RedMagic 11S Pro Review: The Most Extreme Phone I’ve Ever Tested
Quick Verdict
The RedMagic 11S Pro is the highest-performing Android phone you can buy right now, period. At $849 for the base model, it costs less than a Galaxy S26 Ultra and outscores it in raw benchmarks. The tradeoff: no zoom camera, a design that screams “gamer,” and a software update commitment that lags behind Samsung. If performance and battery life are your priorities, this phone makes serious sense — even if you’ve never played a mobile game in your life.
Who It’s For
This phone is for the guy who wants the absolute fastest phone on the market and doesn’t want to pay flagship-plus prices for it. You care more about your phone never slowing down than you do about a 5x zoom lens. You’re the kind of person who keeps 15 tabs open, runs a hotspot, and uses your phone hard — and you’re tired of watching your battery gauge drop.
You might also just appreciate a device that looks like nothing else on the market. If “transparent back with visible liquid cooling and RGB lights” sounds ridiculous to you, it is — and that’s the whole point.
Who It’s Not For
If your top priority is camera quality — especially zoom — stop here. The RedMagic 11S Pro has a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide. No zoom lens. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200MP main sensor with 5x periscope optical zoom. That’s a real gap and it’s worth being honest about.
Also: if you want five years of software updates, RedMagic officially commits to two major Android updates and three years of security patches. Samsung gives you seven. That matters for a $849 purchase.
What I Liked
Performance That Doesn’t Make Sense
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version in the 11S Pro has its Prime cores clocked to 4.74 GHz — up from the 4.61 GHz in standard Elite Gen 5 chips. On paper, that sounds like a minor upgrade. In benchmarks, it shows up differently.
In Geekbench scores, this phone sits alongside the latest iPad Pro and above the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’ve been carrying the Garmin Forerunner 255 for a reason — I’ve learned not to trust marketing numbers — but these are independent benchmark results, not RedMagic’s own claims.
What makes this possible isn’t just the chip. It’s the cooling system. The AquaCore setup combines a 24,000 RPM active fan, a passive cooling array, and an actual liquid cooling loop — yes, real liquid, visible through the transparent back panel — that circulates around the device to pull heat away from the chipset and battery. The result is sustained performance under load that other phones simply can’t match. Your S26 Ultra will thermally throttle before this phone does.
I ran stress tests with and without the active cooling features enabled and couldn’t isolate a definitive gain from the fan and liquid system specifically — but I’d bet the passive cooling design alone is doing heavy lifting here.
A Battery That Removes Anxiety
The 11S Pro runs a 7500 mAh silicon-carbon cell. The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs 5000 mAh. Under normal use — browsing, streaming, some social media — you’re comfortably getting two full days out of this phone.
For context: I use my phone pretty hard during the day, with GPS-connected sync on my Garmin, hotspot for my laptop, and a lot of time in the truck. Battery anxiety is a real thing I deal with. This phone eliminates it entirely.
And when you do need to charge: 80W wired and 80W wireless, with an 80W charger included in the box. Not a 20W brick. Not “charger sold separately.” A full 80W charger, in the box. I genuinely didn’t expect that.
The Design Is Ridiculous in the Best Way
The completely flat back — no camera bump — is something you don’t realize how much you’ve missed until you experience it. The phone sits flat on a table. Your grip doesn’t wobble. If you use an external phone cooler, the flat surface means the contact plate can sit higher toward the chipset, which is exactly where the heat comes from.
The transparent back with visible cooling liquid and RGB zones either speaks to you or it doesn’t. I turned most of the RGB off personally, but the option is there. The 144Hz OLED display is large at 6.8 inches, and it delivers where it matters: fast, bright, and responsive under gaming or demanding use.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display is fast and reliable. The box includes a case, the charger, and a cable. They’ve thought through the out-of-box experience better than most flagship brands.
What I Didn’t Like
No Zoom Camera — And That’s a Real Tradeoff
I want to be direct about this because some reviews bury it: the RedMagic 11S Pro has no telephoto lens. You get a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide. The 2x digital zoom produces clean enough results, but if you regularly shoot from distance — events, kids’ sports, anything where you can’t get close — this phone will frustrate you.
The main camera performs well in good lighting. Dynamic range and color accuracy aren’t always consistent. Video stabilization is average. This isn’t a bad camera for a gaming phone. It’s a below-average camera for a general flagship. Know which phone you’re buying.
Software Update Commitment Is Shorter Than It Should Be
At $849, you’re spending real money. Two major Android updates and three years of security patches is the commitment RedMagic makes. Samsung gives you seven years. Google Pixel gives you seven years. That’s a meaningful difference when you’re deciding whether to keep a phone for three or four years.
The Triggers Could Be Better
The capacitive trigger buttons on the side are genuinely useful for gaming. But each trigger is one touch zone. Asus ROG phones split each trigger into two zones or allow slide gestures for distinguishing inputs. RedMagic hasn’t done that yet, and it’s a missed opportunity on a phone that’s otherwise serious about gaming.
How It Compares
RedMagic 11S Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The S26 Ultra is the obvious comparison. It costs more — around $1,300 starting — and delivers a substantially better camera system, including that 5x periscope zoom. Software update commitment is seven years vs. two. It’s the better all-around flagship if you use your camera regularly.
The RedMagic wins on raw performance benchmarks, battery size (7500 vs. 5000 mAh), and charging speed (80W vs. 60W wired, 80W vs. 15W wireless). It also costs $450 less at base configuration.
If you’re a heavy shooter or you want the most future-proofed phone, get the Samsung. If you run hard on performance and battery and the camera gap doesn’t bother you, the RedMagic is the better value play.
RedMagic 11S Pro vs. Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is the most direct competitor. It has better trigger button implementation, but RedMagic has pushed further on the cooling engineering. Battery life is comparable. The RedMagic’s flat design is a practical advantage. ROG tends to get more gaming-specific software updates.
If triggers and game-specific software features matter most, look at ROG. If peak sustained performance and battery life are the priority, RedMagic has the edge right now.
Verdict
At $849, the RedMagic 11S Pro is worth buying if: you want the fastest Android phone available, battery life is your top frustration with your current device, and you can live without optical zoom.
Skip it if: you shoot photos regularly and need a zoom lens, you want seven years of software updates, or you’d rather spend more for a conventional flagship look.
This is not a phone for everyone. The design is loud, the software ecosystem is smaller, and the camera limitations are real. But as a performance-first device priced under what Samsung charges for its flagship, it’s hard to argue with the value math.
FAQ
Is the RedMagic 11S Pro good for everyday use, not just gaming? Yes — more than most people expect. The battery alone makes it better than most flagships for daily carry. The software is clean Android 16 without heavy bloat. If you can live with no zoom camera, it functions extremely well as a primary daily driver.
Does the fan make noise during normal use? The fan is part of the gaming cooling system and isn’t always running. Under everyday use — browsing, calls, streaming — you won’t hear it. It engages under heavy load. In active use, it’s audible if the room is quiet, but not intrusive during gaming with audio on.
Is the RedMagic 11S Pro waterproof? It doesn’t carry an official IP rating for water resistance, which is a real gap compared to mainstream flagships like the Galaxy S26 Ultra (IP68). Use common sense around water.
Should owners of the RedMagic 11 Pro upgrade? No. The gains over the 11 Pro are minor — a slightly faster chip and incremental cooling improvements. RedMagic has been clear that this is a refresh, not a generational upgrade. If you’re on the 10 Pro or older, the 11S Pro is a meaningful step up.
Where’s the best place to buy the RedMagic 11S Pro? Directly through RedMagic’s regional website. They ship to most markets and it’s the most reliable source for the full warranty and box contents including the 80W charger.
Related:
DECKED Tool Box Review: The $1,100 Truck Bed Box That’s Lighter Than Aluminum and Tougher Than Steel