nubia Red Magic Nova review

Design, build quality

The Red Magic Nova tablet feels nothing short of premium. It's almost entirely made of aluminum except for the semi-transparent glass strip running down from the slightly bulging camera island.

The aluminum back and frame have chamfered edges and a matte finish. The device is really nice to touch, but it also attracts fingerprints. The back panel of the Cyclone paint job makes smudges and fingerprints quite visible. Perhaps the Snowfall (white) version won't look so dirty.

Expectedly, the device is very hefty, tipping the scales at 530 grams. That's understandable, though, given the massive 10,100 mAh battery, which is slightly more than what you'd normally expect from a 10.9-inch device.

Speaking of diagonals, we think the almost 11-inch display on the Nova is just ideal for gaming. Anything more than that feels like a burden not just to carry around but also to game on.

We also enjoy the slightly thicker bezels as they provide enough room to place your fingers without accidental touches.

The power button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader, along with the volume rocker, is placed near the top-left edge. Nothing unusual for a modern tablet.

Interestingly, there are only grilles for the loudspeakers, while the cooling fan doesn't get one. It's just LED-illuminated like the Red Magic phones. The Red Magic inscription on the back also lights up. Both LEDs serve as notification LEDs too.

Overall, the design is fairly ergonomic for gaming, and the tablet is built nicely. The only downside is that it's pretty hefty, but at least you get lots of battery.