The RedMagic 11 Air is no looker, but you won't find better gaming
performance for the money

Date:
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
RedMagic doubles down on gaming performance with its latest budget device, at the expense of a few quality-of-life features.

FULL STORY ======================================================================RedMagic
11 Air: Two-minute review Like its lightweight predecessor, the RedMagic 10 Air , the RedMagic 11 Air represents a smart piece of repurposing. It takes the RedMagic 10 Pro and slims down the package, losing a few pounds (not to mention some camera capabilities) and resulting in a temptingly approachable gaming phone.

At an asking price of less than $500 / 500, youre getting a hugely capable performer with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and ample memory. Its not up there with the very fastest phones on the market, thanks to the inclusion of
a slightly older chip, but its still capable of running the most demanding games at high frame rates. Thanks to remappable trigger buttons and parent company Nubias custom Game Space gaming UI, its a well-optimized way to play competitive online games like Call of Duty : Mobile .

RedMagic has improved on its first Air phone in a couple of ways, most
notably by reinstating the physical cooling fan for superior sustained performance. You also get a superior 144Hz display and a significantly larger 7,000mAh battery. (Image credit: Future) You could argue that this is all a case of Nubia strengthening where it was already strong while neglecting the rest of the package. None of our key complaints about the RedMagic 10 Air
have been addressed.

RedMagic OS continues to be a messy, clunky Android UI. The camera system, too, continues to underwhelm, with selfies a particular low point. Even at this low price, you can get a much better photographic experience if youre willing to compromise on gaming output.

Indeed, in certain ways, the RedMagic 11 Air represents a downgrade from its predecessor, with a clumsier design and an inferior ultra-wide camera. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

If gaming is a priority, however, you wont find a more capable device for
less than $500 / 500.

Theres ample room for improvement, but this Nubia sub-brand continues to supply the best value gaming phones on the market. RedMagic 11 Air review: price and availability (Image credit: Future) From $499 / 439 / 499 Launched on February 11, 2026 The RedMagic 11 Air hit shelves on February 11, 2026, in a choice of two colors and two memory/storage variants. Its available from redmagic.gg as well as selected retail partners.

Pricing starts at $499 / 439 / 499 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model were reviewing here, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, costs $629
/ 529 / 599.

While the phone is confirmed to be available in Australia, RedMagic only provides a global price of $499 (which works out to about AU$725) for the 256GB model and $599 (about AU$864) for the 512GB model on its website.

There arent too many phones at this kind of price offering this level of performance. In the official reviewers guide, Nubia itself reveals that it views the Poco F8 Pro as its most direct rival, but even that starts at 549, and isn't available in the US. Value score: 4.5 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally RedMagic 11 Air specs Header Cell - Column 0 Header Cell - Column 1

Dimensions:

163.82 x 76.54 x 7.85mm

Weight:

207g

Display:

6.8-inch AMOLED (2,688 x 1,216) up to 144Hz

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

RAM:

12GB, 16GB

Storage:

256GB, 512GB

OS:

Android 16

Primary camera:

50MP 1/1.55-inch sensor

Ultra-wide camera:

8MP 1/4.0-inch sensor

Front Camera:

16MP 1/2.77-inch sensor

Battery:

7,000mAh

Charging:

80W wired (international)

Colors:

Phantom, Prism RedMagic 11 Air review: design (Image credit: Future) Slimmer and lighter than the bulky Pro line Has regressed from the appealing RedMagic 10 Air design Cooling fan reinstated I described the RedMagic 10 Air as by
far the best-looking gaming phone RedMagic has ever made" in my RedMagic 10 Air review . Sadly, I dont think the RedMagic has managed to keep up the good work.

After last years model eased back from the Pro lines overt gamer aesthetic with a clean etched glass back and subtle branding, the RedMagic 11 Air steps right back on the gas.

There are only two fairly nondescript colors in Phantom (black) and Prism (white), but both have the brands signature semi-transparent finish. This allows some fake circuit board details to show through, as well as a sprinkling of RGB lighting around the camera and within the new side vent.

As looks go, its not to my taste, nor is it likely to appeal to anyone else above the age of 30. Perhaps that youthful air (pun unintended) is the whole point. (Image credit: Future) Cheapened looks aside, the truly impressive
feat here is that RedMagic has managed to reimplement a mechanical cooling
fan (hence the RGB-adorned side vent) without adding any real bulk to the phone.

At 7.85mm thick and 207g, the RedMagic 11 Air is about the same thickness and only 2g heavier than the RedMagic 10 Air before it. Whats more, with dimensions of 163.8 x 76.5mm, the newer phone actually has a smaller
footprint than its 164.3 x 76.6mm predecessor.

An IP54 dust and water resistance rating makes a return to the spec sheet, which is far from the best out there. However, an aluminum alloy Frame and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i screen (with Gorilla Glass 5 on the back) provide a suitably tough exterior.

There are a handful of extra gaming-oriented controls on the edges of the phone. On the right edge, flanking the power and volume buttons, are the brands signature 520Hz capacitive shoulder buttons. In many games, these can be mapped to key controls think aim and shoot in Destiny Rising or brake and accelerate in GRID Legends .

On the left edge of the phone, theres a red Magic Key button dedicated to booting up the Game Space UI, which offers quick access to installed games
and individual game settings. Its still remappable, should you wish to attribute it to a more generic function like a camera or flashlight shortcut, but its now a rather bland rectangle instead of the 10 Airs dimpled circle. Design score: 3.5 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: display (Image credit: Future) 6.85-inch AMOLED 2688 x 1216 resolution 144Hz refresh rate 1800-nit peak brightness If the RedMagic 11 Airs design represents a disappointing climb down from the good work started in the RedMagic 10 Air, then the phones display is a marked improvement.

One of the letdowns with the RedMagic 10 Air was that it followed directly on from the RedMagic 10 Pro with its much-improved display. Im glad to report that the RedMagic 11 Air adopts the latters upgraded panel.

Its a slightly bigger 6.85-inch OLED than before with a sharper 2688 x 1216 resolution (up from 2,480 x 1,116) and a more fluid 144Hz maximum refresh
rate (up from 120Hz). The top brightness of 1,800 nits is an upgrade, too, compared to the RedMagic 10 Airs 1,600 nits.

All of these improvements have positive ramifications for gaming, though relatively few games are able to output frame rates over 120fps.

In general use, this is a sharp, bright display that outputs vibrant colours by default. These can be toned down using the flexible Color Mode menu in Settings.

Another pro-gaming feature is the implementation of an under-display front camera. This offers a blissfully unbroken view of gaming and indeed video content, though it also has a pretty disastrous impact on selfies. Display score: 4.5 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: cameras (Image credit: Future) 50MP main with OIS 8MP ultra-wide 16MP selfie camera Up to 8K/30fps video Photographic expectations are always quite low when a new RedMagic phone
rolls around. Aggressively priced gaming phone is not a description that gets us thinking of excellent snaps.

However, the RedMagic 11 Airs camera system is a disappointment even by such modest standards. There hasnt been any positive movement on the photographic front since last years RedMagic 10 Air. In fact, theres been some regression.

While the RedMagic 11 Air packs the same 50MP 1/1.55" f/1.9 main camera
sensor as its predecessor, theres now an inferior 8MP 1/4.0" f/2.2
ultra-wide. The latter is both smaller and less pixel-packed than its predecessor, which isn't the direction of travel we've come to expect.

You still dont get a third camera sensor either, which means that theres no dedicated telephoto camera for zoomed shots.

This main sensor isn't a terrible performer. In decent lighting, it can grab reasonably sharp shots with rich (albeit not hugely natural-looking) colours. Night shots, while far from best-in-class, are fairly clear, aided by OIS and strong image processing from the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. That new 8MP ultra-wide doesnt get anywhere close to the main sensor, though, neither in terms of sharpness nor contrast. The tone can be markedly different, in fact, and can suffer from blown-out highlights.

That lack of a telephoto camera makes for some seriously limited zoomed
shots, too. The detail quickly falls away past 2x, with 5x and 10x snaps
badly lacking in crispness.

The weakest performance, however, is reserved for the RedMagic 11 Airs 16MP under-display front camera. As weve mentioned, RedMagic has made the decision to prioritize an obstruction-free display in the name of an optimal gaming experience. Thats been achieved at the expense of any kind of quality on selfies. Theyre some of the worst youll find on any phone, making faces look fuzzy and indistinct. Yuck.

Video recording is pretty good, at least on paper, with support for 8K at 30fps or (more usefully) 4K at 60fps. But really, if you have any serious ambitions to capture the world around you, you'll do yourself a favor and go with a non-gaming phone. Camera score: 3 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: camera samples Image 1 of 25 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) RedMagic 11 Air review: performance (Image credit: Future) Snapdragon 8 Elite chip isnt the latest, but its fast Cooling fan reinstated 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.1 storage RedMagic has fitted its latest Air device with a straight-up generational performance upgrade, via Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

Thats no longer the latest or most capable chip on the market youll need to go for the slightly more expensive RedMagic 11 Pro if you want the ultimate mobile gaming performance but its still more than fast enough to run
advanced games at high settings. Especially if you opt for the higher model with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which is the one I was testing though the baseline 12GB variant should provide ample performance for most. I was able to run Destiny: Rising and GRID Legends on higher settings with pleasingly smooth frame rates.

CPU and GPU benchmark results, too, are broadly in line with the 2025
flagship phone brigade, which in turn arent too far off 2026 phones like the OnePlus 15 .

Whats more interesting is how the RedMagic 11 Air performs over sustained periods. Thanks to the return of a dedicated cooling fan (on top of a meaty vapor chamber), the phone yielded consistent results across 3DMarks high-end stress tests.

A stability score of 95% in the demanding 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test is better than any modern flagship phone, not to mention the RedMagic 10 Air (which managed 89.8%). This implies that the SoC doesnt have to throttle back due to high running temperatures, which is what typically happens with non-gaming phones under prolonged GPU load.

Its not the absolute fastest phone on the market, then, but the RedMagic 11 Air is still a strong performer and it can stay fast for longer than most. Performance score: 4.5 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: software (Image credit: Future) RedMagic OS 11 on Android 16 Fluid but ugly UI Dedicated gaming interface RedMagic phones have always punched above their weight on raw performance, but the software experience has been universally below par. The RedMagic 11 Air doesnt do anything to change that dim outlook.

This is the same RedMagic OS 11, layered on top of Android 16, that I wrote about towards the end of 2025 with the RedMagic 11 Pro .

Its a perfectly functional take on Android, with fluid animations and the usual menus in broadly the right places. But its also ugly, with clumsy interface elements (theres a blank app icon simply marked Unknown on my test unit) and a largely redundant widget that serves as a manual control for the fan.

Above this widget can be found More Games and More Apps folders, offering download prompts for poor-quality sponsored apps. Suffice to say, you almost certainly wont want any of these cluttering up your storage.

Dont forget those preinstalled TikTok, Facebook, and Booking.com apps,
either, nor RedMagics own web browser. Inessential, one and all.

Scroll to the left of the Home Screen, and youll find not the classic Google Feed, but an unpleasant home-brewed amalgam that includes step-counting and weather widgets, as well as a universal search bar towards the top. (Image credit: Future) Beneath that, a Recommended apps banner thats filled with those aforementioned cheap and not-so-cheerful sponsored apps. A little lower down, an extended news pane supplying assorted local stories, very few of which were of any interest to me.

Hopefully, a firmware update will revert this to a Google Feed, as was the case with the RedMagic 11 Pro. As things stand, it's a total waste of screen space.

As always, the high point here is RedMagics Game Space UI, which can be accessed through the Magic Key button. This lets you access your games while also adjusting game-related settings.

You can switch between CPU and GPU profiles, letting you either extract more performance or battery life from your gaming session. You can also adjust screen sensitivity and ratios, or in certain popular games play with custom plug-ins that automate certain in-game tasks.

During gameplay, you can swipe in from the corner of the screen to access an abbreviated version of this UI, which is also where you can map those
shoulder buttons.

RedMagic is committed to providing the 11 Air with just two major OS updates (meaning Android 17 and 18) and five years of security update support. Its
far from the best in this regard, even within the mid-range market. Software score: 3 / 5 RedMagic 11 Air review: battery life (Image credit: Future) 7,000mAh battery Multi-day usage 80W wired charging As we hinted at in the Design section, the RedMagic 11 Air still ranks as a pretty hefty bit of kit compared to non-gaming phones.

On the positive side, this means that the brand hasnt felt obliged to compromise on battery capacity, unlike genuinely skinny phones like the
iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge .

Indeed, RedMagic has actually increased the size of the battery since the RedMagic 10 Air. At 7,000mAh, its almost 17% bigger than before, and isnt too far off the class-leading OnePlus 15.

If you dont go heavy on media consumption, you can conceivably achieve multi-day battery life on a single charge. That means extending beyond the two-day mark that we would formerly have classed as 'very good'.

Naturally, thats not what the RedMagic 11 Air is designed for. Rather, the extra battery capacity lets you indulge in an extended session of Dredge (other Lovecraftian fishing games are available) on your commutes to and from work without having to worry about the phone making it to bedtime.

In this international model, theres support for 80W wired charging. No, its not the 120W that China gets, but its still pretty decent, and you get that charger in the box.

A full charge for me took a smidgen over an hour, but there is a Turbo charge option in the Battery Settings menu that can speed this up further.

You dont get the RedMagic 11 Pros wireless charging provision. That's a
shame, though it isn't particularly surprising given that the feature was
only recently introduced to the range, not to mention the budget status of
the Air. Battery score: 5 / 5 Should I buy the RedMagic 11 Air? Swipe to scroll horizontally RedMagic 11 Air score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

RedMagics design has always been somewhat gauche, but its disappointing to
see the 11 Air taking a backward step from its predecessor on this front.

3.5 / 5

Display

Big, sharp, bright, and fluid, this is an excellent display for the money,
and a genuine step up from the RedMagic 10 Air before it.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Its not the fastest phone on the market, but the RedMagic 11 Air will outperform virtually all of the 2025 Android crowd. Crucially, it stays fast over longer periods.

4.5 / 5

Camera

You dont expect a good camera system from a gaming phone, but the RedMagic 11 Airs is even worse than its predecessor, thanks to a downgraded ultra-wide.

3 / 5

Battery

With a meaty 7,000mAh battery, the RedMagic 11 Air will last multiple days of normal usage, and will still get you through a full day of heavy gaming.

5 / 5

Software

RedMagic OS 11 is functional, with some powerful custom gaming flourishes. However, its also ugly, with a disappointing level of support.

3 / 5

Value

For just $499 / 439, youre getting a phone that performs as well as if not better than the 2025 class of flagship phones.

4.5 / 5 Buy it if... Youre gaming on a budget Youre getting sustained
flagship performance for less than $500 / 450 here. No other phone can quite match that value proposition. Youre in the anti-notch brigade If you would do anything to get rid of the display notch, including accepting terrible selfies, then the RedMagic 11 Air has you covered. You love that nerdy PC gaming aesthetic With a boxy shape, a faux-transparent case, RGB lighting and a cooling vent, the RedMagic 11 Air aesthetic screams adolescent gamer. Don't buy it if... You want to take decent pictures The main camera isnt a write-off, but the 8MP ultra-wide is a downgrade and the 16MP selfie camera
is an abomination. You want the very best gaming phone possible Its very capable, but the pricier RedMagic 11 Pro is the phone to get if you want the ultimate mobile gaming performance. You appreciate software design This is an ugly custom Android UI, with pointless widgets and ample bloatware. RedMagic 11 Air review: also consider The RedMagic 11 Air is a capable mid-range
gamer, but it isn't your only option. Poco F8 Pro RedMagic itself cites the Poco F8 Pro as a key rival. Its not quite so hardcore in the gaming stakes, and it costs a little more, but performance is broadly comparable and its
much nicer to use day to day. RedMagic 11 Pro The RedMagic 11 Pro is your step-up model, offering superior performance, a better camera, even better battery life, and wireless charging albeit at a higher price.

Read our full RedMagic 11 Pro review How I tested the RedMagic 11 Air Review test period = 1 week Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3DMark, native Android stats, RedMagic 80W power adapter First reviewed: January 2026



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/phones/redmagic-11-air-review


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