Our Verdict
RedMagic is aware of the right way to play to its area of interest and has delivered a contender for one of the best Android gaming pill available on the market. Its efficiency is unbelievable, the show is vivid and easy, and the Sport Area software program provides to the expertise. There is perhaps higher all-rounders, however for those who’re on the lookout for one thing purely for play, that is the one.
- High-tier gaming efficiency
- 144Hz refresh charges
- Sport Area software program
- Inexpensive
- No OLED
- Barely chunky bezels
- No Sport Area button
Within the smartphone world, RedMagic is synonymous with top-tier cellular gaming. It’s liable for one in all this 12 months’s finest gaming telephones, the RedMagic 9S Professional, and now it’s increasing into the pill area with the RedMagic Nova. Nonetheless, it faces some stiff competitors, with Apple, Samsung, Honor, and extra all releasing new tablets in current months.
Whereas it would appear like another pill from the skin, dig a bit of deeper, and it’s clear why RedMagic isn’t shying away from taking over the large names. It’s a efficiency beast, using among the finest Android processors to supply a gaming expertise that few can match on the $500 value level whereas nonetheless providing many of the multitasking and video streaming options you need from an iPad equal. Nonetheless, the query stays: how does the Nova straight evaluate to the picks on our listing of one of the best gaming tablets? Let’s discover out.
Why you may belief our recommendation ✔ At Pocket Ways, our consultants spend days testing video games, telephones, tech, and companies. We at all times share sincere opinions that will help you purchase one of the best. Discover out how we check.
Value and availability
The RedMagic Nova gaming pill is now accessible from the official RedMagic web site. You possibly can select from both the 256GB+12GB or 512GB+16GB configurations, beginning at $499 and $649, respectively. Whichever you go for, it is best to have greater than sufficient area to retailer a set of your favourite cellular video games. When it comes to colorways, it’s accessible in simply Midnight, which is someplace between gray and black.
Specs
Listed here are the RedMagic Nova’s specs:
Show | 10.9-inch 144Hz IPS LCD (1800 x 2880 pixels) |
Battery | 10,100mAh |
Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model |
RAM | 12GB / 16GB / 25GB |
Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
Cameras | 20MP entrance, 50MP again |
Weight | 530g |
Dimensions | 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3mm |
Colours | Midnight |
Options and software program
The RedMagic Nova runs on the model’s personal RedMagicOS Android 14 pores and skin, which is a superbly effective little bit of software program. It’s not as simplified and useable as Apple’s iPad iOS, but it surely’s additionally not as clunky as a few of the different Android skins on the market. Its theming could be very gamer-centric, however you may customise that within the settings if you need it to really feel much less such as you’re utilizing a 14-year-old boy’s pill.
When it comes to bloatware apps, there aren’t hundreds, however you continue to should do a little bit of upkeep when you’ve arrange the pill (and no matter you do, don’t comply with obtain all of the knock-off cellular video games once you first load it up). It’s not anyplace as egregious as a few of the examples of bloatware I’ve come throughout on telephones just like the Xiaomi 14T and Nubia Flip 5G, although, so I can hardly complain.
Shifting on to gaming-specific software program, there’s RedMagic’s Sport Area, which I’m already used to having spent a little bit of time with the RedMagic 9S Professional. With a sport open, all you must do is pull the Sport Area overlay out from the left of the show, and also you’re good to go. From right here, you may file gameplay, flip off notifications, or boot up purpose help, all with out taking your self away from the motion. There are many different Sport Area options, however the listing is just too lengthy for this text.
Sport Area is a good software, however I nonetheless suppose there may very well be just a few enhancements. For a begin, I’d moderately find out about my body charges than GPU or CPU efficiency, and the software program places these particulars entrance and heart. It’s additionally a bit complicated, and I can see players who aren’t too bothered in regards to the particulars simply avoiding it altogether moderately than threat the confusion of determining what all of the totally different buttons and settings do. I’m not saying it’s a nasty factor to have a lot freedom to configure, but it surely may not be user-friendly sufficient for some.
Design and audio
Purely when it comes to design, there’s not a lot that helps the Nova stand out when taking a look at its show. It’s not at all ugly, but it surely’s comparatively plain and serves as a reminder that manufacturers like RedMagic and Asus are forsaking these types of edgy designs you would possibly affiliate with gaming tablets and telephones. There are not any splashes of pink throughout the bezels, stick-on flames, or cases of the phrase ‘gamer’ in graffiti anyplace on the entrance of the factor. I just like the simplicity, but it surely is perhaps a bit tame for some.
You will discover a barely attention-grabbing design function on the rear, although. The pill has a clear part alongside the highest of the again cowl that appears like a window into the pill’s inside workings and cooling system. I say seems like as a result of there’s some trickery afoot, and also you’re not really taking a look at what you suppose you’re. Nonetheless, it’s good to see a model attempt new issues with the pretty inflexible limitations of pill design, even for those who hardly ever see it.
Whereas I’m eager on the Nova’s understated design, I want RedMagic had added the identical Sport Area button to the pad that you will discover on the 9S Professional cellular phone. There’s one thing about flicking that change and going into the Sport Area overlay that will get you within the zone, but it surely’s not the identical right here. I’d additionally fairly like a 3.5mm jack, as I nonetheless personal a pair of dependable wired headphones for gaming, however I’ve had to make use of my lower-quality Bluetooth earbuds whereas testing.
With regards to audio, the Nova has a fairly first rate set of audio system, and so they’re loud sufficient that you simply don’t have to connect with a Bluetooth speaker for those who’re seeking to hearken to music or stream a movie. The sound high quality isn’t wonderful, with some noticeable muddiness within the low-end in comparison with my 2021 iPad Mini, however contemplating the worth level, you may’t have all the things, and I’d moderately discover the audio a bit of flat than the visuals.
Show
The RedMagic Nova may need among the finest LCDs I’ve seen on a pill, even when it’s nonetheless a bit disappointing that it’s not OLED. I’ve bought a Nintendo Swap OLED, a Steam Deck OLED, and my day-to-day cellphone is an Honor Magic6 Professional, with, you guessed it, an OLED show. All of those gadgets have made me a little bit of a display snob, however the Nova nonetheless impresses; there’s just a bit much less depth of colour than you would possibly get from a pill with an OLED.
The Nova’s 144Hz refresh charges aren’t simply larger than something we’ve seen from Apple’s iPad sequence but additionally beat out my Steam Deck, Swap, and Honor cellphone. Because of this whereas the on-screen colours may not be fairly as vivid as these OLED gadgets, the in-game motion is as easy as easy will get, and I solely needed to play half an hour of Zenless Zone Zero to see this for myself. The leap from 120Hz to 144Hz isn’t massively noticeable, however for those who put the 2 aspect by aspect, you may see that the upper refresh price is a bit nicer on the attention.
Nonetheless, the Nova’s show isn’t excellent. Its bezels are a bit of chunkier than I’d like. They’re not imposing, however I’ve seen equally priced tablets with extra display retail property, and that’s a fairly vital issue when it’s a gaming-specific machine like this. I would like as a lot display as attainable, particularly if I play one thing with tiny in-game textual content. Nonetheless, this isn’t an issue unique to this pill, and the bezels are simply as massive on Apple’s newly introduced iPad Mini.
It’s additionally value declaring that with a peak brightness of 550 nits, you would possibly wrestle utilizing the Nova in direct daylight, although I haven’t been in a position to put this to the check as I’m within the UK and it’s autumn, so it’s always gloomy. Oh effectively, all of the extra purpose to spend extra time gaming indoors. Poor me.
Efficiency
On condition that the RedMagic Nova is a gaming-specific pill, you’d hope this factor packs sufficient horsepower to make cellular gaming a delight. Excellent news; it does. That’s not a lot of a shock contemplating it’s packing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model chipset, a juiced-up model of the processor powering 2024’s finest gaming telephones, together with the RedMagic 9S Professional.
When it’s time to check tablets and telephones, I usually use video games like Honkai Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero to see whether or not I can push a tool to its limits, as each are fairly performance-intensive, particularly for those who dial as much as 60fps gameplay. The Nova takes these video games in its stride, even in busy sequences with a number of characters on-screen. I doubt there’s a cellular sport on the market it could actually’t deal with, and whereas I’ve not tried it myself, I’m positive it’s greater than possible a monster with regards to emulation, too.
Not solely is the Nova a efficiency beast, but it surely additionally makes use of some fairly subtle cooling tech to make sure issues by no means get too sizzling to deal with. I’m not going to delve into the difficult particulars an excessive amount of right here, however the mixture of a robust inside fan and modern cooling tube means your arms by no means get toasty whereas gaming. Higher nonetheless, that fan by no means will get as loud as my Steam Deck OLED, which sometimes sounds prefer it’s readying for takeoff moderately than attempting to maintain up with the calls for of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Battery
The RedMagic Nova’s 10,100mAh battery is a blended bag, as whilst you can tinker with the settings to make gaming all day with out charging a chance, it drains battery faster in standby mode than another Android pill I’ve used. It’s 2024, and I’m not used to turning issues off as soon as I’ve completed with them for the day, so I’d usually choose up the Nova the next morning with much less battery than I anticipated. Nonetheless, I’d moderately that than lose upwards of 30% battery in an hour whereas gaming, which isn’t an issue with the Nova.
When it comes to charging time, the RedMagic pill juices from flat again as much as 100% in slightly below an hour, supplied you’re utilizing the charger from the field. You possibly can’t argue with these speeds, and it’s a lot faster than many Android pill and iPad equivalents, even Apple’s 2024 flagship iPad Professional. If, like me, you at all times neglect to place your machine on cost till simply as you’re on the point of go away the home, a 25% enhance from quarter-hour of charging is greater than optimum.
RedMagic Nova cameras
The RedMagic Nova’s cameras are okay, and that’s about as excited as I can get about them. The 20MP selfie digital camera is strong sufficient for video calling, however for those who’re a giant selfie-taker, I’d suggest utilizing your cellphone as an alternative. Selfies I’ve taken lack a bit of definition, and whilst you might spend time modifying them, that isn’t actually what that is for.
On the again, the Nova has a 50MP lens, however don’t let that megapixel rely idiot you into pondering this is similar form of digital camera high quality you’d get on an Android flagship cellphone. Once more, it’s not an terrible digital camera, and you may seize some first rate photographs if the lighting is good, but it surely’s nonetheless lower than the usual as one thing you’d get on a mid-range or flagship smartphone.
Do you have to purchase the RedMagic Nova gaming pill?
In case you’re on the lookout for a pill for the specific objective of gaming, I’d suggest the RedMagic Nova above all else. On simply the gaming expertise alone, you’d suppose this factor is way more costly than its $500 price ticket, beating out costlier tablets and smartphones within the efficiency division. Add to that the shortage of issues round thermals, and there’s little higher for a little bit of Honkai Star Rail, PUBG Cellular, or Diablo Immortal. Decide your poison; the Nova can deal with it.
Nonetheless, for those who’re on the lookout for a pill that doubles as a creativity station or selfie machine, there are higher choices. The identical goes for anybody on the lookout for a pill only for a little bit of streaming. In that regard, it’s a bit like shopping for a supercar that you simply’re solely ever going to make use of for selecting up groceries. Simply seize an inexpensive second-hand iPad and be performed with it.
Options
If we haven’t bought you on the RedMagic Nova, take a look at our options for alternate options beneath.
iPad Air M2
Apple is the pill market chief for a purpose, and whereas the Nova is perhaps one of the best for gaming, the most recent iPad Air takes the cake in virtually each different division. Its iPadOS software program is extra user-friendly, and its Apple Pencil compatibility makes it a greater possibility for anybody who needs to stability gaming with some creativity. The caveat is that it’s a bit costlier, however there’s nonetheless loads of worth for cash. If you need the complete lowdown, take a look at our iPad Air assessment.
OnePlus Pad 2
In case you’re on the lookout for extra of an all-rounder pill, the OnePlus Pad 2 is one other improbable possibility. Your alternative is right here easy: if you need one thing for gaming, go for the Nova, however for those who prefer to get inventive, go for the OnePlus Pad 2. Each are virtually precisely the identical value and have comparable LCD screens and Snapdragon chipsets, so it would finally come right down to model allegiances.