The RedMagic Astra 2 certainly doesn't look like your conventional sub-10-inch Android tablet. | Image by RedMagic
I don't know about you, but I've started to get used to seeing brands like OnePlus, Honor, Vivo, and RedMagic release the most insane smartphones and tablets one can imagine with impossibly low prices in China or India and then never bring the same products to the US or even Europe.
But the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro was always meant to be different, going official in Asia last month with the firm promise of global availability details coming... today. Internationally rebranded as the RedMagic Astra 2 (which definitely has a nicer ring to it), the new gaming beast is now set to take on the world in August with some fairly reasonable price tags attached to its (revised) name.
First things first, the specs
9.06-inch LTPO OLED screen with 2400 x 1504 pixel resolution and 185Hz refresh rate technology;
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor;
256 and 512GB storage variants;
12 and 16GB RAM options;
Android 16 with RedMagic OS 11.5;
8,300mAh battery;
75W charging support;
Reverse charging capabilities;
Two USB Type-C ports;
Bluetooth 6.0;
13MP rear-facing camera;
9MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture;
Dual stereo speakers;
IP54 water and dust resistance;
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen protection;
207.1 x 134.2 x 6.9mm dimensions;
363 grams weight;
Black Eclipse and Silver Starfrost color options.
That's an almost unparalleled slate
Look, I won't go so far as to call this the best Android tablet in the world... just yet, but I can tell you it's one of the very few out there capable of eclipsing the raw power of Samsung's existing Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and likely the upcoming Tab S12 Ultra too.
The 75W charging speeds are just one of the RedMagic Astra 2's many key selling points. | Image by RedMagic
That's because the RedMagic Astra 2 joins the likes of the OnePlus Pad 4, Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5, Honor MagicPad 3 Pro, and Oppo Pad 5 Pro in a very exclusive club of ultra-high-end tablets powered by the same state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor as practically all the best Android phones around right now.
If that doesn't impress you much because the RedMagic Astra 2 is not technically unrivaled from an overall performance standpoint, perhaps the slate's cooling system will manage to blow your mind. Yes, you're apparently looking at the world's first tablet to feature liquid cooling, which promises to contribute to superior gaming performance compared to something like the aforementioned Legion Tab Gen 5.
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Of course, that would never be possible without a generous RAM count, hefty battery, and blazing fast charging technology as well, and fortunately for hardcore mobile gamers, the RedMagic Astra 2 also checks all those boxes, not to mention the ultra-high-quality screen box.
Will you consider buying the RedMagic Astra 2?
In fact, this bad boy's relatively compact display is also unparalleled in terms of refresh rate capabilities while delivering an excellent pixel count too. And I haven't even mentioned the stunning design, which includes customizable RGB lighting at the back and a peek under the tablet's hood via a little transparent section next to the rear-facing camera. And the 6.9mm profile is not bad either, although it technically doesn't break any thinness records.
Let's talk prices and competition now
$749 with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM;
$849 with 512GB storage and 16GB RAM;
Are those ultra-affordable US prices... by traditional standards? Obviously not. But they have to be put in the context of today's market to be correctly evaluated, and with the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 normally fetching a whopping $849.99 in a single 256GB storage configuration with 12 gigs of memory also on deck, it's impossible not to view the brand-new RedMagic gaming powerhouse as a bargain or at least a bang-for-buck champion.
The RedMagic Astra 2 is undeniably eye-catching in a Black Eclipse colorway. | Image by RedMagic
Keep in mind that something like Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE, which does come with some extra screen real estate but also an overall lower-quality display, slower processor, smaller battery, slower charging, just one USB-C port, and no super-advanced cooling solution, typically costs $669.99 nowadays in a 256GB storage variant.
For just an extra 80 bucks, you'll get so much more power and versatility from the RedMagic Astra 2... if you're willing to wait a few more weeks.
The RedMagic Astra 2's gaming skills and overall screen quality are pretty much unrivaled right now. | Image by RedMagic
That's because the "global open sale" is only scheduled for "late August", with early bird customers to be offered vouchers "by mid-August" granting them both the opportunity to receive the new gaming tablet before everyone else and score a complimentary 80W charger and an "exclusive" RedMagic keychain with their orders. Those are obviously not the world's greatest freebies, but they're better than nothing.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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