REDMAGIC 10S Pro Review: An S-Tier Upgrade for the Best Gaming Phone of 2025?
Just six months after launching the already-excellent REDMAGIC 10 Pro, nubia is back at it with another serious contender for the best gaming phone of 2025. Enter the REDMAGIC 10S Pro.
Should you toss your old 10 Pro in the drawer and shell out for the 10S Pro? Or have you not yet stepped into the REDMAGIC realm and want to know if it's the right gaming phone for you? Let's find out.
Design: Industrial cooling with RGB
The REDMAGIC 10S Pro design keeps the familiar design language with sharp edges, bold styling, and RGB lighting. Available in Dusk, Moonlight, and Nightfall, the first two colors include transparent backs that show off internal components. Oh, and they'll bump your specs to a staggering 1TB of storage and up to 24GB RAM.
This Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 gaming phone is big and built tough, with an aluminium frame and IP54 splash resistance (likely limited due to the real air vents built into the sides for active cooling).
Of course, this being a REDMAGIC phone, you've got a cooling fan for heated gaming and RGB lights. And everything is customizable, including the shoulder triggers.
Display: Big, bold, and beautiful
The 6.85-inch AMOLED panel is largely the same as the 10 Pro, but that’s not a complaint. It delivers 1.5K resolution, ultra-thin bezels, and a stealthy under-display selfie camera that nearly disappears during use.
With manual refresh rate control up to 144Hz, vibrant color presets, and enough brightness to tackle sunny days (glare aside), this is a seriously solid screen for gaming and streaming alike.
Performance: Overclocked chipset is a game-changer
Here's where the 10S Pro gaming phone pulls ahead. Inside is a customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version processor, overclocked for maximum performance at up to 4.47GHz on the CPU and 1.2GHz on the Adreno 830 GPU. Paired with the RedCore R3 Pro gaming chip, the chipset offloads specific tasks to improve frame rates and reduce latency.
Just as you'd expect, you get some pretty flawless gameplay. Even with demanding titles like Weather and Waves or Call of Duty Mobile, the 10S Pro holds a firm 60fps (occasionally dipping into the high 50s under extreme stress). Thermal performance is excellent thanks to:
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A 12,000mm² vapor chamber,
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A spread of liquid metal cooling, and
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A 23,000 RPM internal fan that remains impressively quiet.
With 16GB RAM or even 24GB on the highest-end model, this phone devours any mobile title you throw at it, and still asks for more.
Game Space & Shoulder Buttons: Console-level control
The standout REDMAGIC Game Space hub is accessed through the physical Magic Key. In here, you can:
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Map on-screen controls to responsive 520Hz shoulder triggers
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Tweak display sensitivity and GPU performance
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Enable "Diablo Mode" to fully max out the hardware
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Record gameplay retroactively (up to 60 seconds)
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Use charge bypass to game while plugged in without charging the battery (to reduce heat)
You also get the usual barrage of toggles for brightness, notification blocking, and performance profiles. With so many gaming-centric features, the interface might feel overwhelming to casual users, but power users will love the level of control.
Software: Android 15 with Gaming Focus
The 10S Pro runs Android 15 topped with REDMAGIC’s custom skin that might feel a bit heavy-handed for casual gamers. You lose Google Discover and instead get "The Board", but you gain deep customization and gaming-centric features, such as RGB lighting control and fan settings
Of course, there's the AI assistant "Mora" — a cheeky anime-style character who you can play flirtatious dress-up games with. She's more novelty than necessity, but hey, if you're into that kinda thing, I'm not judging.
Cameras: Not the focus, but decent
Look, no one’s buying the REDMAGIC 10S Pro for camera quality. That said, the triple-lens camera setup is not bad:
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50MP Omnivision OV50E main sensor with OIS
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50MP OV50D ultra-wide
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16MP under-display selfie cam (soft, hazy results, as expected)
You’ll get 4K/60fps and even 8K/30fps video, plus a surprisingly full-featured Pro mode with RAW support.
Audio: Boom, boom, pow
The stereo speakers (top and bottom firing) are loud, punchy, and surprisingly rich, making it perfect for shooters and action games. You're also getting DTS:X support, Snapdragon Sound, and the all-important 3.5mm headphone jack. Audiophile gamers, rejoice.
Battery life: Built to last
With a massive 7,050mAh battery, the REDMAGIC 10S Pro crushes most competitors. You can expect around 5 hours of high-performance gaming (Weather and Waves on max settings) and over 10 hours of lighter gaming (PUBG, CoD). You can get back up to a full battery in less than an hour with the bundled 80W GaN adapter.
Sadly, there's no wireless charging, and compatibility with third-party Qi pads is iffy at best.
Heyup's Verdict: Is the REDMAGIC 10S Pro Worth the S?
The REDMAGIC 10S Pro is a refinement, not a revolution. But what a refinement it is.
If you're already using the 10 Pro and satisfied, you might want to skip this round. But if you want to swap out your iPhone or Google Pixel for the most powerful gaming phone of 2025, with elite performance, long battery life, overclocked hardware, and console-like features — this is the gaming phone to beat.
It's bold. It's a bit bonkers. And yes, it has an anime assistant with outfits that don't leave much to the imagination. But underneath all the RGB and gimmicks lies a seriously powerful mobile gaming machine.
