The REDMAGIC 9 Pro is a gaming phone that was announced in China on November 23, 2023. It went on sale there on November 28. The global version opened for pre-orders on December 27, 2023, and regular sales began on January 3, 2024. In the US, it started at $649 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In Europe, it cost €649. The phone has since been discontinued, and its direct successor is the REDMAGIC 9S Pro.
Design and display
The 9 Pro has a completely flat back with no camera bump. It measures 163.98 x 76.35 x 8.9 mm and weighs 229 g. The body pairs a metal middle frame with a glass rear cover. A built-in cooling fan with RGB lighting sits below the cameras.
Globally, the phone came in Sleet (black), Cyclone (transparent black) and Snowfall (transparent silver). Sleet came with 12GB/256GB, while Cyclone and Snowfall came with 16GB/512GB. In China, the same three designs had local names. A White Special Edition with 16GB/512GB was also sold in China only.
The 6.8-inch AMOLED screen uses a BOE Q9+ panel with a 2480 x 1116 resolution. It refreshes at up to 120Hz and reaches up to 1600 nits. There is no notch or punch-hole, because the 16MP selfie camera sits under the display. The panel uses 2160Hz PWM dimming and Corning Gorilla Glass.
Performance
The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. A separate Red Core 2 Pro chip handles gaming features such as the lighting. Cooling relies on a 22,000 RPM fan and a large vapor chamber. Two 520Hz capacitive shoulder triggers and a Game Space switch round out the gaming hardware.
Cameras
The rear setup has three cameras. The 50MP main camera uses a Samsung GN5 sensor with optical image stabilization. It is joined by a 50MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The main camera can record 8K video at 30fps. The 16MP under-display front camera records up to 1080p at 30fps.
Battery and charging
A 6,500mAh dual-cell battery powers the phone. It supports 80W wired charging, and an 80W charger is included in the box. REDMAGIC says a full charge takes about 35 minutes. There is no wireless charging.
Software and updates
The phone launched with REDMAGIC OS 9.0 based on Android 14. REDMAGIC did not publish a fixed update policy for this model. Other features include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, an IR blaster, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The fingerprint reader is optical and sits under the display.
Should you buy the REDMAGIC 9 Pro?
The REDMAGIC 9 Pro is no longer produced, and the official stores no longer sell it. It suits gamers who want strong performance, active cooling and a large battery for the price. However, it has no water resistance rating and no wireless charging. Buyers who want a newer model can look at the REDMAGIC 9S Pro.
