REDMAGIC 7 review - Pulling out the big guns

The REDMAGIC 7 bumps up a lot of the internals from the REDMAGIC 6s Pro, but it also retains many aspects. The star of the show is definitely the cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor paired with up to 18GB of RAM. Nubia sent me the maxed-out global variant with the 18GB/256GB combo in the translucent shade they like to call Supernova. In addition, you get LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

Nubia stuck with the same connectivity features as the 6s Pro, which is a good thing because it includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual 5G-compatible SIM slots. You can even use an HDMI or DisplayPort cable with the REDMAGIC 7, provided you have a USB-C adapter for them. The sum total of such hardware results in the smoothest performance experience I have ever witnessed. It easily takes the best Android phones head-on and crumbles them to dust, but only in the performance category.

As this is a gaming phone, it still sports the critically endangered headphone jack that so many audiophiles covet. REDMAGIC tasks its ICE 8.0 Multi-dimensional Cooling System with the job of keeping the entire rig cool. It's fantastic at doing so and maintains the REDMAGIC 7's heat levels intelligently. If you want, you can control the RGB fan manually as well.

There's only one problem with having an actual physical fan with air vents on a phone - it is impossible to make the device waterproof. And don't go expecting wireless charging either, because that's still MIA. To counter this, the phone supports 65W fast charging that tops up the 4,500mAh battery mighty quick.

Moving on to the outsides of the device, the REDMAGIC 7 is identical to the 6s Pro in almost every way. It has the same 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and 165Hz refresh rates. Although the brightness level peaks at 700 nits, it is clearly readable under the radiance of the morning sun.

The display has a touch response rate of 720Hz, whereas the ultrasonic shoulder triggers feature a 500Hz touch response rate. It has an in-display fingerprint sensor that works exceptionally well and can also be used to measure your heart rate.

There's no "M Key" touchpad on the back of the phone, though. Since it didn't work very well in the 6s Pro, I'm glad they skipped it. The red slider button is another feature that you'll find along the left side of the REDMAGIC 7. It's situated right above the volume key, and toggling it takes you to the Game Lobby and adjusts the system settings for optimal gaming conditions. The stereo speakers are unexpectedly loud, so you can enjoy other content aside from gaming on it too.

Overall, the sleek aerospace-grade aluminum and glass build has an exquisite finish. Factoring in the RGB REDMAGIC logo that glows red, it looks fantastic. The transparent version showcases the key elements of the phone and labels them in gold. Tech enthusiasts are sure to drool over it. You can just tell that extensive attention to detail and great care went into its design. Somehow, the REDMAGIC 7 is lighter than its predecessor. Nonetheless, this is still a bulky phone of large stature next to the stereotypical Android phones of today.

Going as far back as the REDMAGIC 3S, or as recent as the REDMAGIC 6 Pro, REDMAGIC OS has always been notorious for its bug-ridden software. This has improved significantly over the recent generations, so much so that I believe the REDMAGIC 7 may finally be the turning point for the Nubia-owned brand. The REDMAGIC 7 runs REDMAGIC OS 5.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. Unfortunately, the REDMAGIC 7 cannot leverage the extensive theming features of Material You.

But what I'm about to say next might just make up for it. From the time I got the REDMAGIC 7 until the very moment of typing this out, I did not face a single major issue with the software. There are no Bluetooth problems or issues with the Wi-Fi randomly going off (or point-blank refusing to work). This might seem like an unnecessary mention, but I feel that it's important to highlight how far REDMAGIC phones have come.

The REDMAGIC 7 offers the cleanest software experience that you'll ever have with a REDMAGIC device. I've faced issues with the connectivity modules and the UI in the past, but thankfully, no such problem arose during my testing phase. The Game Lobby acts as the central home for all things gaming-related on the REDMAGIC 7. It's as easy as moving the slider button to enter it. Once you're inside, you can add games, set up game-specific graphics and user settings, and tweak your system preferences extensively.