nubia Red Magic 6R review

Introduction

It's been only three months since the nubia Red Magic 6 launch, and we are already getting another version of the gaming-centric flagship - nubia Red magic 6R. This new (R)acing model is supposed to be the mainstream version with more elegant looks, a smaller and lightweight body, and a better selfie camera. The Red Magic 6R should be keeping the impressive gaming kit the original model offered, so we know we'll be in for a treat.

The first thing everyone would notice about the nubia Red Magic 6R is the easier on the eyes design. The flashy colors are gone, replaced by elegant silver or black paint with the bare minimum of decorative elements. Gone is the built-in fan, which makes for a thinner and lighter body. Let's hope the improved passive cooling system is up to the job.

The screen has shrunk a bit - its diagonal is now 6.67-inch, down from 6.8". And while it's still an AMOLED with 10-bit color support, its refresh rate maxes out at 144Hz, down from 165Hz. We are not sure we can consider this as a loss as a handful of games supported the super high refresh rate anyway.

The Red Magic 6R has kept the same Snapdragon 888 5G chip. The 400Hz pressure-sensitive triggers are here to stay. Unfortunately, the Red Magic 6R has lost its top speaker and it has no 3.5mm audio jack.

The 64MP primary and 8MP ultrawide cameras remain identical to the ones on the Red Magic 6, but they received as companions a better 5MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. The selfie camera has gotten a boost, too; it's now 16MP, up from 8MP.

Finally, the smaller Red Magic 6R body accommodates a smaller battery - it's now a 4,200mAh cell with 30W charging for the global units and 55W charging for the Chinese version. The Red Magic 6 had a 5,050mAh battery with 66W fast charging. We will explore these more in our battery and charging chapters, of course.

ZTE nubia Red Magic 6R specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.0x75.3x7.8mm, 186g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, aluminum frame, glass back; Pressure sensitive zones (400Hz touch-sensing).
• Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, 770 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680); Adreno 660.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 11, Redmagic 4.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.0, 120˚, 13mm, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP; Depth: 2 MP.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/1.8, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4200mAh; Fast charging 55W - China, Fast charging 30W - Global, Power Delivery 3.0, Quick Charge 4.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical).

Just like the Red Magic 6, the 6R is not water-resistant. And it doesn't offer a microSD card slot.

According to the official website, the Red Magic 6R should be compatible with the Ice Dock RGB cooler and the E-Sports Handle, which is a good thing if you want to squeeze the maximum of your gaming phone.

Unboxing the nubia Red Magic 6R

The Red Magic 6R comes packed within a beautiful black box. It contains the phone, a red USB cable, a 30W power brick, and a red 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter.

The paper compartment contains a transparent silicone case and some paperwork.