admin Verdict
The REDMAGIC 11 Pro is an absolute powerhouse of a gaming phone, offering a level of performance that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago. It’s not perfect, with a disappointing selfie camera and a design that might be a little bold for some, but if you’re specifically looking for something that elevates the mobile gaming experience, look no further.
- Elite performance
- Top-tier display
- Stellar battery life
- Great gaming features
- Design not for everyone
- Poor selfie camera
While the gaming phone niche isn’t quite what it used to be, there are still some devices out there committed to putting performance first. That’s exactly the case with the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, the latest offering from the ZTE spin-off brand, which looks and feels like it’s purpose-built for mobile gamers. I’ve been testing it for the last couple of weeks, and without spoiling the rest of this review, I think there might be a future for gaming-oriented Android phones just yet.
Given that this is one of the first phones to launch outside of China to utilize the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite chipset, there’s a lot of hype surrounding it and how it could possibly improve on REDMAGIC’s already stellar 2025 offerings, including the 10 Air and 10S PRO. I’m glad to report that the 11 Pro doesn’t disappoint, and we could well be looking at a new top-spot contender for our guide to the best gaming phones.
Why you can trust our advice ✔ At Pocket Tactics, our experts spend days testing games, phones, tech, and services. We always share honest opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.
Price and availability
Early bird orders for the REDMAGIC 11 Pro kick off on November 18, before going on general sale the next day, November 19. In terms of configurations, you can pick between 12GB+256GB, 16GB+512GB, and 24GB+1TB models. The smaller 12GB+256GB version is only available in the Cryo colorway, whereas the two bigger units come in either Nightfreeze or Subzero designs. For this review, we received the 16+512GB version in the Subzero colorway. In terms of pricing, you can check out the details for each configuration in the table below.
Specs
Here are the REDMAGIC 11 Pro’s specs:
Performance and gaming
Given that the REDMAGIC 11 Pro is an out-and-out gaming phone, it’s going to live or die by its performance capabilities. Fortunately, it’s one of the first phones to utilize Qualcomm’s latest top-end mobile chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which, in simple terms, is an absolute powerhouse of a processor. This chip makes day-to-day tasks, such as scrolling through social media or taking pictures, an absolute breeze, but the 11 Pro really comes into its own when you load up a game.
As ever, I used Hoyoverse’s Honkai Star Rail for most of my performance testing, and, as you’d expect from a phone with this level of performance power, I had no problems whatsoever. Even after pumping the settings up to the max, every animation was nice and smooth, the frame rate never dipped, and the phone never had any problems registering my inputs. I honestly don’t know what more you could ask for. I tested some other games, such as Zenless Zone Zero and Marvel Snap, and didn’t run into any problems whatsoever. Yes, this gaming phone does what it says on the tin.
In terms of gaming-specific software, the 11 Pro, like previous REDMAGIC devices, has a red slider on the side that you can push to enable Game Space. While Game Space might just look a bit like a glorified launcher at first, dig a little deeper and you’ll find a feature that offers an unparalleled level of control over your gaming experience. You can use it for everything, from locking your refresh rates to recording gameplay clips to instantly share to social media, and two weeks after first picking up the phone, I’m still finding new features to try out.
I can’t cover the 11 Pro’s performance capabilities without mentioning its impressive cooling tech. The ‘AquaCore Cooling System’ combines a powerful waterproof fan, a massive vapor chamber, and a new liquid cooling system to make sure the device never gets too hot, and it works like a charm. During all my testing, the only time the 11 Pro got even mildly hot was when I was downloading the full resources for Honkai Star Rail, but during my actual playtime, it never once felt warm in my hands, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for from a gaming phone.
Features and software
The REDMAGIC 11 Pro runs the brand’s own REDMAGIC OS 11 Android skin, and it’s perfectly fine, for the most part. I did notice that from time to time, in the settings menu and when opening up the camera, I got notifications in Chinese rather than English, but this only happened a couple of times, and hopefully, it shouldn’t be an issue by the time the global launch rolls around.
I’ve complained before about bloatware on REDMAGIC devices, but I’m pleased to report it’s not as much of an issue with this latest device. Yes, there are a few apps pre-downloaded to the phone, but the knock-off games are all in a folder, so you can delete them in one go, and then it’s just a case of cleaning up what’s left behind. In terms of software support, you’re getting at least five years in Europe, where I am, which is pretty generous, even if it isn’t quite as substantial as the seven years you’re getting from the likes of Samsung and Google Pixel.
Like most flagship phones in 2025, the RedMagic 11 Pro has its own virtual assistant, but it’s a little different from what you might get from a Samsung or Google Pixel phone. I’m talking about Mora, who looks a lot like a Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail character and, honestly, isn’t to my taste. She’s a fine enough chatbot, but there’s something I find a little disconcerting about her design.
As for AI features, like most of this year’s Android flagship contingent, the 11 Pro comes with Google Gemini pre-installed. There are a few handy REDMAGIC-specific AI features, too, including Call Assistant and Live Translator, but you’re not looking at an AI suite akin to Apple Intelligence or Galaxy AI. Honestly, I’m not a big AI user, so it’s not a problem for me, but you might feel differently if you’re coming from a Samsung or iPhone device.
Design
The REDMAGIC 11 Pro is a gaming phone that very much looks like a gaming phone. What do I mean by that? Well, this isn’t a subtle bit of kit. For a start, it’s not got those rounded corners that you find on most modern flagships. No, this thing is a proper rectangle, a big silver brick. If it were intended as an all-rounder, I might say it’s a touch too big, but as it’s a gaming phone, you want all the display space you can get, so I’m not complaining, and while you might think the squared-off edges would dig into your palms, I found the phone sat in my hands quite nicely.
A unique feature of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro’s design is the shoulder triggers. We’ve seen these with previous REDMAGIC phones, but they’re now even more responsive and are great to use in both FPS games and racing games. Thanks to the phone’s transparent back, you can also watch the liquid cooling in action, which is pretty nice, and, of course, as this is a gaming phone, you’ve got some nifty RGB lights dotted around the device. If you’re a fan of what I’d maybe slightly unfairly call that stereotypical ‘gamer aesthetic,’ you should like the look of this phone.
Another key difference between the REDMAGIC 11 Pro and its Android rivals is the flat back panel. This phone features no camera bump, resulting in a completely smooth and even back. Not only does this design make the 11 Pro the perfect companion for any of the picks from our guide to the best mobile controllers, as there’s no protruding camera island to knock the phone off-kilter, but it also adds to the futuristic aesthetic that helps the phone stand out from the crowd.
Display
A gaming phone with top-tier performance isn’t worth its salt if it doesn’t have a fantastic display to match, and fortunately, that’s exactly what you’re getting with the REDMAGIC 11 Pro. The 6.85-inch AMOLED panel is the perfect size, made better still by the fact that the bezels surrounding the screen are nice and thin, and there’s no front-facing camera island like you’d find on most phones.
Thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate, everything that graces the 11 Pro’s screen is always ultra-smooth, which is just another factor that makes the phone so great for gaming. It’s also plenty bright, peaking at around 1,800 nits, which is more than enough for you to be able to comfortably use it outside, even in the direct glare of the sun.
Before moving on, I have to mention the REDMAGIC 11 Pro’s hilariously named but surprisingly useful ‘Wet-Hand Mode.’ As you can probably guess from the name, this feature is supposed to make it easier to use the phone with damp digits, and that’s exactly what it does. It’s little things like this, which make it easier to play Pokémon TCG Pocket in the rain, that make the phone feel genuinely special.
REDMAGIC 11 Pro cameras
While the REDMAGIC 11 Pro’s cameras aren’t bad, not by a long shot, I think it’s best to caveat this section with what I think is a fair point – if you’re someone who values camera capabilities over performance, this isn’t the phone for you. Instead, you should look at the Nubia Z80 Ultra, the latest from REDMAGIC’s camera-oriented sister brand. That said, let’s get into what this phone has to offer.
The 11 Pro boasts two cameras, a 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide, and the TL;DR take on both is that they’re better than what I’m used to from REDMAGIC, but still not worth getting too excited about. As ever, I tested the cameras using my dog model, Floyd, as a subject. The results are decent enough and offer more color and visual clarity than the snaps in my REDMAGIC 10 Pro review, but they’re not quite on the same level as flagships from other Android brands.
Not only is the camera quality not quite there, but the REDMAGIC 11 Pro isn’t offering the same sort of AI zoom magic that I’ve experienced on other phones, such as the Xiaomi 15T Pro and Honor Magic V5, this year. You can go up to 10x zoom, but the results are grainy as all hell. I feel like I can’t complain too much, as this phone’s main job is to be great at gaming, and it is, but AI-enhanced zoom is starting to feel more and more like a must-have feature, so it’s something I’d like to see in future REDMAGIC devices.
Moving on to the selfie camera, while the display might benefit from hiding the lens under the screen, it makes for pretty disappointing results in terms of image quality. No matter how ideal the lighting, I found that the selfies I took always looked washed out and flat. It’s not the end of the world, as you can always edit your images using the editing tools so you look a little bit less dead, but if you’re the type that regularly takes selfies to upload to social media, it’s worth keeping in mind.
Battery
The REDMAGIC 11 Pro boasts a whopping 7,500mAh battery, which goes and goes and goes and, well, you get the point. This is the sort of phone that you can leave the house with, without your charger, and use all day with some juice left to spare when you get back. In a full hour of playing Honkai Star Rail, I only lost 7% battery life, so you can comfortably game on this phone for five or six hours without losing more than half of your charge. Even for modern standards, that’s pretty impressive.
As for charging, the 11 Pro is wicked fast, offering 80W charging. You can easily juice from flat to full in under an hour using the equipment that comes in the box. Yes, unlike countless other brands that just assume you have the hardware at home, REDMAGIC still provides both a USB-C charging lead and a charging brick to plug into your sockets. It also boasts 80W wireless charging, which is a lovely touch.
Should you buy the REDMAGIC 11 Pro?
If you’re looking for an Android gaming phone that offers top-tier performance and ultra-high-quality visuals, you can’t go wrong with the REDMAGIC 11 Pro. That isn’t to mention the phone’s extraordinary battery life, which beats out much of the competition, and the improvements to the cameras on the back, which are more than capable enough. Simply put, it’s a great bit of kit, and were it not for the fact I’m all-in on Apple’s ecosystem, I’d be happy to use the 11 Pro as my daily driver.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to pick up a phone with best-in-class cameras, a subtle visual aesthetic, or more than five years of software support, the REDMAGIC 11 Pro might not be the one for you. Fortunately, it shouldn’t be hard to find alternatives that offer those features; our guide to the best Android phones is full of them.
Alternatives
If this REDMAGIC 11 Pro review hasn’t sold you on the Android flagship, check out our suggestions for alternatives below.
iPhone 17 Pro
If you’re looking for something a bit more of an all-rounder than the REDMAGIC 11 Pro but still offers top-tier gaming performance, your best bet is the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max. Yes, you’re going to have to spend a bit more to get a new Apple smartphone, but if you’re an avid photographer or want some handy AI tools to boost your productivity, it’s likely worth it. For more on this alternative, check out our iPhone 17 Pro Max review.
Xiaomi 15T Pro
For around the same price as the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, you could pick up the Xiaomi 15T Pro. Like the iPhone 17 Pro, its cameras are that bit more impressive than what this REDMAGIC flagship is offering, though it’s not quite as superpowered when it comes to gaming – you’d likely not notice that, though, unless you’re using a frame rate tracker. If you want the full lowdown, take a look at our Xiaomi 15T Pro review.
That was our REDMAGIC 11 Pro review. For more great tech, be sure to check out our guides to the best gaming tablets and the best handheld consoles while you’re here. Or, if you’re looking for something new to play, see our lists of the best mobile games and the best Switch games.
