricing page.
At roughly half the price of those devices, the 11S Pro enters a competitive segment that includes Asus’s ROG Phone 9 Pro and Xiaomi’s Black Shark series — phones that also target mobile gamers with similar hardware profiles.
Display and Battery
The 11S Pro uses a 6.85-inch AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate. Higher refresh rates reduce motion blur during fast-paced gameplay and scrolling, though they also draw more power.
To offset that drain, RedMagic equipped the device with a 7,050mAh battery. That capacity sits well above the 4,685mAh cell in the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as reported in Apple's technical specifications, and the 5,000mAh unit in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, per Samsung's spec sheet.
The phone supports 80W wired fast charging.
Software and Cameras
The device ships with Android 15 and RedMagic’s proprietary OS layer. It includes a dedicated “Game Space” interface that consolidates performance controls, network prioritization, and notification suppression during play.
On the camera side, the 11S Pro carries a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel telephoto, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide. RedMagic has not published independent camera benchmark results or submitted the device to testing bodies such as DxOMark.
Background
RedMagic launched its first gaming smartphone in 2018. The brand competes in a niche but growing segment: the global mobile gaming market generated $92.6 billion in revenue in 2023, according to Newzoo's Global Games Market Report.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite debuted in late 2024 and has since appeared across more than a dozen Android devices at varying price points.
