REDMAGIC 10 Air Review : Ultra-Thin, Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Gaming Phone

The REDMAGIC 10 Air packs the flagship performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 into a slim 7.85mm body, with an aggressive strategy of maintaining brightness and frequency, allowing games like Genshin Impact and Yanyun Sixteen Sounds to run at full output without throttling. With 520Hz shoulder triggers, a 960Hz touch sampling rate, and a 6000mAh large battery, it ensures long-lasting gameplay. The straight screen design without a hole-punch camera and a 205g lightweight feel offer a combination of gaming power and daily elegance.

A Game-Changing Thin and Powerful Design

With a flat screen, under-display camera, and no bulky camera module, this flagship device enters the thin and light arena ahead of competitors like the iPhone 17 Air and Samsung S25 Edge. The REDMAGIC 10 Air simplifies the design in many ways, making it a well-rounded device for everyday use. Would you consider buying this phone?

This newly launched REDMAGIC 10 Air, part of a new product line, removes the iconic fan to prioritize a thinner, lighter body while maintaining essential performance, aiming to provide a more daily-friendly experience.

Improved Everyday Use Begins with Great Handling

Though handling is subjective, REDMAGIC has used several rational approaches to enhance it for a better user experience.

One improvement is making the device thinner. The REDMAGIC 10 Air is only 7.85mm thick, compared to 8.9mm for the REDMAGIC 10 Pro and 8.25mm for the iPhone 16 Pro.

Another enhancement is the weight reduction. At 205g, the REDMAGIC 10 Air is 24g lighter than the 229g REDMAGIC 10 Pro, closely matching the iPhone 16 Pro's weight of 199g. The weight distribution is balanced, and without the large camera module, it avoids the common issue of top-heavy designs.

The device also features a more rounded metal frame, ensuring a better grip. However, after prolonged use, the feel can become a bit odd, like the palm floating, due to the lack of a smooth transition between the back cover and the rounded frame. If this transition could be improved, the grip could be even better.

The front of the device continues with the signature under-display full screen, 6.8 inches, 2480x1116 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 2160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming for low brightness, and DC dimming for mid-to-high brightness.

The back features a vertical arrangement of the REDMAGIC logo along with a flash that also serves as a breathing light, with the frame retaining only shoulder triggers and a gaming quick-entry button, now a red circular button for long-press operation.

In terms of color, I recommend the white version. The REDMAGIC 10 Air's frame is just 1.48mm thick, but the black body can create the illusion of a wider frame due to the color similarity. White is much better visually in this regard.

Overall, REDMAGIC has simplified the design while keeping it hard to distinguish as a flagship gaming phone, with improved handling and minimalist aesthetics, making it suitable for everyday use in various scenarios.

Aggressive Performance Strategy

The REDMAGIC 10 Air is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. To reduce weight and thickness, it ditches the fan for passive cooling.

This change might seem drastic, but the REDMAGIC 10 Air is far from just another Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 device. I tested it with Genshin Impact, Zeroth Zone, Yanyun Sixteen Sounds, and Honor of Kings. The frame rates and power consumption are shown above.

For Genshin Impact, the performance strategy is similar to REDMAGIC’s flagship devices. In the default balanced mode, the ultra-large core operates at 1.6GHz, while all large cores run at around 2GHz, balancing frame rates and power consumption.

In the more performance-demanding Yanyun Sixteen Sounds, the REDMAGIC 10 Air uses the same strategy but at higher frequencies: the ultra-large core runs at 2GHz, and the large cores are boosted to 2.5GHz. In the highest quality Kaifeng map, it achieved 49.7 frames per second. While this result may not seem impressive, most Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9400 devices achieve similar performance under the same conditions. Therefore, for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 device, this is an extraordinary performance.

However, the trade-off is higher temperatures. The device reached a peak temperature of 58.9°C, and the middle frame reached 51.3°C, becoming somewhat uncomfortable to hold. Without active cooling, the device heats up quickly during heavy gaming, so it's recommended to use accessories like the REDMAGIC VC Cooler 6 Pro. Despite this, the REDMAGIC 10 Air's aggressive strategy ensures it doesn’t throttle brightness or frequency, maintaining its full performance throughout.

The REDMAGIC 10 Air is also optimized for specific games, like supporting mobile ray tracing in Escape from Tarkov and 120fps + ultra-graphic mode in Team Fight Tactics.

In terms of other specs, the REDMAGIC 10 Air has a 6000mAh battery with 80W wired charging, stereo dual speakers, and 5G dual-band Wi-Fi with a surround antenna, ensuring stable network performance in varying environments.

Overall, the REDMAGIC 10 Air still offers impressive performance despite lacking the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Ultimate or the iconic fan. Its performance strategy remains strong, even outperforming some of its competitors in demanding games.

Exclusive Gaming Experience

Beyond the phone's core performance, the REDMAGIC 10 Air also provides specialized gaming features, such as shoulder triggers.

The 520Hz dual-IC shoulder triggers are incredibly responsive, and I found them perfect for various games. In Genshin Impact, I mapped the R key to dodge and the L key to attack or use skills; in Honor of Kings, I mapped them to check the map at the dragon caves; or in FPS games, I mapped them to shoot and zoom.

The touch response of the shoulder keys is excellent, and even with sweaty hands, they remain accurate.

Moreover, the screen has been optimized with a 960Hz touch sampling rate and 2000Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate, providing superior responsiveness. The REDMAGIC 10 Air also introduces Magic Touch technology, further reducing touch latency and preventing missed or false touches, ensuring an excellent gaming touch experience.

Overall, the REDMAGIC 10 Air remains a gaming phone at its core. Even without active cooling, it still delivers an aggressive performance release to meet gamers' needs. Combined with its slim design and minimalist aesthetics, it offers a perfect balance for both daily use and high-performance gaming. If you like a flat screen, slim design, and need strong performance, the REDMAGIC 10 Air is a device worth considering.