Redmagic has just released its latest gaming smartphone, the 11 Pro, which introduces world-first features.
Considering both the Redmagic 11 Pro and Redmagic 10 Pro received a four-star rating from us, what’s really new with the flagship? Is there enough of a difference to warrant upgrading from last year’s phone?
To help you decide, we’ve compared our experiences with both Redmagic phones. Keep reading to see whether the Redmagic 11 Pro or Redmagic 10 Pro comes out on top as one of the best gaming phones available.
Specs comparison table
| RedMagic 11 Pro Review | RedMagic 10 Pro Review | |
|---|---|---|
| UK RRP | £629 | £579 |
| USA RRP | $749 | $649 |
| Manufacturer | Nubia | Nubia |
| Screen Size | 6.85 inches | 6.85 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear Camera | 50MP + 50MP + 2MP | 50MP + 50MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP | 16MP |
| Video Recording | Yes | Yes |
| IP rating | IPX8 | No |
| Battery | 7500 mAh | 7050 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes | – |
| Fast Charging | Yes | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 76.5 x 8.9 x 163.8 MM | 76.1 x 8.9 x 163.4 MM |
| Weight | 230 G | 229 G |
| ASIN | – | B0DMSP28Q4 |
| Operating System | RedMagic OS 11 (Android 16) | Red Magic OS 10 (Android 15) |
| Release Date | 2025 | 2024 |
| First Reviewed Date | 03/11/2025 | 13/02/2025 |
| Resolution | 1216 x 2688 | 1216 x 2688 |
| HDR | – | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 144 Hz | 144 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C, 3.5mm headphone port | USB-C, 3.5mm headphone port |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM | 12GB, 16GB | 12GB, 16GB |
| Colours | Nightfreeze, Subzero, Cryo | Moonlight, Dusk, Shadow, White Knight, Lightspeed |
| Stated Power | – | 100 W |
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the recently announced Redmagic 11 Pro is not currently on the shelves but it will officially become available from November 13. With a starting RRP of £629/$749, although it’s slightly more expensive than the Redmagic 10 Pro, it’s undoubtedly a firm contender for the best mid-range phone.
Last year’s Redmagic 10 Pro is still available to order, with a starting RRP of £579/$649. However, considering it’s nearly a year old, it is possible to nab the handset with a solid price cut, especially as we’re edging closer towards Black Friday.
Design
- Redmagic introduces its AquaCore Cooling System to the 11 Pro
- The 11 Pro is rated IPX8 whereas the 10 Pro lacks any IP rating
- Both include classic “gamer” elements such as backlit panels, touch triggers and the physical slider
The Redmagic 11 Pro sports plenty of thoughtful design upgrades and truly unique features that helps it stand out from its predecessors. Most notably is the AquaCore Cooling System which circulates liquid coolant around the phone to keep it cool, even during intense gaming sessions. On the rear of the handset, you’ll see blue fluid moving around a clear, circular window when the system is active.
It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before and undoubtedly looks impressive.
In addition to the cooling system, the Redmagic 11 Pro sports an IPX8 rating which means it can survive the odd dunk in water but shouldn’t be exposed to dust, sand or the like. Yes, the lack of dust protection is a shame but at least it’s an improvement from the 10 Pro which doesn’t offer any IP protection.
Otherwise, there are many features that the 11 Pro borrows from its predecessors including the physical slider that opens Game Space, touch shoulder buttons and the customisable backlighting too.
In addition, both the 11 Pro and 10 Pro sport an LED micro fan which blows air throughout the internals to keep things cool. This fan is actually the reason why there’s a lack of dust protection with both handsets.
Winner: Redmagic 11 Pro
Screen
- There aren’t many differences with the screens on the 11 Pro or 10 Pro
- Both are 6.85-inches, have a 144Hz refresh rate and sport an under-display front camera
- Surprisingly, the Redmagic 10 Pro offers a higher peak brightness
There’s not much separating the Redmagic 11 Pro and 10 Pro’s respective displays, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As both 6.85-inches sport a blisteringly fast 144Hz refresh rate, 95.3% screen-to-body ratio and an under-display front camera, you can expect an immersive, uninterrupted and speedy gaming performance.
However, one key difference between the two is that the Redmagic 10 Pro boasts a higher peak brightness compared to the 11 Pro. While the 11 Pro sees an ample 1800 nits, the 10 Pro sees up to a whopping 2000 nits, which means the latter is a marginally better choice if you plan on gaming outdoors a lot.
Winner: Redmagic 10 Pro
Camera
- The Redmagic 11 Pro has just two rear cameras, and finally rids the series of the pointless 2MP macro lens
- Both selfie cameras aren’t the best, although that’s unsurprising considering they’re under-the-display lenses
- Both main rear lenses perform surprisingly well
Before we start, it’s worth noting that a gaming phone will rarely ever grace our best camera phones list, so if photography is your main priority, then we wouldn’t recommend either the 11 Pro nor the 10 Pro.
Having said that, we were pleasantly surprised with both the 11 Pro and 10 Pro’s camera ability, so if you predominately want a gaming phone but still want to take decent enough pictures, then either will do the job.
While both are fitted with 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide lenses, the 10 Pro is also equipped with a pointless 2MP macro. Fortunately, the 11 Pro is rid of this and means its overall camera system is solid and able to capture decent images. Even so, we would avoid using the ultrawide lens at night, as the sensors tend to grain or blur.
The under-the-display front camera found across both handsets, while enabling a true full-screen, immersive gaming experience, does mean taking selfies isn’t ideal. For the occasional selfie, both the 11 Pro and 10 Pro suffice, but if you’re an avid snapper then we wouldn’t recommend either.
Essentially, both the 11 Pro and 10 Pro can take decent photos for sharing on social media but neither are particularly jaw-dropping.
Winner: Redmagic 11 Pro
Performance
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Both offer serious power and leave the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in the dust
- We did notice that, despite its on-board fan, the Redmagic 10 Pro heated up often
The key reason you’d opt for a gaming phone is how well it performs, and we’re pleased to say both the Redmagic 11 Pro and 10 Pro are seriously powerful devices. In fact, even last year’s 10 Pro managed to leave the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in the dust with its benchmarking tests.
Unsurprisingly, the Redmagic 11 Pro is likely one of the fastest we’ll see this year thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. Not only did the 11 Pro breeze through our tests, and saw a 20% increase on the S25 Ultra, it performed brilliantly in real-world use too. In fact, we found that while most mid-range phones struggle with playing certain titles at maximum settings, the 11 Pro took the same games in its stride.
We especially think those into console emulation will especially love the Redmagic 11 Pro.
That’s not to say the Redmagic 10 Pro is a slouch by any means. Not only does it surpass most premium phones but it really does deliver a brilliant gaming experience. However, we did note that it had a tendency to heat up during use. While it may stay cool with typical mobile titles, if you’re pushing the limits with the likes of Call of Duty Mobile, then the fan won’t really touch the sides.
The Redmagic 11 Pro, on the other hand, manages to keep cool throughout its use. As we’re yet to review many other Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 handsets, we don’t know whether this is due to the chip or the AquaCore Cooling System, but it’s still impressive.
Finally, we also were surprisingly impressed by the Redmagic 11 Pro’s speakers as they offer a wide soundstage. Of course, headphones will offer a better sound quality, but it’s always great to have a decent speaker system.
Winner: Redmagic 11 Pro
Software
- Redmagic OS is the brand’s customised version of Android and includes Google apps such as Gemini and Circle to Search
- Game Space sets both handsets apart and acts as a console-like game library
- Less bloatware found on the Redmagic 11 Pro compared to the 10 Pro
The Redmagic 11 Pro comes equipped with Redmagic OS 11 which looks and behaves similarly to previous iterations of the software. As we found with the Redmagic 10 Pro, although the 11 Pro does run smoothly, there are some instances of quirks such as a few untranslated Chinese prompts.
However, the Redmagic 11 Pro doesn’t come equipped with the bloatware found in the Redmagic 10 Pro. While there are Google apps, including access to Gemini, the 11 Pro rids itself of pre-installed apps such as TikTok and Booking.com.
Both handsets include the aforementioned Game Space which is a console-like game library that is a shortcut to get you into your games and accessible by using the physical slider on the device.
Winner: Redmagic 11 Pro
Battery
- Redmagic 11 Pro has a bigger battery capacity at 7500mAh
- While the 10 Pro supports speeds of 100W, the 11 Pro maxes out at 80W
- Redmagic 11 Pro supports 80W wireless charging
Although the Redmagic 11 Pro’s battery is larger, at 7500mAh compared to 7050mAh, both are easily two-day devices so the difference is negligible. In fact, we found with the 10 Pro that with up to four hours of screen time, we ended a 16-hour day with around 60-70% battery remaining. That’s seriously impressive.
Surprisingly, the Redmagic 10 Pro supports faster charging speeds of 100W while the Redmagic 11 Pro caps out at a slightly lesser 80W. However, the 11 Pro benefits from a unique feature for Redmagic phones: wireless charging.
Winner: Tie
Verdict
The Redmagic 11 Pro sees plenty of thoughtful updates and new features that makes the phone an appealing choice for keen mobile gamers. However, whether the upgraded processor, AquaCore Cooling System and 80W wireless charging support is enough to warrant and upgrade from the 10 Pro is debatable.
Considering we concluded the 10 Pro “offers plenty of bang for your buck”, and is one of the most capable gaming phones around, we’d recommend eking out as much use before splurging on the latest model.
Having said that, if you’re fed up with the 10 Pro getting too hot in your hand, then the 11 Pro’s liquid cooling system might just be the upgrade you’ve been waiting for.
