The Red Magic 11 Pro Plus is one of the most powerful gaming smartphones available today, though not officially launched in India. Imported from China, it is priced at approximately ₹70,000 to ₹80,000 there. This blog post offers a comprehensive unboxing and detailed review, highlighting the phone’s design, performance, cooling technology, gaming capabilities, camera quality, and overall user experience.
Table of Contents
Unboxing Experience and Design
What’s Inside the Box?
Upon opening the box, you will find the Red Magic 11 Pro Plus smartphone, a 120W fast charger with a Chinese plug, a USB Type-C to Type-C charging cable with good quality, a SIM ejection pin, user manual, and a transparent back cover with a unique finish.
Build and Aesthetics
The phone is quite hefty, weighing around 230 grams with a thickness of 8.9mm. It features a metallic frame with Gorilla Glass protection on both front and back, although the exact Gorilla Glass version is unspecified. The front display is bezel-less with no visible camera notch or punch-hole, as the front camera is hidden under the display, offering a futuristic and clean look.
Unique Cooling Features and RGB Lighting
The back panel has a distinctive design with an RGB-lit Red Magic logo. Notably, this phone includes a built-in cooling fan and liquid cooling system — a first in the smartphone category. The cooling fan is manually switchable and supported by a vapor chamber measuring 316mm², with the fan spinning at up to 24,000 RPM for efficient heat dissipation. RGB lighting is present on the logo, fan area, and game mode section, all customizable through settings.
Display and Visual Performance
Display Specifications
The device sports a 6.85-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution. It supports a 144Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of 520Hz, which ensures exceptional responsiveness, especially for gaming. The display offers peak brightness of 1800 nits and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, delivering vibrant and accurate colors. It also has a high 3000Hz PWM dimming frequency, making it comfortable for prolonged use.
User Experience
The full-screen display with no interruptions provides an immersive experience for gaming and media consumption. A pre-installed screen protector adds durability. The display’s smoothness and brightness make it ideal for high-end games and daily use.
Performance and Hardware
Processor and RAM
At its core, the Red Magic 11 Pro Plus is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor paired with an Adreno 740 GPU. It comes in three RAM and storage variants: 12GB RAM with 256GB storage, 16GB RAM with 512GB storage, and an impressive 24GB RAM variant, all featuring LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage for blazing-fast read and write speeds.
Cooling System Impact on Performance
With the cooling fan and liquid cooling enabled, the phone achieves a benchmark score of approximately 3,984,000 points, one of the highest ever recorded on a smartphone. During gaming and benchmarking, maximum temperatures remained around 51°C with cooling active. Without the cooling system, temperatures rose to around 58°C, affecting performance slightly.
Intelligent Cooling Automation
The phone automatically activates the cooling fan and liquid cooling system during intensive gaming or performance-heavy applications. Users can also manually control the fan. The large vapor chamber and fast-spinning fan efficiently manage heat, ensuring sustained performance without throttling.
Gaming Features and Software
Touch-Sensitive Triggers and Customization
The Red Magic 11 Pro Plus includes two touch-sensitive triggers with a high touch sampling rate of 520Hz, providing precise and quick responses during gameplay. These triggers can be customized for different gaming actions, such as aiming or shooting, allowing for enhanced control.
Dedicated Game Space and Buttons
A physical button on the device opens the “Game Space” UI, which manages all gaming activities and settings. Although the Game Space cannot be disabled from the button (only from within the UI), it offers dedicated features such as performance boosts and notifications management for uninterrupted gaming.
Game Mode and RGB Lighting
Game mode activates RGB lighting effects on the back of the phone, the fan, and trigger areas. These lights can be turned on or off based on user preference, adding an immersive vibe while gaming.
AI and Gaming Chip
The phone features a dedicated Red Core R4 chip designed to optimize gaming visuals and performance. It supports high frame rates up to 90fps on popular titles like PUBG and can handle ultra settings smoothly. However, some games may lack full optimization for this device, given its China-centric software support.
PC Game Emulation and Cloud Gaming
Red Magic 11 Pro Plus supports PC game emulation through ISO files and offers cloud gaming integration with platforms like Xbox, Steam, Epic Games, and PlayStation. Users can connect their phone to an external monitor via HDMI and use a joystick for a console-like experience.
Camera Performance
Rear Camera Setup
The phone includes a triple camera setup:
- 50MP main sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens
- 2MP depth sensor
Despite the impressive specs, camera performance is average. The images tend to have excessive default beauty filters that do not suit Indian skin tones well. Clarity and color accuracy are also below expectations.
Front Camera
The under-display front camera is 16MP but delivers poor image quality due to the hidden placement. It is mostly adequate for emergency video calls but not recommended for selfies.
Video Capabilities
The rear camera supports up to 8K video recording at 30fps and 4K video options. The front camera supports Full HD video at 30fps.
Software and User Interface
Operating System
The phone runs on Android 16 based Red Magic OS 11, which resembles stock Android but offers extensive customization options. It includes AI-powered tools like call translation, writing aids, and game optimizations.
Security Features
Security is robust with a 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor and fast face unlock support.
Bloatware and App Store
The device includes some pre-installed Chinese apps and has a separate app store for additional downloads. Users can remove unnecessary apps to enhance performance.
Battery and Charging
Battery Capacity
A large 7,700mAh battery powers the device, ensuring extended gaming and daily usage sessions without frequent charging.
Charging Options
The phone supports 120W wired fast charging and 80W wireless fast charging, enabling rapid battery top-ups.
Audio and Connectivity
Speaker Quality
Dual stereo speakers produce clear and loud sound, enhanced by Snapdragon Sound and Hi-Res Audio support.
Connectivity Features
Connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and all essential sensors for a modern smartphone experience.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- High-performance Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
- Advanced liquid cooling and active fan system
- 144Hz AMOLED display with high brightness and color accuracy
- Customizable RGB lighting and touch-sensitive triggers for gaming
- Large battery with 120W wired and 80W wireless charging
- Support for PC game emulation and cloud gaming
Cons
- Average camera quality with heavy default beautification
- Under-display front camera produces poor selfies
- No official Indian launch or service support
- Potential customs duties and repair difficulties when importing
Final Thought
The Red Magic 11 Pro Plus stands out as an ultimate gaming smartphone with its cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, advanced active and liquid cooling, and a stunning 144Hz AMOLED display. Its customizable gaming triggers, dedicated game space, and support for PC game emulation make it a gamer’s dream. However, the camera and software optimizations fall short for general photography users, and lack of local service support may deter some buyers.
If you prioritize performance and gaming over camera and after-sales service, the Red Magic 11 Pro Plus remains a top-tier choice worth considering through import channels. Otherwise, waiting for an official launch or exploring alternatives with better local support might be advisable.
