Android

This new gaming phone comes with Snapdragon 845, 10 GB RAM, nifty shoulder buttons

by Peter Kostadinov / Nov 29, 2018, 6:14 AM

Chinese phone maker Nubia, which can trace its roots back to ZTE, has just announced a new gaming phone in its Red Magic lineup geared towards avid gamers. The new Nubia Red Magic Mars device boasts the same signature design that debuted with the first Red Magic that we played with at last year's IFA trade show. This means you get a camouflage paint job and a RGB LED strip at the back of the phone, both of which are telltale aspects of any self-respecting gaming gear.

Unlike Nubia's first foray into gaming devices with the underpowered Red Magic, the Red Magic Mars throws everything but the kitchen sink as far as raw hardware goes. Here's what makes the Red Magic Mars click and tick:

Specs
Dimensions	158.25 mm × 75 mm × 9.85mm; 193g
Display	6.0-inch, FHD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels),
Chipset	64-bit Snapdragon 845 clocked at 2.8GHz
RAM	6GB / 8GB /10GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage	64GB / 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.1 storage
Rear camera	16MP, f/1.8, PDAF
Front camera	8MP, f/2.0, wide-angle
Battery	3,800mAh, fast-charging
Sensors and ports	USB Type-C port, fingerprint scanner at the rear
Software	Android 9.0 Pie, RedMagic OS 1.6

This hardware loadout is pretty similar to what other gaming devices are offering, but the Nubia Red Magic Mars has its own shticks. However, the Nubia Red Magic Mars has its own shtick - the device has capacitive shoulder buttons on the side of the device which are similar to overall function to the ultrasonic triggers on the ASUS ROG phone. There's also an add-on gamepad that sticks into the USB Type-C port at the bottom. Additionally, the device comes with force feedback, DTS 7.1 support, as well as a hardware monitoring tool.

As usual with most Chinese vendors, the Nubia Red Magic Mars wouldn't be launching in any Western markets. In China, however, the device will carry a very lucrative price tag - the handset will start at the local equivalent of roughly $389 for the base 6GB/64GB version, while the 8GB/128GB and 10GB/256GB versions would cost around $461 and $575, respectively.

Nubia Red Magic Mars

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11 Comments

1. CreeDiddy

Posts: 2146; Member since: Nov 04, 2011

So in essence, Note 9, XS Max, S9, Mate 20 Pro, One Plus are all considered gaming phones...lol!!! My question is where are the gaming developers if this considered a gaming phone? Makes no sense. It reminds me of the horse power bumper sticker on a Toyota Corolla.

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 6:41 AM 2

2. tangbunna

Posts: 474; Member since: Sep 29, 2016

the difference is LED lighting. woohoo!! it is flishing RED light - Gaming mood!!!

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 7:09 AM 4

3. SyCo87

Posts: 298; Member since: Sep 19, 2013

The more, the merrier.

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 7:21 AM 5

4. Rocket

Posts: 641; Member since: Feb 24, 2014

Looks hot!

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 7:30 AM 2

5. syntaxlord

Posts: 239; Member since: Oct 01, 2018

Not bad...I would rather get the Razer or ROG though

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 8:47 AM 2

6. cocoy

Posts: 455; Member since: Oct 30, 2015

This phone is bargain compared to ROG Phone of Asus.

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 9:17 AM 1

7. Valdomero

Posts: 666; Member since: Nov 13, 2012

But... can it run Crysis?

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 9:30 AM 0

8. KonaStang4.6

Posts: 285; Member since: Nov 04, 2011

My Razer Phone 2 is fine.

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 10:49 AM 0

9. monoke

Posts: 1157; Member since: Mar 14, 2015

Why they gotta make gaming devices so ugly? Is this what they think gamers want? An ugly, look at me I desperately seek attention devices. I blame those ugly Alienware laptops for all this.

posted on Nov 29, 2018, 2:04 PM 1

11. worldpeace

Posts: 3127; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

They just following gamer's market, maybe you didn't like it, but gamer's market always use this edgy design, full with RGB LED. Just look at PC gaming market look at their GPU, case, RAM, and mobo. all of them looks stupid and full of useless RGB.