The Nubia Red Magic 3 Review: A 90Hz Gaming Phone With Active Cooling
by Andrei Frumusanu on September 27, 2019 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Smartphones
- ZTE
- Nubia
- Snapdragon 855
- Nubia RedMagic 3
System Performance
As part of our Snapdragon 855 device performance overview article, we noted that the Red Magic 3 was actually amongst the top performers out there. Reason for this could be the 90Hz display and correspondingly more aggressively tuned performance configurations of the phone, or simply a more up to date software stack.
In PCMark, the Red Magic 3 actually ended up as the top performing phone amongst current Android phones, slightly edging out the Galaxy S10 in the overall score performance.
In the web browsing test, the RM3 ended up average and in line with most other S855 devices.
Again, much like on the OnePlus 7 Pro, our benchmark numbers can’t really convey the increased perceived performance that the Red Magic 3’s 90Hz screen gives over regular 60Hz counterparts. Especially on a screen this size, it’s something that’s immediately noticeable and greatly improves the fluidity of things.
Ironically enough, the 90Hz biggest advantage is in non-gaming content as most games still have FPS limiters. Here, the RM3 is quite a joy to use and definitely a big plus to the user experience.
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abufrejoval - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
Nice to read that the fan can be turned off without any negative effect.Already wishing that rubber cases might actually cover that "dust pipe".
Is there any indication of the USB-C speed or if it supports display port alt mode?
Does the device support developer mode and an unlocked boot-loader?
tiwi1391 - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
Have the RM3. It supports developer mode (currently using it to speed up animations), but I didn't look into the bootloader. XDA have a small RM3 community that could answer that question.nerdydesi - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
Yes, I've unlocked the bootloader, rooted my device and installed twrp. No custom roms yet though as far as I know.Wardrive86 - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
Where i think Nvidia had it right, back in the days of the Tegra Note 7, was shipping with the ability to map a gamepad to any game. If its a gaming phone it needs this capabilityXex360 - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
We live in strange times, cheaper phones are the premium ones and expensive ones have less features and design flaws.PeachNCream - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
I agree that taken in the context of the Black Shark 2 review, the Red Magic 3 looks considerably better in all aspects. It further detracts from any possible value the BS2 might offer.Total Meltdowner - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
It's all the same crap. "gaming phone" is just a new marketing term.Release a phone with some INNOVATION. They are all the same and it's boring.
Try a 12000mAH battery
Maybe make the phone like a lego kit where you can continuously upgrade the pieces over time.
Anything to make your phone stand out from the others may be worth the risk.
PeachNCream - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
I vaguely recall there was a lego-like phone project that allowed modular replacement of various sub-components, but it never made it into production. Like you, I agree that a larger battery would be a useful feature. I miss the days of removable back panels that could be replaced with a thicker/bigger panel to allow double or triple the battery capacity.ingwe - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
I think the real thing with a phone that has removable parts is that the interfaces just take up a lot of room that could be going to other things. When it comes down to have 2/3 or less of the battery capacity (at the same size phone) with a replaceable battery vs a non replaceable battery.patel21 - Friday, September 27, 2019 - link
Actually MOTO Z series was really innovative on this part, but I guess people didn't rewarded their LEGO-ability.