Yet again, Redmagic surprised me with a phone that I couldn’t believe was real. What would you say if I told you there was a gaming phone that was stylish, lightweight, and powerful enough to run any game you can imagine, for under $600? Oh, and this time, it doesn’t compromise in any aspect (front camera included!).
Yep, that’s right. I wouldn’t believe it either – but today, I’ll give you the full Redmagic 10 Air review, so you can see exactly what I’m talking about.
Redmagic 10 Air specs
Let’s start, as per usual, by listing the specs. It’s all pretty standard techy talk, but for those of us nerds who love comparing them, here’s the complete list:
- Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Chip, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0 storage
- Display: 6.8 inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh, 2000Hz touch response
- Battery: 6000mAh Battery with 80W Fast Charging
- Cooling: Advanced 9-layer ICE Cooling, featuring liquid metal and a 3D vapor chamber
- Design: Matte metal frame with anti-glare etched glass for reduced fingerprints. RGB lighting
- AI integration: Real-time voice translation, AI photo editing, customizable Magic Key for instant shortcuts
- Other: 520Hz Shoulder Triggers, customizable RGB lighting, and X-Gravity Gaming Center for an immersive, professional-grade gaming experience.
Performance is not an issue for any game
With the Redmagic 10 Air, I tested its performance mainly in 3 games: Call of Duty Mobile, since it was advertised to perform flawlessly in the fast-paced FPS, Cookie Run: Kingdom, which I know for a fact overheats most mobile phones, and GRID.
I didn’t know what I was expecting. Did I expect it to overheat? Surprisingly, the phone stayed cool, and even though I was shamelessly waiting for it to overheat while drifting and going full ham on Ultra settings in all the games, nothing happened. Whew!
So, I can safely say no matter what you throw at it, it will handle it just like the Redmagic 10 Pro
The gaming button is now on the opposite side
I was used to having the classic Redmagic gaming button on the same side as the volume and on/off button, which took a while getting used to (not to confuse them), but this time the magical red button has been moved to the opposite side.
That’s a major improvement in my opinion, because you will never trigger it accidentally when scrolling through your phone, and you won’t confuse it with the on/off button either.
As usual, we also have our beloved Mora there, who is always keen on helping us improve the gaming settings or just provide some entertainment.
Camera feels good, but the notches – oof
The camera on this new Redmagic powerhouse is great. It has a 50MP camera which works great during the day, during the night, and anytime, for that matter. You can take professional-looking photos if you have the skill to do that, and even use the integrated AI to enhance them.
Front camera talk
As for the front camera, the quality has drastically improved since the 9S Pro. I am super happy about that aspect, because if you want to use your phone to take a selfie with your cat (or your friends), you won’t have to worry about it looking like it was taken 15 years ago.
The quality of the front camera is good, and even better is the fact that you don’t see it on the front of the phone. The integration of the concealed front camera is so good that you won’t even find it unless you rip the phone apart. Overall? 10/10, would recommend – other manufacturers should follow their example in terms of design.
The notches from the back camera are not my favourites
While I did praise the front camera, the back ones do stick out. That’s not something I am particularly fond of, since I would prefer to keep my phone without the case from time to time, and if I do choose to do so, the cameras might get scratched.
When you have the protective case on, you won’t notice the bumps, but once you remove the case, they’re there. I personally would have preferred them to be fitted underneath the back layer – I believe this can work too, since the design of the Redmagic 10 Air is a lot slimmer than its predecessors.
Slightly smaller battery than the 10 Pro
It’s understandable why the 10 Air is lighter than the 10 Pro, and that probably has something to do with the battery. While it does have a solid battery life (28 hours of general use), it has a 6000 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the 7050 mAh dual battery we had on the 10 Pro. That’s still plenty of screen time, so I won’t deduct any points.
I absolutely adore the design!
The design of the Redmagic 10 Air is so far one of my favourites. I did adore the tech-y design of the 10 Pro, but that one looked a lot more like your typical gaming phone – this one, on the other hand, is a lot more refined.
It is ideal if you want to surprise your friends with your cool new phone that is also insanely powerful when it comes to playing games together. So, why not have both?
The phone comes with a hard case, which personally I am not a fan of, given that it makes the design stand out less. However, if you want to protect your precious new acquisition, it is advised to use it. Please use it, so you don’t have to worry about unwanted scratches or dropping it from your pocket, as it sadly happened to me. No worries, though – it survived in one piece and without a scratch (thanks to the case, that is)! I wouldn’t test it again.
New and exciting colour variation
I can’t skip mentioning the new Flare colour, which is a bright orange with a unique design tailored to the 10 Air that resembles the Nova gaming tablet. While it is just as light as the others, this design gives it a look that makes it stand out as a gaming phone. It’s absolutely brilliant.
Conclusion
For everyone looking to buy a gaming phone that delivers performance at an affordable price – not to mention a phone that looks good and is lightweight too – the Redmagic 10 Air is the best there is. I know because I’ve tested several models, and this one is indeed impressive from every point of view.
You can purchase the Redmagic 10 Air (12GB + 256GB) model starting at $549 from the official Redmagic website.