Pixel phones have been on my desk for a while, but every now and then, a phone comes across that makes me think, “Is it time to try something different?” However, each time I stray from the Pixel way of doing things, I always come back.
Occasionally, a phone will come across my desk that makes me think: “This could be the one!” This phone is the Redmagic 10S Pro (). I recently reviewed the Redmagic 10 Pro, and found it to be a phone that is worthy of replacing my Pixel 9 Pro.
And: Finally, a sturdy Android phone that won’t break your bank.
I had no idea that Redmagic was preparing something even more powerful, the 10S Pro. The 10S is a great device that has more than enough power for all the apps and game I want to run.
The front of the 10S Pro looks pretty standard. The back of the phone, however, is transparent. It reveals the battery, cameras, lights, and the engraved Snapdragon logo. It looks great.
When it comes to the performance of the phone, let’s look beyond the sheer power. Because the 10S Pro’s blistering speed isn’t all that matters when choosing a new phone. I’ve said for a long time that Google should upgrade the Android UI, because it has become so boring and stale.
Swipe and hold from the left to activate the sidebar.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Sure, with each iteration, the Android UI gets a bit better with smoother animations and a bit more polish, but it’s still way behind the likes of iOS. Besides the mess of app launchers on the home screen, iOS is beautiful, and Redmagic clearly gets this with RedMagicOS (version 10.5.5).
Also: I use this cheap Android tablet more than my iPad Pro – and it costs a fraction of the price
The first thing you notice — as with any recent Redmagic phone — is the gorgeous UI. It’s fluid, elegant, and fast (take note, Google). To date, I’ve not seen a take on Android that is this polished. And given this phone starts at $699, it’s an incredible steal.
The display on the 10S Pro is essentially the same as the 10 Pro and runs at a pleasing 144Hz refresh rate, 2688 x 1216 resolution, 2000-nit brightness, and a 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut. Those numbers equate to a beautiful display on a phone that very much deserves it.
Redmagic you have
Like every phone on the market, the 10S Pro includes AI. To launch it, tap the “REDMATIC AI+” in Settings, and you’ll see SmartSidebar, RedMagic Translation, and “Redmagic smart communication.”
The SmarSide bar can be activated to display shortcuts to app popups. For example, if you tap the Gmail shortcut, a small Gmail widget appears, where you can read and compose email.
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The Redmagic Smart Communication feature manages connections. For example, it includes “Smart antenna boosting,” which uses algorithms to improve antenna efficiency for better performance. There’s also Smart dual-SIM, which intelligently recognizes a SIM’s signal strength quality and automatically switches to the best SIM (if you have two inserted).
Yeah yeah, enough about AI. What about the phone?
It’s a delight. From the gently rounded edges (and boxy design, which I really appreciate) to the size, weight, and feel of the phone, the 10S Pro screams “premium” without the premium price.
If I had one criticism of the Redmagic 10S Pro, it would be the bit of bloatware installed on the device. There are apps that really aren’t necessary, like Booking.com, Gopher, MoboReels, Prank Video, Headspace, Hinge, and quite a few others.
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Also, the phone’s camera (which is one thing that lags behind other powerful Android flagships) comes enabled with a Redmagic watermark on photos. You’ll want to disable that in the settings unless you want all of your personal snapshots to act as Redmagic advertising.
The numbers speak for themselves
One of the first things I did during my testing was run the Geekbench app on both my Pixel 9 Pro and the Redmagic 10S Pro. I wanted to see how the two phones compared, and my suspicions were proven correct.
|
Pixel 9 Pro (19659046) 1,946 |
2,632 |
6,415 |
More
Redmagic 10S Pro (19659042) 3,057
9450
20 738
Redmagic 10S Pro (19659042]3)057
9450[19659044ZDNET’spurchasingadvice[19659044ZDNET’spurchasingadvice
Look,Redmagic 10S Pro has all the speed and optimizations you need to get the most out of your mobile gaming experience. There are a few issues that average users have to deal with in order to get the most from the phone. There’s the camera watermark, the Redmagic news feed, the bloatware, and the not-exactly-brilliant cameras.
For a powerful phone camera, go for the Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy. If speed is more important than cameras, the Redmagic 10S will be a flagship killer. Also: Experts test the best 5g phones for 2025
The lowest-end model costs $699, the mid-range model $849 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage and the highest-end version $999 with 24GB of RAM and 1TB storage. Pre-orders are not yet available.
You can sign up for updates on the 10S Pro’s release dateand you will receive an email when it is released. Redmagic 10S Pro specs:
