Gaming phones have really matured in recentyears, with
ASUS’ ROG
, Lenovo’s Legion, Xiaomi’s Black Shark, and Nubia’sRedMagic all offering compelling performance-packed handsets for gamers. Oppo’s even rumored to be joining the party soon. Here in the US, RedMagic isthe gaming phone value champ, and this year’s
$599 RedMagic 6
is noexception. It basically updates last year’s
$579 RedMagic 5G
with a 165Hzdisplay and a
Snapdragon 888
.That’s all well and good, but what got our attention recently is the $499RedMagic 6R -- a super-affordable Snapdragon 888 handset with a 144Hzscreen and capacitive shoulder buttons that looks and feels more like astandard flagship than a phone targeting gamers. While it loses some ofthat hard-core gaming pedigree, it gains a more accessible design andbetter cameras. At $499, it’s also the cheapest Snapdragon 888 handsetofficially available in the US.So, what’s the RedMagic 6R like as a gaming phone? What’s it like as anaffordable flagship? Is it the best of both worlds or is it just full ofcompromises? Read ourfull review to find out.
RedMagic 6R Hardware And Design
Design-wise, the RedMagic 6R is kind of a hybrid between a modernflagship and a gaming handset. The general look and feel of our MercurySilver review unit combines elements of the Morning Mist (silver)
OnePlus 9 Pro
(in back), and the
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
(in front), complete with aflat OLED display and top-centered, silver-ringed punch hole for theselfie camera (16MP). Other colors include Cosmos Black and Light Blue.It’s a large phone (6.67-inch screen, 163 x 75.3 x 7.8mm, 186g), but it’snot remotely as massive as the RedMagic 6 (6.8-inch display, 169.9 x 77.2x 9.7mm, 220g). Then again, the RedMagic 6R lacks its bigger sibling’sbuilt-in fan, uninterrupted screen, stereo speakers, and headphone jack.Plus, it swaps the RedMagic 6’s 165Hz display for a 144Hz panel, and its 5050mAh battery for a 4200mAh cell.
RedMagic 6 (L) vs. RedMagic 6R (R)
Since it’s trying to pass for a regular flagship, the RedMagic 6R dropsits sibling’s louder “made-for-gamers” aesthetic, rear RGB light strip andlight-up logo, and oversized top and bottom screen bezels. We realize thisis subjective, but we think those improvements are very welcome. TheRedMagic 6’s 400Hz capacitive trigger buttons remain, however, along withthe high quality glass and aluminum build.That being said, the RedMagic 6R doesn’t blend into the flagship landscapecompletely. Reflective accents in the rear glass (similar to circuit boardtraces), and a unique camera pod shape (reminiscent of atabbed folder) help it stand out a little, without being over the top.Overall, we like this design a lot. It looks unique yet familiar, andfeels good in hand. The refined materials are just the icing on the cake.
As for the controls and ports, you’ll find the volume rocker andpower/lock key on the right side, flanked by the two black capacitiveshoulder buttons at each end. The mono speaker, primary mic, USB Type-Cport (USB 3.0), and dual-SIM tray are all located along the bottom edge. Asecondary mic lives on the top edge, and there’s nothing on the left sidebut antenna bands. Both the top and bottom edges are concave, which is anice detail.The RedMagic 6R boasts four rear shooters (64MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 5MPmacro, and 2MP depth) which are arranged into an inverted “L” alongside adual-LED flash inside the camera bump. For those keeping count, that’s onemore shooter than its sibling. While this handset doesn’t have an IPrating, it also doesn’t have openings for a fan, and there’s a gasketaround the SIM tray, so we figure it‘s at least splash resistant.
Watch our unboxing video before we continue to the specs...
RedMagic6R
Specifications & Features
ProcessingAnd 5G Platform
QualcommSnapdragon 888, Integrated Snapdragon X60 5G Modem
Display
6.67"FHD+ AMOLED, 2400x1080 resolution, 144Hz
Memory
8/12GB LPDDR5
Storage
128/256GBUFS 3.1, No microSD
Rear-FacingCameras
64MP f/1.8 MainPDAF - 8MP f/2.2 120º Ultra-Wide - 5MP f/2.4 Macro - 2MP f/2.4Depth
Front-FacingCameras
16MPf/2.5
VideoRecording
Up to 8K @30fps, 4K @ 60fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 1080p slow-mo
Battery
4200mAh, 30W wired charging, No wireless charging
OS
Android 11 WithRedMagic OS v4.0
Dimensions
163x 75.3 x 7.8mm
Weight
186 grams
Connectivity
802.11axWi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2+LE, NFC, USB-C, LTE, sub-6GHz 5G
Colors
Mercury Silver,Cosmos Black, Light Blue
Pricing
Find the RedMagic 6R @ Amazon, Starting at $499
RedMagic 6R Display Quality
Want a 144Hz display for just $499? The RedMagic 6R is your ticket. Itpacks a beautiful 6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels, 395ppi) 10-bitAMOLED screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio and small bezels all around. Andwhile the 144Hz refresh rate is the star of the show, there are alsooptions for 120, 90, and 60Hz. The top-centered, silver-ringed punch holeisn’t ideal for gaming, but we prefer this over wider top and bottombezels.
As you’d expect from a modern AMOLED panel, this screen deliverspunchy colors, deep blacks, and solid viewing angles. While it’s notquite as bright as today’s best displays (770 nits peak), it’s stilleasy to read in direct sunlight. In addition, the 360Hz touch samplingrate makes it well suited for gaming. Overall, this is an excellentscreen, especially at this price point.
RedMagic 6R Camera Performance And Image Quality
To date, imaging hasn’t been RedMagic’s focus. Its gaming phones havealways offered decent camera hardware, but poor image processing andlackluster software. And the mediocre results speak for themselves. TheRedMagic 6R attempts to remedy this with the company’s best camera systemyet, which includes Sony’s very capable 64MP IMX 682 Quad Bayer mainsensor, plus updated macro and selfie cameras.
As such, you’ll find that 64MP f/1.8 0.8-micron main shooter (withoutOIS), a 8MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 120-degree ultrawide, 5MP f/2.4 macro lens(without AF), and 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor, plus a 16MP f/2.5 1.0-micronselfie camera. Contrast this with the RedMagic 6, which lacks the depthsensor, and settles on more basic 2MP macro and 8MP selfie cameras. Soit’s a better setup, but what about the results?
Before we jump into that, let’s briefly discuss the interface andvarious shooting modes. Unfortunately, the RedMagic 6R inherits thecompany’s existing camera app, which doesn’t appear to have changed sincelast year’s RedMagic 5G, and is pretty much identical to the RedMagic 6’s.We find it unintuitive and somewhat disorganized. For example, you have to select pro(manual) mode to use the ultrawide -- it’s simply not available in automode. And there are other strange nuances to deal with as well.
RedMagic 6R main camera
While there’s a plethora of modes available, it’s hard to make sense ofthem all. Some (like the macro) are buried in the “Camera Family” menu.Others (like the 64MP mode) are hiding in the settings. There are twomanual modes, pro and DNG; the latter outputs RAW images and onlysupports the main shooter. In addition, help is available for some modes,but not others, so you’re left guessing how to use some of them.
RedMagic 6R ultrawide
RedMagic 6R main camera (2x zoom)
RedMagic 6R main camera (5x zoom)
Shooting modes include portrait, night, pro (manual), panorama, macro,time lapse (1080p 30fps), and slow motion (1080p 240fps, 720p480/960/1920fps) to name the most significant. The RedMagic 6R capturesvideo (with stereo audio) at up to 8k 30fps (unstabilized) or 4k 60fps(stabilized) with the main shooter, and tops out at 1080p 30fps(unstabilized) with the selfie camera. Video recording isn’t availablewith the ultrawide or macro.
Pictures taken with the RedMagic 6R are certainly better than anythingwe’ve shot with past RedMagic gaming handsets, but that’s a pretty lowbar. It also slightly edges out its similarly equipped sibling, theRedMagic 6. Basically, the resulting photos remind us of images we’vecaptured with Moto phones at the same price point -- they're serviceable, but notspectacular. In other words, there’s still room for improvement.
RedMagic 6R main camera (auto)
RedMagic 6R main camera (night mode)
Daytime shots are decent overall, though colors are somewhat muted andcontrast is limited. Exposure and white balance are mostly accurate,dynamic range is acceptable, and detail is generally plentiful. Since themain lens lacks OIS, low light and zoomed images are often softer thanexpected. Night mode obviously helps, but it’s only available on the mainshooter, which is disappointing for a $499 handset.
RedMagic 6R macro
RedMagic 6R selfie camera (portrait mode)
And really, most of these issues come down to RedMagic’s deficient imageprocessing. We already know that Sony’s 64MP IMX 682, which outputs16MP images by binning (combining) clusters of four pixels into one, isn’t the limiting factor here. In fact, you can fix most of theseshortcomings by installing one of the many unofficial Google Camera APKsavailable for non-Pixel phones. But that’s not a user-friendly solution.Finally, the ultrawide and selfie cameras deliver passable results, butthe lack of AF makes the macro difficult to use. As for video recording,it’s fine -- just avoid the 8k 30fps mode since it’s unstabilized. Inall, the RedMagic 6R’s shooters perform more like those in a mid-rangehandset than an affordable flagship.Next up: audio, performance, and battery life...
