RedMagic 9 Pro launches globally with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for $649

The RedMagic 9 Pro goes official with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and plenty of hardware to facilitate a gamer’s needs. After all, the RedMagic 9 Pro is a gaming-first phone.

Nubia has been busy, with the launch of its previous RedMagic device not even a year behind us. The RedMagic 9 Pro builds on much of what the company has incorporated into its high-tech phones, including bringing the SoC up-to-date and completely reinvisioning its internal cooling system.

At the core, the RedMagic 9 Pro utilizes the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. According to the company, the device hits a 32% CPU and GPU performance gain over the previous generation while bringing power consumption down by similar numbers. The phone brings a dedicated Red Core 2 gaming chip from the company to further tailor its performance under pressure.

The RedMagic 9 Pro’s new ICE 13.0 cooling system furthers that ability. A new chamber build brings an 18% increase in space to conduct better airflow. The included 22,000 RPM fan pulls most of the heavy lifting and brings some extra flair with LED visible through the rear panel.

The colorful fan plays well into the design. The phone takes on a very flat rear panel that doesn’t bring any depth variation with a camera bump or even protruding lenses. It does, however, bring a very RedMagic design into play, with decals littering the back. The two lenses that are visible through the rear panel are both 50MP OIS for standard and wide-angle shots.

On the front, the RedMagic 9 Pro carries a 6.8-inch BOE Q9+ 2480 x 1116 flat display. The panel reaches 120Hz and can get as bright as 1,600 nits. To facilitate better game performance, the RedMagic 9 Pro has an instant touch sampling rate of 2,000Hz. The phone’s bezels are virtually non-existent, with a technical 93.7% screen coverage ratio.

All of that is powered by an impressive 6,500mAh battery. Nubia states that the phone can reach up to 56 hours on standby. As far as power consumption during use, we’re not sure. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will play a role in efficiency, but loading the phone down with heavy gaming might only facilitate a day. Either way, that’s a hefty battery and a welcome addition. To make it even more appealing, the RedMagic 9 Pro is capable of 80W fast charging, with a full battery in under 35 minutes.

With the new SoC, the RedMagic 9 Pro comes in two memory variations. The “Snowfall” and “Cyclone” colorways come in a 16GB/512GB memory structure, while the “Sleet” model carries a 12GB/256GB build. The price varies between both, of course. The model with less memory and storage comes in at $649, while the version with 16GB of RAM costs $799. Both go on sale with an early bird offer on December 27 through RedMagic’s website.