REDMAGIC 10 AIR Review: Thin Design, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Performance

This year marks the seventh anniversary of REDMAGIC, a brand that has firmly established itself as a symbol of hardcore gaming smartphones. On this milestone, REDMAGIC has revamped its product lineup and introduced the all-new REDMAGIC 10 AIR. So, what sets the AIR apart?

Thinner Body, Better Feel

Achieving a thin and light gaming phone is a challenging task, as it must ensure optimal performance, thermal management, and sufficient battery life. The REDMAGIC 10 AIR, however, delivers a solid answer. At just 7.85mm thick, with a metal frame, it offers a lightweight and premium feel.

The rear camera module retains the familiar vertical arrangement, with the top camera featuring colorful lighting effects. Despite the slim design, the camera module slightly protrudes, though it doesn’t hinder gameplay or comfort during horizontal holding.

As a gaming phone, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR is equipped with dual IC shoulder buttons with a 520Hz touch sampling rate for superior responsiveness. On the opposite side, there is a customizable red gaming button that allows users to assign various functions, making it easy and convenient to use.

The phone’s front features a 6.8-inch 2480 × 1116 resolution, 120Hz screen. With a 2.5D edge, it is comfortable to hold, and accidental touches are rare. The true full-screen design, with no interruptions, enhances the gaming experience and visual immersion.

For an improved gaming experience, the screen boasts a 960Hz global touch sampling rate and a 2000Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate. It also debuts the Magic Touch technology, optimizing touch latency, accidental touches, and missed inputs.

Performance Experience – Did AIR Compromise?

The REDMAGIC 10 AIR is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which offers outstanding performance, ensuring the phone remains relevant this year. It also features LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

To harness its full performance, efficient cooling and fine-tuned performance are essential, and the REDMAGIC 10 AIR excels in these areas.

For cooling, it uses liquid metal, a thermal material commonly found in high-end gaming laptops. While it is expensive and carries some risks like leakage and corrosion, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR addresses these concerns with a second-generation liquid metal that ensures durability and stability. The material can operate at temperatures as high as 90°C for up to 1200 hours without corrosion, and it has overcome the challenges of small-scale packaging.

Besides cooling, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR includes the CUBE performance scheduling engine, which analyzes user behaviors and gaming scenarios to optimize performance and prevent both waste and insufficiency.

For a better gaming experience, it also integrates the self-developed RED芯 R3 esports chip, a feature that also highlights the REDMAGIC 10 Pro.

Game Tests – How Well Does It Perform?

First, we tested Honor of Kings at max settings. After two rounds of testing, the average frame rate reached 121fps with a stable frame power consumption of 28.7mW and an average power consumption of 3.47W.

With the RED芯 R3 chip, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR achieves frame interpolation, allowing higher frame rates in games like Genshin Impact. At the default 837P resolution, the frame rate was boosted to 120fps. So, how does it feel with the higher frame rate?

Testing Genshin Impact at 60fps showed stable performance at 60fps with a power consumption of 4.17W. At 120fps, the phone still maintained smooth performance, with a slight increase in power consumption to 4.87W.

In terms of temperature, playing at 120fps made the phone slightly warm, particularly around the shoulder buttons, but it did not overheat.

For those seeking even smoother gameplay, I recommend enabling the high frame rate mode. The performance boost is worth the minor increase in power consumption and temperature.

Besides stable performance, the shoulder buttons are very practical in games. For example, in PUBG Mobile, the shoulder buttons can be mapped to zoom and attack, offering more control during gameplay.

Overall, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR provides an excellent gaming experience with its impressive performance and numerous game-specific features.

Additional Features and Accessories

The REDMAGIC 10 AIR is accompanied by the REDMAGIC VC COOLER 6 Pro, which uses a magnetic design and offers several modular components, including wireless charging kits, live-streaming back clips, and battery packs.

The cooler is lightweight and attaches to the phone, with a 1/4-inch screw hole for mounting on phone stands. It uses a self-developed small-axis fan with seven blades (40mm x 15mm), graphene thermal coating on the heat sinks, and thermal fiber silicone for heat dissipation. The cooler can reach a peak power of 30W and supports intelligent temperature control.

Testing with Genshin Impact at 120fps, the cooler helped stabilize the frame rate and reduce power consumption. The phone's temperature remained impressively low, with temperatures around 20°C where the cooler covered the phone, and 30°C at the left-hand grip area.

In hot summer months, if you want to keep your phone performing at its best during gaming, the REDMAGIC VC COOLER 6 Pro is a must-have accessory.

Camera and Battery Performance

Despite being a gaming phone, the REDMAGIC 10 AIR's rear camera offers an impressive dual 50MP setup, including a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 14mm focal length. It supports 4K video recording at 60fps and even 8K at 30fps.

The camera's unique image style works well for daily photography, and the full-screen viewfinder provides a very comfortable shooting experience.

The REDMAGIC 10 AIR packs a 6000mAh battery, and the included 80W charger can charge from 3% to 80% in just 30 minutes, and fully charge the phone in about 45 minutes.

For gaming, the phone also supports charge bypass, which lets the charger bypass the battery, providing power directly to the phone and reducing heating issues during gaming.

Conclusion: Lightweight Design, Strong Performance

Many Android brands are now introducing smaller, lighter phones. Gaming phones, however, face a more significant challenge in balancing performance with lightness, as they require powerful cooling, efficient performance, and large batteries.

The REDMAGIC 10 AIR strikes an excellent balance, offering a light and slim design while maintaining the high-performance capabilities that gamers expect. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, its performance is uncompromised, meeting the needs of mobile gamers while delivering a comfortable and ergonomic experience for younger users.