nubia RedMagic 10 Air review

The competition

At launch, the global version of the RedMagic 10 Air is available in a trio of versions. Well, actually, two memory tiers and three color options. The Twilight and Hailstone colors are available in either a 12GB/256GB variant, retailing at $579/€499/£439 or a 16GB/512GB version, selling for $699/€649/£559. The latter can also be purchased in the special Flare color. That's pretty great value in our book, though it is worth noting that the memory upgrade costs quite a bit of cash.

Frankly, there aren't too many good alternatives that maximize performance per dollar in the same price range. The Poco F7 Pro instantly springs to mind. Some of its highlights include a premium build with an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, as well as IP68 ingress protection. You also get an awesome, albeit slightly smaller, 120Hz, Dolby Vision-certified bright 12-bit AMOLED display. Also part of the package: stereo speakers, a hefty 6,000 mAh battery with fast 90W charging, a pretty decent camera setup and, of course, the star of the show - the exact same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset as the RedMagic.

Alternatively, you could save quite a bit of money by going for the Poco X7 Pro instead and "settling" for the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset. The rest of the hardware and overall experience should be quite similar.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Pro • OnePlus 13R • vivo iQOO 13

At current pricing, you could probably squeeze in a base 12GB/256GB OnePlus 13R within budget. It, too, comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a premium build with IP65 ingress protection, a gorgeous LTPO, 120Hz, Dolby Vision very bright OLED display, a triple camera setup with a dedicated telephoto and a hefty 6,000 mAh battery with fast 80W charging.

The IQOO 13 could be an excellent option too, depending on where you live. It actually packs the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It also has an excellent premium build with an IP68/69 ingress protection, a great LTPO AMOLED display, a large battery with very fast 120W charging, a potent triple 50MP camera setup, and a dedicated telephoto.

Our verdict

The RedMagic 10 Air delivers a premium build and looks, a nice display with an under-display selfie camera, ample performance, solid battery life and fast charging, a whole load of powerful custom gaming features, and even what we consider to be a decent camera experience for a gaming phone. All the while, the price has been slashed significantly, making for a pretty great value proposition.

Sure, compared to the RedMagic 10 Pro, there are a few things missing, such as the internal fan, the 3.5mm audio jack, and the DisplayPort video output. The battery is also smaller, and the screen doesn't get as bright. And you only get last year's flagship silicon, and it only gets an IP54 ingress resistance rating. None of these is essential to the user experience, so we'd say RedMagic has done a great job of creating this slimmed-down entry in its portfolio of gaming phones.

All things considered, we think that the RedMagic 10 Air deserves a recommendation for anyone who's after a smartphone with standout looks and some solid gaming optimization.

Pros

• Stand-out design with flat and angular aesthetics.
• Large and fast 120Hz OLED panel, the UD selfie camera is inconspicuous.
• Good battery life, fast charging.
• Great price/performance ratio, even with last year's chipset.
• Plenty of gaming-oriented features, including pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers.

Cons

• The cooling fan is gone, and there is only IP54 ingress protection.
• Display is not as bright as on the Pro model, and there is no HDR video support.
• The software is still plagued by awkward English translations from Chinese.
• No eSIM support.