ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The RedMagic 12 Pro is an elite Android phone.
- Check out all the current Pixel devices, this thing is a beast.
- It could, however, take itself a little more seriously on the app front.
RedMagic has just announced the international launch of the RedMagic 12 Pro – its latest flagship phone. Typically, the company releases devices in China first and then slowly rolls them out to the rest of the world. This time the company knew it had a phone that could compete with other flagship devices.
Also: I’ve been a Google Pixel fan for years, but this $500 Android phone gives me pause
Fast performance
After the initial setup, I installed Geekbench 7 to benchmark the phone and compare it to my Pixel 9 Pro. As for the latest iPhone, according to Geekbench, the iPhone 18 Pro Max comes out ahead in single-core performance, but it just barely falls behind in multi-core performance.
The RedMagic 7 Pro almost doubled the Pixel 11 Pro’s multi-core score. And Google’s device couldn’t beat the single-core score either. Like I said, I’ve never seen a Geekbench score this high.
Real-world use confirms these numbers, as the phone responds faster and behaves more smoothly than any Android device I’ve owned or tested. It’s so smooth and fast, it feels like magic. But it’s not just the speed that makes this phone special.
The look and feel
First, I’ve always loved RedMagic’s Android “skin”. As you use it, it seems to be an amalgamation of Android and iOS. RedMagic essentially does what Google has been trying to do for years: make the smoothest possible animations on Android.
Also: I switched to an Android with liquid cooling for a week – now I wish every phone had it
The interface is as elegant as any I’ve seen on a mobile device. Pull down the notification shade, and it glides down like silk. Tap an app launcher, and it opens immediately. Switch between apps, and there is zero lag or jitter. In addition, there is hardly a bezel to speak of – the screen goes almost to the edge of the device.
There is also no indication of where the front camera is. There is no pinhole (like you find with many Android devices), and there is no island (like on iPhones). It’s just a solid display with no interruptions.
The Pro 12 also feels really good in the hand. Both the back and the front are glass. Yes, it invites fingerprints, but it feels so smooth. The back of the phone also has the typical RedMagic look and feel with integrated RGB lighting zones. You can customize the lighting zones for things like fan on/off, game key atmosphere, media atmosphere, incoming calls, charging and the alarm clock.
Also: This 15-inch portable monitor solved my big problem with cheaper models – and rivals my Mac display
And of course there is AI. The 12 Pro AI works with apps/features like call assistant, live translation, wallpapers, privacy, transcriptions, notepad and writing. I took it for a ride with the Notepad app, asked it (ironically) to write something about the RedMagic 12 Pro, and the speed at which it worked blew me away.
Everything, and I mean everything, about this phone is fast.
My only question
The RedMagic 12 Pro is 100% a gaming phone. I installed “Diablo: Immortal” and found it to perform better than the last RedMagic gaming-specific tablet I tested. Not only was it fast, but the graphics were gorgeous. Crisp, smooth and responsive.
But…here’s the problem I have.
Jack Wallen/ZDNETSince the RedMagic 12 Pro is advertised as a serious gaming phone, why does it include pre-installed games that are crucial don’t-seriously?
On this powerful gaming phone you will find apps like Puzzle Spark, Mahjong Blast, Bolt Twist, GoGo! Blast, and Little Kitty, Big City pre-installed. These are not serious games. In fact, these game titles sound more like they belong on a list of malicious apps (they’re not).
Also: This 9-inch tablet single-handedly changed my opinion about gaming on Android
I’d rather see the Red Magic 12 Pro have zero pre-installed games than the collection it ships with. Yes, you can easily delete these apps, but once they are on the phone, it makes it cheap. Given how amazing this phone is, I think RedMagic could ship a little less cheese and a lot more wine.
Either way, the RedMagic 12 Pro is a phone that belongs at the top of the heap among flagships, even over any Pixel phone ever released. If there’s a phone that can impress me more than the RedMagic 12 Pro, I haven’t seen it yet.
RedMagic 12 Pro Tech Specifications
- Display 6.85 inch AMOLED, 1216 x 2688 pixels (2K resolution), refresh rate: Up to 185Hz with 96.3% screen-to-body ratio and ultra-slim 0.96 mm bezel
- Processor (SoC): Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (up to 5.01GHz) paired with REDMAGIC R5 Gaming Chipset
- GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 850
- RAM: 12GB or 16GB (LPDDR5T)
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB (UFS 4.1 Pro), no card slot
- Cooling system: Dual-loop liquid cooling with active turbo fan (up to 25,500 RPM), vapor chamber and Liquid Metal 4.0
- Rear cameras: 50MP primary (with OIS) + 50MP ultrawide + 2MP macro / depth sensor
- Front Camera: 16MP sub-display camera
- Battery capacity: 8,400mAh Li-Polymer battery – Supports fast wired and wireless charging (up to 120W wired / 80W wireless on Pro+ variants)
- Operating system: Android 17 with RedMagic OS 12
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, USB Type-C 3.2, Dual Nano-SIM
- Extra features: 700Hz touch shoulder trigger, 0815 X-axis linear motor, and dual symmetrical stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
- Dimensions: 163.03 x 75.96 x 8.55 mm
- Weight: 223 g
- Build: Flat transparent-style back with integrated RGB lighting zones
See full bio