Introduction
It's time for a refresh and to improve upon the already great nubia Red Magic 5G. But as the name Red Magic 5S implies, the changes in the new iteration of the phone are subtle, to say the least. All the major hardware inside is the same with no changes except the storage type and configurations. There is also the new design, too.
The Red Magic 5S base storage is 8GB/128GB. The high-end versions with 12 and 16GB of RAM paired with 256GB of internal storage are still available. However, the storage type has been upgraded from UFS 3.0 to UFS 3.1. But what does that mean for the end user? Well, you can expect slightly faster write speeds and perhaps loading times. We go into details in our Performance section of the review.
Aside from the small hardware change, the new 5S comes in just two colors, one of which is new. We've got the Cyber Neon version and the Silver one as an alternative if you don't like the flashy gaming aesthetics.
ZTE nubia Red Magic 5S
- Body: 168.6x78.0x9.8mm, 220g; Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame.
- Display: 6.65" AMOLED capacitive, 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; 144Hz refresh rate; 240Hz touch-sensing rate.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 10, Redmagic 3.0.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide-angle: 8 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP; LED flash, HDR, panorama.
- Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.12µm; HDR.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@15fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 4,500mAh; Fast charging 55W, 56% in 15 min, 100% in 40 min (advertised); comes with 18W charger outside of China.
- Misc: Fingerprint (under display, optical), Pressure sensitive shoulder triggers (300Hz touch-sensing), Built-in cooling fan ; NFC.
So what's the point of this review then? We could have just tested the storage speeds and be done with it. Not so fast. If you recall in our previous review, we said that the software needs more work and the range of games that support frames beyond 60 or 90 frames per second is quite limited. Nubia says they've worked on both of these issues so it's going to be interesting to see where the 5S stands almost 5 months later. With more luck, there could be some hidden or more apparent software optimizations towards battery life and performance.
Additionally, the new 5S came in our office with the so-called Ice Dock, which is an external pad with a fan that helps with the cooling performance of the internal fan. We've tested that out as well.
The good news is that with the hardware refresh, nubia isn't charging more for this model. It costs just as much as its predecessor starting at $579/€579 for the base version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. However, the competition since April this year has changed a lot too. Now the 5S has to face tougher rivals such as the Asus ROG Phone 3. And something tells us that it would still fare well given the price/performance and even the price/features ratio. After all, nubia's gaming phones are all about affordability and they can sure bundle a lot of that spicy hardware at a very competitive price.
Unboxing the nubia Red Magic 5S
The standard international retail box is once again looking pretty good but sadly, it comes with the standard 18W charger once again. You will have to buy the 55W brick separately.
Aside from the usual user manuals and the USB-A to USB-C cable used for charging and data transfer, there's nothing too special about the package. There's also a transparent, silicone protective case as well with bumper edges that should protect the phone better if dropped. The previous Red Magic 5G's case didn't have those bumpers.
We also got the so-called Ice Dock accessory that's supposed to help with the cooling during long gaming sessions. It's not included in the box as it's sold separately.
Design
Compared to this year's, there aren't any changes in the physical design or the overall feel. The specs sheet does mention a virtually unnoticeable 2g increase in weight now tipping the scale at 220g. Pretty hefty, that's for sure. It's perhaps due to all the cooling-related components. We also finally got to experience the Cyber Neon edition, which fits more with the whole gaming aesthetics.
The paint job gives the impression of a metallic build, especially the Silver version, but it's still made of glass. Even if you look closely enough, you will see a metallic-like pattern at a certain angle. It's more flashy than the Black version we had in spring.
The front and back are covered by Gorilla Glass - we don't have info on which generation nubia has used. It has an LED-illuminated RGB logo on the bottom while the Red Magic inscription in the middle no longer lights up. So moving from Red Magic 5G to 5S, we have even more modest lighting show.
Once again we didn't feel any sharp edges or corners where the glass sheet and the aluminum side frame meet and the curved glass back helps with the ergonomics. Still, it's a glass phone, so it's rather slippery. We also liked the camera module since it's protruding ever so slightly - almost flush. Well, the macro lens does sit flush with the back glass, though, as it stays separate from the main module.
The chamfered edges are a really nice touch, and the gradient really does fit well with the back style. Maybe the bottom side of the frame is a bit off but it's nothing too major. The finish feels smooth and slippery.
The left side of the frame is populated by the 7-pin connector for the gaming accessories, the fan intake grille, and the physical switch for the dedicated gaming mode. The right houses the two shoulder triggers to the sides, the exhaust vent in the middle right next to the power button and the volume rocker. It feels a bit too low to our taste, but it's better than the power key being placed too high. And as we stated in our previous review, the in-display fingerprint reader and the wake-up gestures alleviate you from using the power button at all.
Luckily, there are no cutouts of any sort, and the top and bottom bezels are symmetrical and provide a good grip to the phone when holding it horizontally limiting the chance of a mistouch.
Glad to see that the build quality has stayed the same - the Red Magic 5S feels just as solid as the 5G with only one complaint being the weight. Knowing how it performs during long gaming sessions. Nevertheless, it's a bit hefty for a phone holding 4,500 mAh battery.
Still one of the best gaming OLEDs on the market
More than five months later, the Red Magic 5S still has one of the best gaming OLEDs on the market. So far only the Asus ROG Phone 3 has reached the 144Hz mark and it's the only alternative on the market with such display.
Once again, we must say that we fully support nubia's decision to go without cutouts and use slightly thicker bezels for the top and bottom of the screen. This ensures a more secure grip and no obstructions during gameplay. It's still a 6.65-inch AMOLED with FHD+ (1080 x 2340px) resolution making up for a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Of course, the 144Hz refresh rate and the 240Hz touch sampling rate are the specs that make it special.
Still, there's the argument that most Android's mobile games do not support anything beyond 60 frames per second. And that's true for most of the games, but the library of titles on Google Play going above that threshold is growing. Also, even if the hardware can't utilize those frames with some of the titles, that doesn't mean you can't appreciate the smooth navigation and scrolling in numerous other apps and system menus.
If you are an experienced gamer, you will probably notice the difference between 120Hz and 144Hz. It's not that apparent, and it's not a mind-blowing difference, but it's a nice thing to have and you can appreciate it every day you use your phone.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 377 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 480 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 483 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 685 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 459 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 459 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 479 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 626 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 464 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 719 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 536 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 871 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 379 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 797 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 538 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 888 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 516 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 854 | ∞ | |
And even though the Red Magic 5G showed excellent performance when it comes to outdoor visibility, the 5S seems to be dragging behind. We've talked with nubia about this, and it turns out that there's an issue with our unit. Since it ships with a pre-production software, that might be the culprit. We got around 480 nits of brightness in manual mode while in auto mode, the panel didn't boost up to the advertised 600 nits. The Red Magic 5G we've tested a couple of months back did go beyond that reaching 685 nits so we have no reason to believe that the 5S can't boost that much.
Color calibration hasn't changed as well with average dE2000 in the default mode measuring at 5.4 while the so-called Natural mode goes as low as 4.6.
Something else that hasn't changed but we wish it did is the adjustable refresh rate. We had the chance to test out how the HRR feature works in day to day usage, and unfortunately, the display just locks on 144Hz or whatever setting you choose and stays there. No matter the content - static or video, the display constantly runs at 144Hz. Most manufacturers who have adopted the HRR technology use at least some kind of adaptive refresh rate technology to make the power consumption more manageable. This explains why the battery tests in the foirced 144Hz mode are rather disappointing considering the relatively large 4,500 mAh battery.
We've tested this with the default video player, Netflix, YouTube, web browsing using Chrome, and navigating through the menus. The refresh rate remained constant at 144Hz.
Battery life
The battery capacity hasn't changed - still 4,500 mAh. It's a small downgrade compared to the Red Magic 3 family, which boasted 5,000 mAh units but nubia says that they wanted to focus more on cooling design while maintaining manageable weight and thickness, so that's why the had to settle with a smaller battery.
Running our usual tests suggest that there's no change in battery endurance as well. Running the phone at 144Hz will only get you so far. Lowering the refresh rate down to 60Hz will increase battery endurance quite a bit, and choosing the 90Hz mode is probably the sweet spot. You will get a relatively smooth experience without sacrificing battery that much.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the nubia Red Magic 5S for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
And if you are buying the phone outside of China, you will be disappointed with the charging times as well. The 18W charger was able to charge the phone from 0 to only 33% in 30 minutes - not a great result.
The faster 55W charger is bundled with the phone in China but it requires a separate purchase elsewhere.
Speaker test
The Nubia Red Magic 5S, like any self-respecting gaming phone, has a stereo speaker setup. The earpiece is always the left channel in the configuration, and it won't switch if you rotate the phone in landscape with the earpiece to the right. You shouldn't though - the Red Magic 5G has a correct side up thanks to the shoulder buttons.
The nubia also proved to be one of the loudest phones in our speaker test to date surpassing even the ROG Phone 3.
While we don't give out marks for sound quality - it's subjective, and you can hear it for yourself. The ROG Phone 3 provides better clarity here while the Red Magic 5S' sound feels fuller in a way. Perhaps even more bass-y.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Redmagic 3.0 UI on top of Android 10
Nubia warned us that the software version on our unit isn't final so there might be some issues that need to be resolved. Same as last time, we find the translation a bit awkward at times but nothing too major. We are glad to see the battery menu making a comeback and you can finally set a battery percentage. And at first glance, the navigation through menus and apps feels a bit smoother than before. Animations also seem to be a bit faster giving you that snappy feel.
Other than that, the software looks kind of stock-ish. There aren't many tweaked UI elements - the drop-down menu has the same appeal as in the vanilla Android. Some of the quick icons do appear in green instead of blue, however, making it easier to distinguish the different settings. The recent apps menu remains unchanged, and the general Settings menu has new colorful icons so you can navigate easily.
Home screen, recent apps and general settings menu
And like most highly-customized Android skins, nubia's Redmagic offers a handful of cool software features, aside from the strictly-gaming related ones, about which we will talk about later.
The Always-on display option is one of the first things we've noticed. The always-on screen is highly customizable with various clock styles and graphics. You can even set a short clip or GIF to be displayed on top. Speaking of the screen-related features, you can also set the refresh rate frequency to 60, 90 or, of course, 144Hz. You can expect the best possible battery life from the 60Hz mode and deteriorate with the 90 and 144Hz. Perhaps 90Hz remains as a sweet spot, as nubia has pointed out in the description.
Display settings and Always-on display
Aside from its role in gaming performance, the cooling fan can also be used to cool down the phone during charging. We couldn't see the benefits when using the 18W charger, but we were told that the fan kicks in to allow for better thermals during charging and also prevents the charging process from causing thermal throttling. The Cooling fan sub-menu is there to adjust the fan speed. You are presented with two options - automatic adjustment of the fan's speed and the maximum speed for faster and more efficient cooling. Given that the sound coming from the fan isn't loud or obnoxious going for the second option is advisable. It is a little high-pitched, though, so keep that in mind.
As far as navigation goes, the Redmagic UI gives you a choice between the standard Android 10 navigation gestures, swipe up from the bottom gestures and the good old software buttons.
Cooling fan and navigation options
Oddly, there's a menu called "neo AI" that's mostly about explaining how the neo AI works. A couple of slides talk about the game recording feature, the cooling fan, and the automatically adjustable screen refresh rate. As you've probably guessed, the phone monitors the CPU and GPU's temperature and applies fine control over the cooling fan. And depending on the application, the software adjusts the screen refresh rate - if it's a static image or a video, it will switch to 60Hz, and if it's a game, it would default to 144Hz. It does so with games as well - if the game doesn't support high-refresh rate, it would lock to 60fps.
neo AI
Surely, you play some games more often than others. With neo AI, the system learns from your behavior, utilizes the system resources, and launches those games faster. During the night, the system will use the time to clear the clutter from the system memory. The neo AI also tracks apps that you don't use and freezes them, or in other words, suspends all the app's processes to conserve energy.
neo AI
And even though the fingerprint reader remains unchanged, the developers team definitely did some tweaking and optimized it through software. It's now way more reliable, although it's not the fastest one we've used. It's not something you should worry about as it's considerably better than before.
On a more positive note, as soon as you move the phone, the fingerprint area lights up so you know exactly where to place your finger. This has worked excellently. You can also set a double-tap-to-wake function as well as raise-to-wake. Alternatively, you can just place your finger in the right spot, and the fingerprint reader will unlock the phone. That's not something all phones with optic fingerprint readers can do.
One thing we've missed in our previous review is the Small Window feature. It essentially scales down the active app into a small window by pulling down the drop-down menu and tapping on the Small Window toggle. This might come in handy during gaming but we struggled to find any apps that are supported. We've tried some of the system apps and Google apps but we were unsuccessful. It might be an issue with the software.
Game space 2.1 - gaming features
We see the return of Game space in the form of version 2.1. It's more polished this time around and gives you more options to play around with. At least compared to the older iteration running on Red Magic 3 and 3s.
Anyway, flipping the red switch located on the upper-left corner of the phone will summon the Game space 2.1. You will be presented with a list of games along with a quick switch for the back LED lighting and the cooling fan. Pulling the menu from the right side opens up a drawer with a couple of quick settings like fan toggle, 144Hz screen mode, block calls, and quick screenshot.
Game Space 2.1 home screen
There's also a quick shortcut to set up the shoulder triggers. It opens up an overlay menu with buttons representing the triggers. All you have to do is drag-and-drop them on the actions you'd want them to "trigger".
Game Space 2.1 options
A dedicated button for combo execution is also at your disposal. Games that require a series of button presses can benefit from a one-click combo tap.
Game Space 2.1 options
The Game Enhancements button, on the other hand, is all about fine-tuning the hardware to your liking. You can boost the CPU, the GPU, or both to increase performance. Of course, it goes without saying that this would have a negative impact on battery life and the fan will probably start spinning faster to compensate for the extra heat.
Additional settings for the screenshots, screen recordings, fan control, LED customization and a summary of how much and what you've played for the day and the whole week can be found in the personalization menu in the upper-right corner.
Additional Game Space 2.1 settings
Unfortunately, we don't have the controller or the docking station so we can't go into detail about those accessories, but they do offer some additional options in the Game Space 2.1 menu.
And aside from some of the confusing translations, we didn't have any issues with the Game Space itself. In fact, the floating window for incoming calls during gaming is pretty neat and surprised us there were no issues arising from the overlay.
And we can't miss noting that the shoulder triggers really make a difference in some game genres. They are particularly useful in first-person and third-person shooters. Say you map the left trigger to aim down at sight and the right one for shooting, it's much easier to control your character that way than using the software buttons on the screen. You also get a nice tactile and haptic feedback from the precise vibration motor (kudos for that), and you can also adjust the pressure at which the triggers react. After all, nothing beats hardware buttons when it comes to gaming.
Finally, nubia brought to our attention a really cool under-the-hood optimization feature that we were previously unaware of. It's called Touch Choreographer and it's essentially an adaptive-sync-like feature. Let's say the display runs at 144Hz while the game is running at 137fps. The software then tries to compensate by inserting additional frames (most probably black frames) so it can compensate for the loss of frames and still make the gaming experience look smooth. Or in other words - interpolation.
More importantly, though, the Touch Choreographer can adjust the screen's refresh rate dynamically during gameplay to avoid any choppiness and stutters. For example, you've set the refresh rate to 144Hz but the game only supports rendering up to 90fps, so Touch Choreographer will lower the screen refresh rate to match the outputted frames avoiding stuttering. But it's not capable of granular control like the real adaptive sync technologies on modern PC monitors, for example. It has a couple of pre-defined steps - 60, 90, 120 and 144Hz and the software chooses the one that's closest to the game's maximum output.
Synthetic benchmarks
To our surprise, the Red Magic 5S sports the same chipset as its predecessor. The same Snapdragon 865 SoC is in charge of things and we have mixed feelings about that. Flagships coming out in the second half of 2020 are all equipped with the latest and greatest from Qualcomm while the Red Magic 5S settles for the non-plus version of the chip. On the other hand, the difference between the Snapdragon 865 and the 865+ are rather minimal so the end user won't feel much of a difference in the upgrade.
The Snapdragon 865, based on the 7nm+ EUV manufacturing process, comes with an octa-core CPU employing one big Kryo 585 core ticking at 2.84GHz, three of the same cores running at 2.42GHz and 4x Kryo 585 cores taking care of the not-so-demanding tasks with 1.8GHz clock speed. An Adreno 650 GPU is used for graphically-intensive tasks.
Also, nubia is making a great deal out of the memory configurations. The RAM can go up to 16GB LPDDR5, which is about 1.5x faster than LPDDR4X memory. For storage, the Red Magic 5G can go up to 256GB UFS 3.1, and that last bit is more than welcome since it decreases the load times of games. Not by a lot but it's reassuring that you can return to battle faster if something goes sideways.
Now let's take a look at the raw performance of the phone. We ran all the tests in the high-performance mode in Game Space but without the cooling fan.
GeekBench 4.4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
13517 - nubia Red Magic 5S
13400 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
13171 - Huawei P40 Pro
12848 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
12269 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
11310 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
10923
GeekBench 4.4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
4873 - Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
4525 - nubia Red Magic 5S
4320 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
4237 - Huawei P40 Pro
3942 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
3576 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
3510
GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- nubia Red Magic 5S
3386 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
3374 - Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
3357 - Huawei P40 Pro
3197 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
2703
GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
975 - nubia Red Magic 5S
927 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
902 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
886 - Huawei P40 Pro
780
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
601858 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
573276 - nubia Red Magic 5S
557210 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
500114 - Huawei P40 Pro
496356 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
495229 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
483239
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- nubia Red Magic 5S
48 - Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
48 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
42 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
40 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
37 - Huawei P40 Pro
31 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
24
3DMark SSE OpenGL ES 3.1 1440p
Higher is better
- Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
7645 - nubia Red Magic 5S
7545 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
7127 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
6819 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
6196 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
6175 - Huawei P40 Pro
6062
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1440p
Higher is better
- nubia Red Magic 5S
6678 - OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
6425 - Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
6354 - Huawei P40 Pro
5637 - ZTE nubia Red Magic 3s
5434 - Asus ROG Phone II (120Hz)
5152
Sustained performance
Sustained performance is probably the most important test on a gaming smartphone. With powerful hardware like the Snapdragon 865, phones struggle to keep the temps low enough so the CPU doesn't have to throttle too soon. After all, CPU throttling on phones is inevitable, the time it takes to tone down is what makes them stand out.
The Red Magic 5G did great in our CPU torture test and since the hardware and the active cooling system haven't changed, we expected similar if not identical results. And we were right. For about an hour-long stress test, the handset's CPU throttled to 93% of its performance towards the very end of the stress test. The back panel and the aluminum frame were noticeably hot. And keep in mind that we've tested this with the cooling fan on and with the Game Enhancement feature turned on for the CPU and GPU.
Now with the so-called Ice Dock, the software didn't detect any thermal throttling at all. The back panel of the phone was relatively cooler as well, at least the part around the camera where the chipset is located. The aluminum frame remained hot, whatsoever. But we had some other issues with the Ice Dock.
First of all, you can't run the cooling accessory without being plugged to the charger. The good news is that there are two USB-C connectors so you can charger your phone while the device is attached and working. Which leads us to our second complaint. With the provided USB-C connector making the bridge between the phone and the cooler doesn't allow a lot of wiggle room. When plugged into the phone, the Ice Dock can only be placed around the battery rendering it useless because the chipset is what needs the cooling. Take a look at the graph below.
Additionally, the clips that attach to the phone will always cover either the power button or the volume rocker. If you aren't charging the phone with the Ice Dock and you place it right below the camera module, it will cover the volume rocker. We've tested the Ice Dock while the phone is plugged into the charger and found no real advantages of the setup.
And finally, the Ice Dock doesn't seem to be making optimal contact with the phone's back surface. The dock is flat while the phone's back is curved making the contact surface really small. We would assume that a better design of both - the phone and the Ice Dock would do wonders. The good news is that the Ice Dock seems to work with other phones as well so you could make the case of buying an Ice Dock for your phone if it struggles to keep up with more demanding games.
Real-world gaming performance
There's no doubt that the Red Magic 5S will handle pretty much everything you throw at it in Google's Play store. But the real issue with Android games and high refresh rate displays is that the games don't support them. It will be hard to find a substantial amount of games that can run above 60Hz, let alone above 120Hz. Nubia promises that the developers team is working hard to bring more titles to the 144Hz world so Red Magic 5G and 5S users would take the most out of the 144Hz panel.
When we reviewed the Red Magic 5G, there were only a handful of games going above 90Hz so we are happy to see some other titles that make it to the list. We've tested Dead Trigger 2, Bullet Force and Into the Dead. All three games look great in 144Hz and the phone ran them smoothly without any hiccups. And besides, first-person shooter games usually provide the best buttery-smooth experience when it comes to HRR.
In addition to the aforementioned games, we've tested some other popular titles like Real Racing 3, Sky Force Reloaded capping at 120Hz, Call of Duty Mobile at 60Hz and PUBG Mobile going up to 60fps.
Real Racing 3 supports 144Hz displays, and the phone was able to maintain 144fps, and FPS stability was above 90%. The game ran super smoothly and gave us a glimpse of what the mobile gaming segment will offer in a few years as a standard. Hardcore PC gamers will appreciate the extra frames - everything is so much more responsive and fluent. Partly because of the 240Hz touch response time, of course.
A segment of the frame rate chart for Real Racing 3
Next down the list is Sky Force Reloaded - an arcade game with support for 120Hz. The results here were even better - an average of 120 frames per second and 98% FPS stability.
A segment of the frame rate chart for Sky Force: Reloaded
Call of Duty Mobile also ran very smoothly, but since it's capped at 60 frames per second, it's far from what you'd expect from a high-refresh-rate gaming experience. Still, the phone managed to hit that 60fps target and sustained it 100% of the time.
A segment of the frame rate chart for Call of Duty Mobile
And since PUBG Mobile is one of the most popular competitive games, we took it for a spin with two different settings. The first one is at maximum possible graphics (the game usually caps at 40fps with this setting) while the second session was at the lowest possible graphics settings so that the game can go up to 60fps. In both scenarios, the game ran smoothly with almost no FPS dips.
A segment of the frame rate for PUBG Mobile
The results from other games such as Mortal Kombat, Gear Club, Modern Combat 5, Shadow of Death, Hungry Dragon, Need For Speed No Limit and Shadowgun Legends were comparable if not identical - stable frames across the board running at the maximum possible frame limit, which in most cases was 60fps.
We were able to extract the detailed information like frame stability and, frames per second with the help of GameBench. A performance software that gives you all the geeky info you could imagine and each gaming session is saved on the cloud and always accessible on their desktop website. The guys at GemBench have also tested the Chinese version of the popular PUBG Mobile game, which supports 90fps limit and they say this is the first smartphone to ever sustain these frames for this long.
A big reason for the great in-game performance would be the cooling system. There's a proper copper heatpipe connecting the cooling fan to the metal shield covering the SoC. The cooling fan itself has an intake vent on the left side of the frame and an exhaust vent on the right side pushing the hot air out. And between the heatpipe with the coolant inside slots a multi-layer graphite material and a thermal gel keeping all of this in place. And last, but not least, there's an aluminum plate that sits right between the back glass panel and the motherboard, which also helps with the heat dissipation.
Triple camera setup, still no telephoto
Although the camera configuration on the new Red Magic 5G isn't the latest and greatest, it's a significant upgrade over last year's Red Magic 3 and 3s. This time, we have more than one focal length on the back but still missing the telephoto lens. The main camera uses the popular 64MP sensor coupled with f/1.8 aperture. The sensor itself is 1/1.72" and 0.8µm pixels.
Unfortunately, there's no enough info on the ultra-wide and the macro cameras aside from the sensor resolutions - 8MP and 2MP, respectively. The EXIF data show f/2.3 for the ultra-wide and f/2.5 for the macro lens.
As far as the selfie camera goes, it's 8MP with f/2.0 aperture.
Camera menus
The camera menu is pretty straightforward and doesn't deviate from the usual camera app structure from other Android phones. Still, there are a couple of new additions to the camera software compared to when we tested the Red Magic 5G. For instance, there's a toggle that enables EIS when recording videos in handheld mode and the other option is to leave it without when shooting with a tripod.
Camera menus
Camera menus
Daylight samples
We don't expect great camera performance as gaming phones don't usually shine with the best snappers. The Asus ROG Phone 3 is one of the examples - it's a pricey gaming smartphone but can't really keep up with the current flagship cameraphones. The Red Magic 5S seems to perform just as expected and doesn't deliver a much different experience compared to its predecessor - the Red Magic 5G.
Main camera samples
There's visible noise in pretty much all of the scenes and sharpening halos are easy to spot around the edges of the buildings, foliage, fences and small details on the buildings. Yet, sharpness leaves more to be desired, especially from a 64MP unit. The good news is that you get punchy colors, good amount of detail and competent dynamic range.
Just like the Red Magic 5G, there's a bit of inconsistency when it comes to scene detection and AI behavior. Some of the scenes look "juicier" when the AI is able to recognize a certain scene. Take a look at the difference between the two shots.
Main camera: AI on • AI off • AI on • AI off
The camera app offers quick toggle for 3x, 5x and 10x zoom by cropping out the center of the 64MP sensor. Sadly, even the 3x zoom looks soft and lacks detail and naturally inherits the processing of images without the zoom. It's just not the real thing. You might get better results with 2x magnification.
3x zoom samples
While the main camera captures rather usable daylight photos, the ultra-wide disappoints with soft, underexposed at times and noisy images. There's also some oversharpening like the main camera's processing but this time around, it makes it look a tad better than most 8MP ultra-wides on the market.
Ultra-wide samples
Low-light samples
The issues observed during the day become more apparent when doing nighttime photography. The scenes are mostly soft, noise is easily distinguishable, and detail gets crushed as well. On the upside, colors look natural, lights and neon signs look good and the dynamic range is wide enough without having to turn on the dedicated Night mode.
Main camera samples
When you shoot with the Night mode, expect even softer images due to the noise reduction algorithm working overtime. To be fair, the highlights do look more balanced and there's a lot more detail in the shadows.
Night mode
The 3x zoom just amplifies the aforementioned issues.
3x zoom samples
The ultra-wide camera doesn't have a dedicated Night mode so pictures come out soft, noisy and with blown highlights with almost no detail. The shadows do look kind of okay, though.
When you are done with the real-world samples, take a look at our lab samples and get ready for some pixel-peeping.
nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 and the nubia Red Magic 3s in our Photo compare tool
Macro samples
As with almost all macro cameras, the main drawback of this one is the lack of autofocus. Shooting plants, for example, is a challenge as even the slightest movement can ruin your image. Luckily, there's a magnifier that can be moved around the viewfinder that can help you hit the proper focusing distance. You will see the subject outlined in red.
Macro samples
Make sure to take more than just one or two photos so you are sure at least one of them will be in focus. The images look generally good with enough detail (surprisingly for a 2MP sensor) with punchy colors. Sharpness could be a tad better, though.
Portraits
We didn't have much luck with portraits and we suspect that the non-final software is to blame. Almost all of our attempts to take a portrait shot ended up with just a normal photo. While the successful portraits looks pretty rough around the edges. Quite literally. The edge detection is unconvincing to say the least.
Portrait samples
However, processing doesn't seem to be any different than the one from the Red Magic 5G. Dynamic range is good, noise is limited and the skin tone looks natural.
Selfie
Shots coming from the 8MP front-facing camera look surprisingly sharp and detailed. The subject's skin is natural-looking and colors are good. As before, the dynamic range needs more work and the noise needs to be reduced as well.
Selfies
Also, we couldn't get the portrait mode to work, all of the shots came out with non-blurred backgrounds.
Video
Video processing hasn't changed as well and that also means that 8K video at 30fps is available. That's one of the few smartphones on the market that can do 8K at 30fps as they usually cap at 24fps. It's needless to say that the videos look a lot smoother at 30fps and the sharpness is undeniable. The level of detail is impressive and we can still spot some oversharpening halos, which can be seen mostly on trees and subjects with finer detail.
The 2160p video, on the other hand, isn't impressive by any means. Colors are accurate and dynamic range is looking good. Sharpness could be better and we are not comparing it to the 8K footage.
The 1080p sample video isn't looking any better - the processing looks identical but with less detail.
EIS is available at 4K and makes the video look a lot smoother. Even with a bit of faster walking or more aggressive panning, the stabilized video isn't shaky. This time around, nubia has provided a toggle that lets you switch between handheld and tripod mode. Of course, the former cuts some of the field of view to make the EIS work.
And here's a video without EIS for comparison.
You can also take a look at our video compare tool and see how the nubia Red Magic 5S stacks against some of its rivals.
4K: nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 and the nubia Red Magic 3S in our Video compare tool
The competition
More than five months after the release of the Red Magic 5G, its successor must deal with similar competition from the likes of Asus and Xiaomi. Sure, there are some offerings with powerful hardware at an even lower price, like the Poco F2 Pro, for example, or the newly released Zenfone 7, which is slightly more expensive but in the same ballpark. However, you probably won't be reading this review if you are hunting for an affordable flagship phone. What we have here is strictly a gaming phone. And the options there aren't plenty.
Unfortunately, the Black Shark 3 Pro still hasn't made it to our office and it appears that the device is out of stock according to the global Black Shark store. You can probably find it elsewhere for a little over €600 - pretty close to Red Magic 5S' starting price of €579. And since things haven't changed much for the Red Magic 5 family and the Black Shark 3 lineup, our conclusions still stand.
The Black Shark 3 Pro will charge faster out of the box with the provided charger, the larger battery and the bigger 7.1-inch display with higher resolution can be considered as an advantage. We also suspect that camera performance will be better, but we can't say for sure. You also similar shoulder triggers like the nubia.
On the other hand, the Red Magic 5S offers superior - in this regard - OLED panel with 144Hz refresh rate as opposed to the 90Hz panel on Black Shark 3 Pro.
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro • Asus ROG Phone 3 ZS661KS • Lenovo Legion Duel
The second alternative is not the Asus ROG Phone II anymore. We now have the ROG Phone 3 with an updated 144Hz OLED panel and the most powerful Snapdragon 865+ chipset on the market. You also get a rich ecosystem with accessories and longer battery life, mostly due to the dynamic refresh rate switching and the considerably larger battery. Camera performance, although not the best, is still more consistent and dependable than the one on the Red Magic 5S. Not to mention the broader support for HRR-capable games.
Nevertheless, nubia's offering has the price tag on its side, and it's hard to argue with that. Most of the gaming-related features that the ROG Phone 3 has, the Red Magic 5S has as well. So it's really up to you to decide whether the ROG Phone 3 is worth two Red Magic 5S'.
Finally, we have something from Lenovo to look forward to. The Lenovo Legion Duel has plans to arrive to the global market (except for the US), so it's very much a viable option. And judging from the Chinese pricing, it won't be too far off from the Red Magic 5S. We suspect it boasts the same 6.65-inch AMOLED with a 144Hz refresh rate, but it also has the edge over the 5S with Snapdragon 865+. That 90W charging is also something to consider, especially on a big 5,000 mAh battery.
Verdict
When we first reviewed the Red Magic 5G, we were pretty sure it has a considerable edge over its competitors in terms of price/performance and feature/performance ratios. But things have changed now, and we have the Asus ROG Phone 3 as an excellent high-end alternative and the Lenovo Legion Duel as a similarly-priced, feature-packed, performance beast.
And when you account for the still unreliable camera performance, questionable software support, and uninspiring battery life, it's becoming hard to recommend the 5S in the second half of 2020. You might want to hold off to see what the Lenovo Legion Duel is capable of so you can make an infomed decision before pulling the trigger.
Pros
- Nice build and flashy, gaming-centric design.
- Still one of the best gaming 144Hz displays available on the market.
- Really good price/performance ratio.
- Great sustained performance.
- Nice-sounding stereo loudspeakers.
- The shoulder triggers are a boon to mobile gaming.
- Can record 8K videos in 30fps.
- Speedy charging (if you buy the 55W charger).
Cons
- Not many games can provide framerates to match screen refresh rate.
- Underwhelming camera performance.
- Disappointing battery life (in 144Hz mode) considering the capacity.
- Although a bit better, the software still needs some work and better translation.
- Outside of China, the 55W charger doesn't come bundled.
- Not the hardware upgrade that we've expected, just a small improvement in storage.
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