ZTE just announced its latest gaming smartphone in its Nubia Red Magic lineup and it comes with the most impressive spec sheet we have seen so far. The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G packs the highest refresh rate screen you will find in the market today, at 144Hz, together with the latest flagship chipset from Qualcomm – the Snapdragon 865. Other key features include a 16GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.0 storage, dual-mode 5G connectivity and a 64MP main camera.

ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G Features
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G boasts of a highly sophisticated air-coooling system that combines a spinning fan with a heat-sink chamber, which nubia claims can reduce the CPU temperature by up to 18°C. The cooling solution also kicks in while the phone is charging at its peak 55W speeds to prevent any overheating issues and ensure even faster top ups.
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The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G comes with a 6.65 inch FHD+ (2340x1080pixels) AMOLED panel with sleek top and bottom bezels. There’s an 8MP selfie cam on the top as well as a built-in optical fingerprint scanner. The 144Hz refresh rate is accompanied by 240Hz touch-sensing which should ensure buttery-smooth interaction and gaming on supported titles.
The Snapdragon 865 chipset sits at the helm alongside the X55 modem. RAM ranges from 8GB to 16GB while storage is of the speedy UFS 3.0 type – it starts at 128GB and maxes out at 256GB.
Moving to the aluminum back, you will find the 64MO Sony IMX686 main camera which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP macro shooter. It wouldn’t be a proper gaming phone without some extravagant lighting effects and the Red Magic 5G packs an RGB light panel.
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Another gaming feature that made a return is the capacitive shoulder triggers which now boast an impressive 300Hz sampling rate which should result in minimal touch input latency. The Nubia Red Magic 5G comes with a 4500mAh battery, which should enable lengthy gaming sessions.
Moving to the software-front, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G is covered by Red Magic OS which sits on top of Android 10. Other notable features include Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, a headphone jack and a 3 microphone setup for optimal audio capture.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G Release Date
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G global release date is scheduled for April this year, but pre-orders are already ongoing in China, and sales will commence from March 19, 2020 in the same country. The phone will be offered in the following colours – Black, Mars Red, and Cyber Neon, as well as limited Transient Edition.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G Price
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G price are as follows – the base 8/128GB version will go for CNY3,799 ($540), there’s also a 12/128GB variant for CNY4,099 ($585), a 12/256GB model for CNY4,399 ($625) and a top of the range 16GB RAM and 256GB storage version for CNY4,999 ($712).
The Transparent Edition will go for CNY 4,599 ($655) in its 12/256 GB trim while the 16/256GB model will set buyers back CNY 5,199 ($740).
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G Specification
NETWORK | |
Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 |
CDMA 800 / 1900 | |
3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 |
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | |
4G bands | LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 12(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 26(850), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) |
5G | 5G band 41(2500), 78(3500), 79(4700); SA/NSA |
Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A, 5G |
LAUNCH | |
Announced | 2020, March 12 |
Status | Coming soon. Exp. release 2020, March 19 |
BODY | |
Dimensions | 168.6 x 78 x 9.8 mm (6.64 x 3.07 x 0.39 in) |
Weight | 218 g (7.69 oz) |
Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, aluminum frame |
SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
RGB light panel (on the back) Pressure sensitive zones (300Hz touch-sensing) Built-in cooling fan |
DISPLAY | |
Type | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
Size | 6.65 inches, 108.6 cm2 (~82.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~388 ppi density) |
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass |
DCI-P3 100% 144Hz 240Hz touch-sensing |
PLATFORM | |
OS | Android 10.0; Redmagic 3.0 |
Chipset | Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+) |
CPU | Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585) |
GPU | Adreno 650 |
MEMORY | |
Card slot | No |
Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM |
UFS 3.0 |
MAIN CAMERA | |
Triple |
64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, (ultrawide) 2 MP, (macro) |
Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
Video | 4320p, 2160p@30/60fps, 1920fps |
SELFIE CAMERA | |
Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide) |
Features | HDR |
Video | 1080p@30fps |
SOUND | |
Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
3.5mm jack | Yes |
32-bit/384kHz audio |
COMMS | |
WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, aptX, LE |
GPS | Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
NFC | Yes |
Radio | No |
USB | 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go; accessory connector |
FEATURES | |
Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
BATTERY | |
Non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery | |
Charging | Fast charging 55W, 56% in 15 min, 100% in 40 min (advertised) |
MISC | |
Colors | Black, Mars Red, Cyber Neon, Transparent |
Models | NX659J |
Price | About 500 EUR |