Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro: World’s First Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Gaming Smartphone Launches in the U.S.

The world’s first gaming smartphone equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the RedMagic 8 Pro, was just introduced by Nubia. The RedMagic 8 Pro series includes The RedMagic 8 Pro and RedMagic 8 Pro+, and both devices are available in China now but will be released in other markets, including the United States, on Jan 16, 2023.

RedMagic 8 Pro is set to be one of the most powerful gaming smartphones out there due to its advanced processor, the first and foremost factor when choosing a smartphone to play games. RedMagic 8 Pro phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, ensuring a smoother and faster gaming experience. RedMagic has also included a custom R2 chip, which improves graphics and touch sensitivity and handles haptic vibration. 

The chipmaker claimed that its new Snapdragon Mobile SoC will deliver up to 35 percent higher performance and 40 percent power efficiency compared to Gen 1, which was used in the previous RegMagic series. The first generation of the Snapdragon 8 was produced using Samsung’s 4nm fabrication node, which was poorly received due to performance throttling issues, short battery life, and worse thermals. With the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm shifted to a 4nm production process with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and experienced solid progress in both performance and thermal efficiency. Despite the long-standing relationship between Samsung and Qualcomm, Samsung’s 3nm yield rate was less than 20%, with some wafers even having a yield rate of only 10%. On the other hand, TSMC’s yield rate for 3nm should be between 70% and 75%.

The problem for Qualcomm and other chip producers is that price is paid per wafer, and generating fewer chips means a higher price for a chipset for the smartphone manufacturer, which would mean a higher market price, a price hike that would ultimately benefit no one. This is most likely the reason Qualcomm chose TSMC to produce their next-generation chipsets.

Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset was officially announced on Nov 15, 2022. The chip maker has already confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be adopted by several OEMs such as Asus ROG, Vivo, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Red Magic, Honor, iQOO, Motorola, Nubia, Sharp, Sony, Meizu, and ZTE, throughout 2023. 

In direct competition with the ROG Phone from Asus, this smartphone is the first to integrate Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the company’s most effective chip to date.

The new RegMagic 8 Pro series comes with the ICE 11.0 cooling system, which according to the manufacturer features the largest VC liquid cooling plate in the industry. According to Nubia, this technique can reduce the phone’s temperature by as much as 16 degrees. This allows the processor to operate at full capacity for longer periods, resulting in higher sustained performance than other phones.

The RedMagic 8 Pro has a 6000mAh battery with 80W fast charging, while the Pro+ model has a 5,000mAh battery with 165W charging capabilities. This is a 30W increase over the RedMagic 7 Pro and RedMagic 7S Pro, making it the fastest-charging RedMagic phone. The Pro+ version can be charged up from 0 to 100% in 14 minutes. However, international variants may have a slower charging speed. 

Both the RedMagic 8 Pro and RedMagic 8 Pro+ from Nubia have a massive 6.8-inch screen, making them larger than an iPhone 14 Pro Max or a Galaxy S22+. With a refresh rate of 120Hz, the visuals will be fluid and dynamic.

The RedMagic 8 Pro has a starting price of ¥3,999 (~$575) and RedMagic 8 Pro Plus is ¥5,199 (~$747) in China. Once global pricing is available, it is expected that these phones will offer excellent value considering their impressive specifications.

Overall, RedMagic 8 Pro, the world’s first gaming smartphone based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, its advanced performance, new cooling system, enhanced battery life, and fair pricing, will perform the serious competition in the market.

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