REDMAGIC 11 Air Review – Serious Upgrade?

Yes, it’s another REDMAGIC phone. But it’s hard to grumble when they’re of this standard and quality. The fact they’re tailored for gamers is just a welcome bonus.

So what’s new from the previous release, and does it really do much from last year’s model – or the more powerful 11 Pro? Read on to find out. 

Out the box

Straight out the box this is undeniably another REDMAGIC product. It’s got a transparent rear panel that’s toting cyberpunk style glyphs as well as RGB lighting making it a phone that might not look like everyone’s cup of tea – but is certainly eyecatching.

As for size, it’s the same as its predecessor by and large. It’s a boxy shape with a flat display and sharp corners. 

It feels good in your hands though, and despite the name has a pleasing weight to it. The fact it’s a mere 23 grams lighter than the REDMAGIC 11 Pro says it all. 

What’s new, and what’s old?

The screen is perhaps one of the most notable upgrades on the previous Air model. The REDMAGIC 11 Air now matches the Pro models, boasting a 144Hz refresh rate. That’s up from 120Hz on the last model, and you can see the step up when using it straight away. 

It’s an OLED panel, and during our time with the device we saw some superb black levels as well as vibrant colours. The device peaks at 1800 nits brightness, which isn’t the highest amongst smartphones gets the job done. 

There’s also an active-cooling fan, which is at the expense of only 2 extra grams of weight over the 10 Air. You also get an under-display selfie camera technology, with the selfie camera craftily hidden away on the face of the device. 

In terms of camera the REDMAGIC 11 Air has the same snapper as the 10 Air – a 50MP main camera, with 1/1.55-inch sensor, and a 50MP ultrawide. 

Although we didn’t use the cameras extensively they took solid snaps – but we certainly wouldn’t say this was the device’s strongest area.

Performance and gaming

Because this is a device that’s been designed for gamers, and in this area the REDMAGIC 11 Air doesn’t disappoint. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and RedCore R1 processor, along with 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and dual stereo speakers.

Whst this means, in short, is that it offers a superb experience if you’re seriously into your mobile gaming. Every title worked flawlessly on the device, running with no hiccups and all of them looking superb on the display. 

The Snapdragon 8 Elite isn’t the newest chip on the market, but is more than enough if the 11 Air is anything to go by. 

As for actual comparisons, the 11 Air performs to about the standard of the REDMAGIC 10 Pro. So as said any game can be handled, alongside some fairly extensive emulation if that’s your bag.  

There are also a few gamer focused extras that we personally didn’t care for, but are nice to have. There’s REDMAGIC’s mascot and AI assistant Mora that you can communicate with in games, and even set voice commands to trigger in-game actions. 

As for how the device’s 7000mAh battery battery holds up, it was at around the 30% mark after a day of extensive use – and yes, that includes a lot of gaming. Not includes more graphically intensive titles as well. 

Conclusion

The REDMAGIC 11 Air offers no real surprises, but that’s as much of a compliment as it is a criticism. That’s because this is another supreme device by REDMAGIC that offers a superb experience if you’re a mobile gamer.