nubia Red Magic 6 review

Competition

The mobile gaming market, although developing, is still a long way from being mature. Having said this, it's probably no surprise for most of you that the Red Magic series doesn't have many competitors to tackle. With Razer out of the picture, only Asus, Xiaomi's BlackShark and Lenovo have some contenders to show off. And if we limit our search to 2021 only devices, the list shrinks down to only two handsets - Xiaomi's Black Shark 4 Pro and Asus ROG Phone 5.

Let's start with the more direct competitor - the Black Shark 4 Pro since it's supposed to be in the same ballpark as the Red Magic 6 when it comes to pricing - up to €600. Even though we haven't tested the Black Shark 4 Pro just yet, the specs sheet gives us a good idea of the device's capability. Arguably, nubia's offering takes the lead with its higher refresh rate (165Hz vs. 144Hz); its larger diagonal and 10-bit color depth are a nice bonus, too. On the other hand, as we've already stated in the previous section of the review, there are hardly any games (if any at all) that support 165fps and the Black Shark 4 Pro's panel is HDR10+ certified.

Asus ROG Phone 5 • Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro

Both phones boast the Snapdragon 888, but the Black Shark 4 Pro edges out with more memory options and twice the storage for its base model (256GB vs. 128GB). It compensates with a smaller 4,500 mAh battery supporting 120W charging, while the Red Magic 6 comes with a bigger 5,000 mAh unit and slower 66W charging (66W charger bought separately). Seeing how both camera setups are identical, we don't expect that big of a difference in picture quality too. Perhaps the Black Shark 4 Pro would deliver better-looking selfies with its 20MP camera.

Last, but not least, Xiaomi's gaming offering boasts pop-up shoulder triggers for gaming, which would most probably feel better. Physical buttons will always be better than touch keys in terms of tactile feedback during gaming. We are not saying the Red Magic 6's triggers are bad, but the physical buttons are hard to argue with.

Red Magic 6 and Asus ROG Phone 5

And as for the ROG Phone 5, this offering is nowhere near the price point of the Red Magic 6. However, it would be a big mistake not to include Asus' latest phone in this review. As the price tag suggests, the Asus ROG Phone 5 has it all - from hardware that has gamers in mind to a big ecosystem of gaming accessories and supported games. It's the cream of the crop, and it asks a price premium for it too. The customization level is higher, the display is better, although not as fast as the Red Magic 6's, it's supports a similar charging standard but with a bigger battery, it has a better overall camera performance and an impeccable high-quality build. Asus has gone a long way to secure proper HRR support for a lot of games found on Google Play Store too, which is a big advantage over its competitors.

In case you are not eyeing the Pro or the Ultimate Edition of the ROG Phone 5, the base 8GB/128GB version isn't far from the Red Magic 6's price as it asks €799 - which is €200 more. We are not saying it's not much, but the added value Asus' contender offers is worth considering.

Verdict

All in all, the Red Magic 6 has two main advantages over its competitors - the built-in cooling fan and its price. And the games' support for 165Hz displays is rather limited, at least for now.

And it's about time nubia addresses the translation issues with its software. The menus are sometimes named awkwardly and a tad confusing, and that's been a re-occurring theme for the last couple of Redmagic UI generations. Still, we can definitely say that the UI feels more polished, skips some of the useless features and adds some extra ones that are actually good.

The Red Magic 6 is still a great bang for the buck deal. It has the best chipset, an excellent screen, big enough battery (although not excellent, the battery life has been improved over the last two generations) and excellent speakers, which are not only loud but good-sounding too.

So, in case you are looking for a gaming phone on a budget, the nubia's Red Magic series viable option. We would still suggest that you hold off a little to see if the Black Shark 4 Pro pops up near you, as it seems to be the only proper alternative for the time being.

Pros

• Fastest display around with 10-bit color depth and fast response time.
• Design that's sleek and not too flashy.
• Dependable battery life, improved over the last generation.
• Nifty gaming-related features like responsive touch triggers and built-in cooling fan.
• Competitive fast charging with the 30W and 66W PD charger.
• Loud and punchy stereo speakers.
• Improved haptic feedback.
• Built-in cooling fan that keeps the CPU running at higher frequency for longer.

Cons

• The camera department needs more work.
• Limited 165Hz display support from the currently available games.
• No water or dust resistance.
• No microSD.
• The software is still plagued by awkward translation.
• Only the Chinese version comes with a bundled 66W charger.