The $499 phone that embarrasses “midrange flagships”

Smartphone prices have been creeping upward for years, and by the sound of things, they are about to jump even higher. This trend opened up space for a new type of phone on the market, the mid-range phone. These are devices that promise most of the flagship experience, but with a few sensible compromises, at a price that still feels reasonable.

But what is a reasonable midrange price for a phone? Everyone has their own answer to that question, which is why they can range from $300 to $700. The ones at the top of that range are usually called “flagship killers” or “midrange flagships.”

Well, there is a new phone on the block, and it is challenging what one of these so-called “midrange flagships” has to cost.

At $499, the RedMagic 11 Air manages to undercut the most popular midrange phones on the market like the Galaxy S25 FE or Pixel 9a. It outright outperforms them in areas that are supposed to justify their higher prices, such as the chip’s performance, battery life, charging speeds, and display quality. And by no small margin, either.

Performance that refuses to stay in its lane

The RedMagic 11 Air uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, aka last year’s flagship silicon. But don’t let its slightly older status fool you. The Snapdragon 8 Elite operates on a different level compared to processors inside most $600 phones, and even more expensive ones.



In everyday terms, the RedMagic 11 Air didn’t just perform well in short bursts, it stayed fast over time. When we pushed it hard for long periods, it actually held up better than phones like the Galaxy S25 FE ($649) and even the Pixel 10 Pro ($999).



Like all slim phones, it does slow down a bit when it gets hot, but even after that happens, it’s still running faster than its competition. In other words, its “worst case” performance is still better than the “normal” performance of a lot of more expensive devices.

The best battery life for $499?

Battery life has become one of the biggest selling points for phones throughout the last few years, and it is another area where the RedMagic 11 Air absolutely dominates. For starters, a 7,000 mAh battery in a $499 phone should not exist, but apparently it can.

It is only a little smaller than the 7,500 mAh battery inside the RedMagic 11 Pro, so it doesn’t top our charts the same way. But it is important to note that the RedMagic 11 Air is powering a large 144 Hz display and a high-end Snapdragon chip while still delivering around eight hours of battery life.

For comparison, the Galaxy S25 FE couldn’t even get 7 hours in our tests, while the Pixel 10 Pro reached a little more than 7 hours even though it is double the price.

Charging makes the RedMagic’s case even stronger—you get an 80W charger included in the box and a full charge in just over an hour. The one downside is that there’s no wireless charging, but I am okay with that considering everything else.

A display that doesn’t leave you wanting more

The RedMagic 11 Air uses the same massive 6.85-inch OLED display as the Pro model, which comes with super smooth and gaming-ready 144 Hz, excellent brightness and thin bezels. It is not the most color-accurate panel on the market, but it is fast, bright, and immersive.

Many midrange phones at $500 ship with some kind of handicap to their displays. Either they don’t have super smooth refresh rates, they don’t have high-enough brightness, or they have thick bezels. The only phone that can compete in this segment with the RedMagic 11 Air is the Pixel 9a, which might not have 144 Hz but is pretty color accurate.

You won’t buy the RedMagic 11 Air for its cameras

The RedMagic 11 Air does not try to be a camera phone, and it clearly is not one.

The main camera is decent, but the ultrawide is weak as far as image quality goes. There is no telephoto, so the zoom quality drops off quickly. Not to mention the under-display front camera, which makes selfies soft and rather unpleasant.

If you are looking for a midrange phone with great camera performance, the Pixel 9a and Galaxy S25 FE will make you much happier. RedMagic has decided not to compete here, and I think it was a wise choice to sacrifice this part to make the rest of the phone above average for the price.

Should this be how mid-range phones are approached as a product?

I think other manufacturers can learn from phones like the RedMagic 11 Air. Mid-range phones have a lot more to gain if they are approached as products aimed at specific groups. If they try to cover all bases, they end up being mediocre at most of them.

Of course, the RedMagic 11 Air is not flawless. It lacks wireless charging and its cameras are average at best. But those sacrificed aspects of the phone have allowed it to punch above its weight (price) and strike at much more expensive options.

At $499, this phone can arguably offer a better experience than the S25 FE and Pixel 9a, and it is worth the consideration as long as its setbacks are not dealbreakers for you.

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