nubia Red Magic 7 review

Design and ergonomics

Ever since the Red Magic 5G, nubia hasn't changed the overall design language much. In fact, last year's Red Magic 6s colors carried over to this year's Red Magic 7 with different names. The Eclipse Black and Transparent options are similar to the Obsidian and Supernova paint jobs. The new option is Pulsar, but we don't have that in our office right now. Luckily, we haven't held the Transparent/Supernova before and arguably, this is the best version. It strikes a particular geeky note within some of us in the office.

And the best part is that the transparent back is actually transparent. That does not mean everything you see through it is the real deal. You can't possibly see the CPU as it's covered. Still, its placement is clearly marked, and as a bonus, the cooling fan features a cool RGB LED, which you can control via the software. Nubia doesn't say what type of glass is used for the back, but the front one is advertised as Gorilla Glass 5.

The camera island has been slightly altered and is now bigger but lies almost flat with minimal protrusion. It doesn't cause the device to wobble. Moreover, there's an extra grille right above the chipset, likely contributing to the improved airflow nubia is talking about.

As we go around the sides, we stumble upon two more grilles. The exhaust vvent is placed right next to the cooling fan on the right side, while the one on the left (and the one on the back) are used for intake. Anyway, the volume rocker is placed on the left-hand side, and the power button is on the right. Their placement is quite reasonable and is easy to reach with your thumb.

nubia Red Magic 7

The SIM card tray is at the bottom, along with the bottom-facing speaker and the USB-C connector. Notably, the SIM card tray can hold only up to two SIM cards, no option for memory expansion via microSD. The 3.5mm audio jack finds its place at the top side of the frame.

On the left side right above the volume rocker, we have the quick switch to Game Space, whereas the pressure-sensitive triggers for gaming are on the right side.

nubia Red Magic 7

The whole frame has relatively flat sides (except the corners), and it's made of anodized aluminum. Nubia mentions something about aviation-grade aluminum used for the middle frame, but that probably refers to the frame within the phone itself, not the exterior frame.

Moving onto the front, we see no changes whatsoever. Not that this is a bad thing, no. The top and bottom bezels are a tad thicker by design. You need that extra headroom to accommodate your thumbs when holding the phone horizontally and playing games. Minimizes accidental touches and leaves a bit more room for a powerful speaker on the top that also doubles as an earpiece. There are no cutouts that obstruct the viewing experience, and all sensors, including the selfie camera, are accommodated on the top bezel.

But just like its predecessors, the Red Magic 7 is an unwieldy phone. Measuring 9.5mm in thickness and going up to 170mm in height, the handset is not meant for one-handed use. Not to mention it weighs 215 grams. The priority is to have a big, unobstructed gaming experience, and we believe nubia nailed it. Sure, the rounded back helps with the grip, and we were surprised by the not-so-slippery nature of the chassis. The hard-to-spot smudges on the back are a bonus as well. Still, handling on a daily basis with one hand will be no easy task.