Weve seen this movie already the RedMagic 11S Pro is blazing fast and games like a champ, but it's far too similar to its predecessor

Date:
Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
The RedMagic 11S Pro is another impressive gaming phone, but I question its value proposition.

FULL STORY ======================================================================RedMagic
11S Pro: One-minute review Taken in isolation, the RedMagic 11S Pro is a hugely compelling phone offering class-leading performance and unique custom gaming features for a less-than-flagship price.

No other brand is offering this kind of niche package for performance-focused mobile gamers... except for RedMagic itself barely six months ago. As good a deal as the RedMagic 11S Pro appears to be, one simply cant ignore the fact that, to all intents and purposes, it's identical to the RedMagic 11 Pro ,
yet costs $100 / 80 more. Its undoubtedly one of the fastest phones on the market, with a Leading Version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a shrewd liquid-plus-active cooling system that enables a level of sustained high performance that no other brand can match. Latest Videos From

Battery life, too, is mighty, courtesy of a huge 7,500mAh cell, while
charging is suitably rapid at 80W. Im also glad that speedy wireless charging remains part of the package. (Image credit: Future) RedMagic isnt new to this game, and more or less the same glaring issues remain from the very first model, albeit in less egregious fashion. The 11S Pro is still an unwieldy beast, RedMagic's software continues to be difficult to love, and the camera system continues to fall well short of even a decent mid-range phone.

Thats the bargain you typically strike when buying a gaming phone (see the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro ), so it would be churlish to drive the point home too hard. Just know that youre buying a very particular gaming tool here, not an accomplished all-rounder.

All this for a price that only skirts flagship territory. Ultimately, though, the 11S Pro doesn't represent the same value proposition as previous phones
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RedMagic claims that its phone introduces major upgrades across performance, cooling, display, battery, and AI gaming, but that could only really be
argued in comparison to the previous year's RedMagic 10S Pro . Weve seen this movie already, and it was significantly cheaper to gain entry the first time around.

If youre after the very best gaming phone on the market, then the RedMagic
11S Pro is out there in a field of one. But in a trend thats about as 2026 as it gets, the phone doesnt quite do enough to distinguish itself from its immediate predecessor. RedMagic 11S Pro review: Price and availability Released on June 10, 2026 Priced from 709 / $849 Significant price bump over predecessor Not available in Australia The RedMagic 11S Pro goes on sale from June 10, 2026, and the bad news is that its significantly more expensive than its predecessor.

Prices start from $849 / 709 for the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That figure increases to $949 / 799 for 16/512GB, and there's no 24/1TB option this time around. The RedMagic 11S Pro isn't available in Australia.

By way of a comparison, back in November, the equivalent variants of the RedMagic 11 Pro launched for $749 / 629 and $849 / 799, respectively. Thats a $100 / 80 price bump in just six months for (as well go on to discuss) essentially the same phone.

If were making a generational comparison, the 11S Pro is $150 / 130 more expensive than the RedMagic 10S Pro . It seems niche gaming phone manufacturers are no more immune to global component pricing pressures than Samsung or Xiaomi. Value score: 4 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally RedMagic 11 Pro specs Header Cell - Column 0 Header Cell
- Column 1

Dimensions:

163.82 x 76.54 x 8.9mm

Weight:

230g

Display:

6.85-inch Full HD+ (1216 x 2688) up to 144Hz BOE AMOLED

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version

RAM:

12GB / 16GB (LPDDR5X Ultra)

Storage:

256GB / 512GB (UFS 4.1 Pro)

OS:

Android 16 with RedMagic OS 11.5

Primary camera:

50MP Samsung OV50E40 1/1.55-inch sensor w/ OIS

Ultra-wide camera:

50MP Samsung OV50D40 1/2.88-inch sensor

Macro camera:

2MP

Front Camera:

16MP under-display

Battery:

7,500mAh

Charging:

80W wired, 80W wireless

Colors:

Nightfreeze, Subzero RedMagic 11S Pro review: Design (Image credit: Future) Same liquid cooling design as 11 Pro IPX8 certified Dedicated gaming mode switch and capacitive shoulder buttons If I were to be particularly
flattering to RedMagic here, Id liken the brands design approach to that of Porsche.

The silhouette might not be as distinctive or appealing as that of a premium German supercar were basically looking at a big, featureless slab of glass and metal here but the point is that it has remained broadly consistent across multiple generations.

There have been refinements, most notably with a camera array that is now completely flat. That unique flourish is just about the only thing thats subtle about the phone, however.

Its particularly thick and heavy (measuring and weighing 8.9mm and 230g, respectively), and its right-hand edge is chock full of physical controls. Alongside the power and volume keys, theres a red slider switch for entering the phones custom gaming UI.

These are flanked by a pair of capacitive 'shoulder' buttons, which can be mapped to controls on a game-by-game basis a massive bonus for competitive shooters, in particular. (Image credit: Future) Meanwhile, on both the right and left edges, there are exhaust vents to allow the physical 24,000rpm cooling fan to do its thing. They also mean that the phone is only IPX8 rated
in other words, its waterproof, but far from dust-proof.

Literally all of this was true of the RedMagic 11 Pro, which reflects the
fact that the RedMagic 11S Pro is basically the same phone, give or take a
few minor tweaks. Its dimensions are identical right down to the fraction of
a millimeter, and theres the same faux-transparent effect and liquid cooling ring motif on the rear.

The latter is undoubtedly the most eye-catching design element of any
RedMagic phone to date, as little white globules of fluid circulate like some kind of miniature lava lamp. The effect is hypnotic.

Stereo speakers make a return on the 11S Pro, but they continue to
underwhelm. Its not that the sound quality is bad, but there isnt the low-end heft you might expect of such a hefty media-focused device. Design score: 3 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: Display (Image credit: Future) 6.85-inch OLED display 144Hz refresh rate 2,000 nits peak brightness RedMagic has kept broadly the same display in operation dating back to the RedMagic 10 Pro in late 2024 that is, a 6.85-inch OLED with a 1216 x 2688 (aka 1.5K)
resolution.

The refresh rate continues to top out at 144Hz, which is higher than the
120Hz average, if shy of the very highest on the market. Motorolas flagship phones tend to hit 165Hz, for example.

With that said, the list of games that can boost past 120Hz remains
relatively short. What matters is that this is a fine canvas for gaming content, aided by that expansive size and a complete lack of obstructions.

RedMagics signature under-display front camera might make for terrible
selfies (more on that later), but it also means that you wont find an
annoying lens obstructing the action. That applies just as much to videos as it does to gaming content.

The one feature that sets the RedMagic 11S Pros display ahead of that of the RedMagic 11 Pros is Magic Touch 4.0, which purportedly boosts touch accuracy by 10%. I cant honestly say that I noticed the difference, but I guess every little helps if youre a competitive gamer with reflexes undimmed by time and alcohol. Display score: 4 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: cameras (Image credit: Future) Mediocre 50MP main camera with OIS Similarly uninspiring 50MP ultra-wide Pointless 2MP macro in place of telephoto Terrible 16MP in-display selfie camera Discussing the camera system in a gaming phone reminds me a little of discussing the camera system in a tablet. Its kind of a pointless endeavor, because taking pictures is obviously not the priority here.

Of course, tablets can get away with taking bad pictures because everyone tends to have a smartphone with them. The RedMagic 11S Pro is that
smartphone.

Theres been no change-up since the RedMagic 11 Pros camera, nor indeed since the model(s) before that. You get the same 50MP OmniVision OV50E main sensor with OIS and a 7P lens; the same 50MP OV50D ultra-wide; and the same superfluous 2MP macro camera in place of a dedicated telephoto.

The latter omission is somewhat galling, given that you can pick up a CMF Phone 2 Pro with a dedicated zoom provision for less than $300 / 300. (Image credit: Future) With that said, we can only work with what we have, and the RedMagic 11S Pro takes predictably so-so snaps. Mind you, that's become slightly less easy to excuse given the $100 / 80 price increase, which brings the phone within range of the Google Pixel 10 .

The main camera is by far the best of the bunch and is capable of producing moderately sharp images. RedMagics image processing is on the heavy-handed side, with unnaturally prominent colors during the day and excessive brightening at night, but its capable of producing clear results that you
wont mind sharing on social media.

Youll find that the phone is forced to crop in on that main sensor for zoomed shots. They look fine at 2x, but rather ropey at anything longer, with 5x and 10x being the signposted provisions.

That 50MP ultra-wide camera is competent at best, overcompensating for its smaller sensor size and inferior optics with heavy-handed processing and punched-up colors. The main criticism I have is that these shots dont really get close to the tone of the main sensor.

As ever on a RedMagic phone, the selfies here are some of the worst around.
It all comes down to that 16MP under-display camera that I mentioned before. Whats great for gaming is terrible for image quality, as significantly less light is able to get to the sensor.

One premium tool the RedMagic 11S Pro does have at its disposal is its high-end processor, which is put to use in supporting 8K /30fps or 4K /60fps video capture. Camera score: 3 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: camera samples Image 1 of 17 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) RedMagic 11S Pro review: performance (Image credit: Future) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version 12GB or 16GB, or 24GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM Liquid and active cooling RedMagic insists that the 11S Pro employs a superior Leading Version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Its CPU
is clocked to 4.74Hz rather than 4.6Hz for the RedMagic 11 Pro.

More speed is always a good thing, particularly within a gaming phone
context, but were talking about a negligible difference here. You simply wont be able to tell the difference in practical gaming terms, with both phones capable of running Destiny Rising and The Division Resurgence at smooth frame rates with greater graphical detail.

I even struggled to pick up on a difference in benchmark tests, with similar scores between the two phones in Geekbench 6.

One potentially significant difference was in the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, which measures GPU performance across an extended 20-minute period. The 11S Pro scored higher than its predecessor, which could be a hint that the upgraded AquaCore Cooling System is doing its job. Image 1 of 3 (Image
credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Of course, its just as likely that this was a non-hardware-related variation, as can often happen with these GPU tests, or that the difference simply came down to updated drivers.

I should also note that UL Solutions, the company behind the 3DMark benchmark app, delisted the RedMagic 11 Pro back in April because of the way that the phone bypassed safety limits to get favorable results. That doesnt mean that the RedMagic 11S Pros performance should be doubted, but it does ram home the point that such benchmark test results should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Theres been a slight change in the type of RAM used, with RedMagic switching from LPDDR5T in the 11 Pro to LPDDR5X Ultra. Both are high-performance advances on the kind of LPDDR5X RAM most flagship phones use.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that the RedMagic 11S Pro performs as well as or better than any other phone on the market, especially over sustained periods, but that it doesnt move much beyond its predecessor, if at all.

Which, ultimately, brings me back to the central question at the heart of
this review: whats the point of the S-series these days, especially at its
new higher price? Performance score: 5 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: software (Image credit: Future) Cluttered but fluid UI Game Space gaming UI 5 years of OS and security updates (in Europe) It would be foolish to expect a major UI overhaul in this minor, half-generational, not-quite-upgrade. The RedMagic
11S Pro might run on the latest RedMagic OS 11.5 layered on top of Android
16, but its got the same busy UI as its predecessor.

Menus and icons remain functional rather than stylish, and a long way short
of Google s stock Android UI.

You also have to put up with way too many unrequested third-party apps, including (on my test model at least) Facebook, Booking.com, TikTok, AliExpress, Instagram, and several poor-quality games.

As weve come to expect, theres a rudimentary smattering of AI tools,
including AI note summaries, recording transcriptions, and AI-generated wallpapers. Youll want to rely on the preinstalled Google Gemini app for the genuinely useful stuff. (Image credit: Future) The latest UI isn't without
its improvements, though. You no longer get an obnoxious screen-hogging
widget on the Home Screen dedicated to turning the cooling fan on and off (something that happens automatically anyway).

RedMagic has done away with its awful Google Feed replacement to the left of the main Home Screen, too, which is a relief.

Instances of glitches, poor translation, and errant Chinese text have seemingly been reduced, if not completely eliminated, and everything moves fluidly and reliably enough.

RedMagics Game Space UI remains in place. Flick that big red switch, and
youll be taken to a landscape interface that lets you launch games, manage performance levels, tweak screen sensitivity, and initiate plug-ins on a game-by-game basis.

Elsewhere, you'll get five years of promised software support (both OS and security) in Europe. Thats short of the best efforts from Google and Samsung, but probably longer than most will be running the phone for, so I have no complaints. Software score: 3 / 5 RedMagic 11S Pro review: Battery life
(Image credit: Future) 7,500mAh battery offers two days of usage 80W wired charging 80W wireless charging If youre talking about a smartphone thats designed to run flat out for extended periods of time, then youd better believe that battery size matters. Reassuringly, the RedMagic 11S Pro packs a chunky 7,500mAh cell, just like its predecessor.

Stay away from the games, and youll be able to sail through two full days of use on a single charge.

Thats not what were here for, of course, but even if you stir the odd intensive Destiny Rising mission into your daily routine, youll still get to bedtime without needing to recharge.

The charging provision also remains unchanged from the RedMagic 11 Pro. Once again, its more than enough. Youre looking at 80W wired charging, which can get you to 70% in 30 minutes, and on to a full charge in less than an hour. Given the sheer size of that cell, its not bad at all.

Theres also 80W wireless charging support, which is a relatively recent (and most welcome) addition to the RedMagic family.

You still wont find the second landscape-oriented USB-C port that I feel
would benefit any self-respecting gaming phone, but its a relatively minor omission. Battery score: 5 / 5 Should you buy the RedMagic 11S Pro? Swipe to scroll horizontally RedMagic 11 Pro scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

It aint subtle, and you might resent lugging it around, but you at least have to respect the perfectly flat shape and cool liquid cooling system.

3 / 5

Display

This is a large, sharp, dependably smooth display that benefits from the lack of a selfie notch.

4 / 5

Performance

With an enhanced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, liquid cooling, and plenty of rapid RAM, this is about as fast as phones get.

5 / 5

Camera

The RedMagic 11S Pro takes merely adequate images, which might not feel like enough given the price bump.

3 / 5

Battery

A huge 7,500mAh battery will get you through two days of regular use, while 80W wired and regular wireless charging will get you back up to speed.

5 / 5

Software

RedMagic OS isnt the most appealing UI, but its fluid enough, packs a custom gaming interface, and is perhaps slightly less cluttered than before.

3 / 5

Value

It remains great value for the sheer level of performance youre getting for the money, but the price tag has gone up with little in the way of meaningful improvement.

4 / 5 Buy it if... You demand the fastest phone possible With the fastest chip, speedy RAM, and liquid cooling, no phone stays faster for longer. Youre anti-notch RedMagic places the selfie camera behind the display, so it doesnt get in the way of games and videos. You want serious stamina It doesnt have a best battery life in the business, but a 7,500mAh cell is not to be sniffed at. Don't buy it if... You take a lot of photos The RedMagic 11S Pros camera system is mediocre at best, while its selfie cam is terrible. You value premium design RedMagics gamer aesthetic will be downright repugnant to most adults who value clean design. You like stock Android This is a cluttered, ugly UI compared to Googles vision for Android. RedMagic 11S Pro review: also consider RedMagic has the gaming phone business to itself, and supplies the two biggest alternatives to the 11S Pro. RedMagic 11 Pro RedMagics previous phone is nigh-on identical, and can probably be found for much less money.

Read our full RedMagic 11 Pro review RedMagic 11 Air If you want to save
even more money, the RedMagic 11 Air offers slightly older components for a very reasonable price.

Read our full RedMagic 11 Air review How I tested the RedMagic 11S Pro
Review test period = 1 week Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Nubia 80W power adapter First reviewed: May 2026



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