REDMAGIC 11 Pro review: the first with liquid cooling

It’s been a while since power is no longer the weak point of mobile phones. In fact, thanks to the most advanced emulators, smartphones have shown that they can rival and even surpass a Nintendo Switch, running some triple-A PC games with more than decent quality.

However, So much power in such a compact format has a drawback: heat. Until now, this was an unsolvable problem for high-end phones. But that could have changed.

The new REDMAGIC 11 Pro is the first mobile phone in the world that incorporates a liquid cooling system, similar to that of gaming PCs. This not only represents an important ergonomic advantage, by preventing it from becoming hot and uncomfortable to hold, but also unleashes the full potential of its beastly processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, achieving performance never before seen in a smartphone.

We’ve been with it for a couple of weeks now, putting it to the test.So everything we tell you is not just specifications: we have verified it for ourselves. Below, we tell you our impressions of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro and everything you need to know before buying it.

REDMAGIC 11 Pro: a beastly gaming smartphone with liquid cooling and all the power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Before diving in, it’s worth reviewing the features of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, because on paper alone it already impresses. We are faced with a mobile phone with a 6.85-inch AMOLED display at ultra-fast 144Hz refresh ratewhich reaches a dazzling maximum brightness of 2000 nits. Powering it is a gigantic 7,500 mAh battery, with 80W fast charging both wired and wireless. Incorporates triggers for games, a dual cooling system (liquid and air) that always keeps it fresh and a semi-transparent design that looks spectacular.

But the real jewel in the crown is its core: the very powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, powered by the brand’s RedCore R2 auxiliary chip and accompanied by up to 16 GB of the fastest RAM (LPDDR5T) and 512 GB of UFS 4.1 Pro storage. We leave you with its complete technical sheet in case you want to know every detail of its hardware in depth.

REDMAGIC 11 Pro technical sheet

The back is semi-transparent to see the liquid cooling, crazy!

The first thing is to clarify that There are three variants of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro: Cryo, Nightfreeze and Subzero. The Cryo is opaque black, without transparency, and is only available in the 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage configuration. The other two, Nightfreeze and Subzero, sport a semi-transparent rear that reveals the liquid cooling systemand you can get them with 16 GB + 512 GB or even 24 GB + 1 TB. The only difference between these two is the color: Nightfreeze is black, while Subzero is silver. In our case, we have tested the 16 GB + 512 GB Subzero version.

What surprised me most when I took it out of the box and turned it on was seeing, indeed, the liquid cooling ducts in operation on the back. Even white bubbles can be seen circulating inside. The truth is, I don’t know if it’s a real flow or a visual effect, but the result is very striking and gives it a clearly gamer touch.

The entire back part is covered by a kind of glass with a light-reflecting finish for a premium feel. It includes several geometric patterns that reinforce its style, including the silhouette of what appears to be its RedCore R4 Pro chip, which we will talk about later.

Another detail that seems important to me: the rear camera module does not protrude at all. The back is completely flat, something that is especially appreciated when holding the phone horizontally, since there is nothing that interferes with the grip. At first glance it looks like it has five lenses, but in reality there are only three cameras; The other two elements are a LED flash and RGB light ring.

Regarding the construction, The frame is made of a fairly strong aluminum alloy, with flat edges and rounded corners for a more comfortable grip. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass, and the entire set has IPX8 resistance, which means it can be submerged up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

On the right side are the volume buttons, the power button and a sliding switch, which the brand calls “Magic Key”, which by default activates the game mode. Of course, you can customize its function in the settings to activate silence, open the camera, voice recorder, etc. The truth is that it is very practical, and I personally have gotten a lot of use out of it on a daily basis.

On that same side are the 520Hz touch triggers. They are not simple buttons, but panels strategically located near the corners so that, when you hold the phone horizontally, you can operate them naturally. They respond very well and are fastalthough I must admit that I hardly use them, as I prefer the tactile feel of physical buttons. Even so, for those who play without a controller, they are ideal mainly for shooters.

On the upper edge there is an infrared emitter to use the mobile phone as a universal remote control, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for uncompressed audio. Below we find a USB-C 3.2 port with support for OTG and DisplayPort, allowing you to connect the phone to a high refresh rate monitor. Next to him, one of the exits of the stereo speakers, which are capable of playing 32-bit Hi-Res audio. They sound really good, both in games and with movies and series, offering remarkable sound immersion for a mobile phone.

The time has come for the bad news: The Dual SIM 5G tray does not accept microSD cards, nor is there an additional slot for it. In short, the storage is not expandable, so I recommend choosing the version carefully according to your needs. The good news is that it does include NFC, dual GPS, Bluetooth 5.4 and the latest in wireless connectivity: WiFi 7.

Hidden on the screen is the front camera and an ultrasonic fingerprint readerwhich in my experience has been fast, reliable and accurate.

We have not yet gone into detail about its cooling system, which deserves a separate chapter, but I was impressed that, with all the technology it integrates, it weighs only 230 grams (226 according to my scale). And it shows: it is not heavy, even during long gaming sessions.

By the way, it includes a semi-transparent gray cover that respects the original spirit of the design and adds almost no thickness.

A 2000 nits and 144 Hz screen for the most demanding gamers

The REDMAGIC 11 Pro screen is, without a doubt, one of its great virtues. At first glance, the first thing that catches your attention is how immersive it is thanks to its minimal borders and that 95.3% screen-to-body ratio. At 6.85 inches, it is practically all frontal.

It is an AMOLED panel from BOE, with a 1.5K resolution (2688 x 1216 pixels) that simply looks spectacular. The colors are very vivid and cover 100% of the DCI-P3 range, which translates into realistic and deep tones. It is true that it does not reach the QHD resolution of a Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the difference is minimal; In practice, it looks almost as good.

The screen offers a 1800 nits maximum brightness, which can be boosted by another 200 nits in bright conditions. This isn’t just a piece of information on a token: it really works. I have been able to use it in direct sunlight without any problems for reading or gaming, with exceptional readability.

Games are where he really unleashes his potential. The 144 Hz refresh rate makes everything look incredibly smoothbut its competitive advantage is in the tactile response. Not only does it have a touch sampling rate of 360 Hz, but it can reach instant peaks of 3000 Hz. In addition, it integrates for the first time the Synaptics 3910v chip, which brings the final response to 2,592 Hz. In Christian: The touch is ultra fast, incredibly precise and is especially noticeable in shooters or high-paced games where every millisecond counts.

As if that were not enough, they have incorporated a wet hands mode which works very well. Reduces accidental touches if you have just washed your hands or if you are playing with wet fingers, a very practical detail that saves more than one game.

They have also focused on eye care. Includes a 5x improvement in black frame insertion technology to reduce screen flickerand has eye protection certifications from TÜV Rheinland and SGS. After long sessions, I notice that visual fatigue is less compared to other gaming phones. It is an excellent screen for everyday use, for watching series and for use in any light condition. Deliver on all fronts!

A camera without great aspirations that meets

In the camera section, the REDMAGIC 11 Pro assumes its identity without pretensions: It is a mobile phone designed to dominate in games, and its camera system, although competent, reflects that priority. It has a triple rear camera, headed by a 50 MP main sensor with optical stabilization (OIS) and an anti-reflective coating. It is accompanied by another 50 MP angle and a 2 MP macro camera.

In practice, and to be honest, it complies without fuss. During the day and with good natural light, It is capable of taking more than correct photos, with vivid colors and adequate exposure. However, when light is scarce, performance suffers noticeably: details are softened and noise appears. Dynamic range is also not its strong point; Don’t expect the same level of detail in shadows and highlights as in a flagship conventional.

The zoom works, but it is digital, so when we get too close the loss of quality and definition is evident. Past, the 16 MP front camera, powered by AI algorithmsIt holds its own well for selfies and video calls, offering natural results.

Obviously, its photographic attributes are not the main reason why someone would buy this REDMAGIC 11 Pro, and in fact, It is where the adjustment is most noticeable to be able to offer its best gaming performance at a price below 1000 euros. For those who prioritize gaming above all else and only need a camera that “performs” on a day-to-day basis, it is more than enough.

It is the most powerful mobile phone in the world and liquid cooling has a lot to do with it

If there is a compelling reason to buy the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, this is, without a doubt, its brutal performance. It’s not an exaggeration: This is the most powerful mobile phone on the current marketand proves it with a stratospheric AnTuTu score of 3,926,988 points that I have been able to verify personally. The secret? A lethal combination between the beastly processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Generation 5 and such an advanced cooling system which alone justifies the existence of this phone.

Its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, manufactured in 3 nm, is more than enough even with very demanding games, such as Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail that They run on average at 60 FPS completely stablewithout jerks or drops. This chip does not work alone; It is accompanied by the RedCore R4 coprocessor, which is responsible for relieving the load on the CPU by managing visual effects, improving resolution through AI and optimizing energy consumption to extend the battery.

But let’s pause for a moment on the revolutionary liquid cooling of this mobile, known as “REDMAGIC AquaCore Cooling System«. This is where the REDMAGIC 11 Pro marks a before and after. It is the first smartphone in the world to incorporate a Complete active liquid cooling system that really works. It is made up of the following elements:

• Circulating fluorinated liquid– Uses the same non-conductive liquid as AI servers, which flows via micro-piezoelectricity through incredibly fine conduits built into the chassis.
• Liquid Metal 3.0– This superior thermal conductivity material on the chip allows for ultra-fast heat transfer.
• giant steam chamber– At 13,116 mm², it is the largest in the industry and extends across almost the entire rear surface, improving heat dissipation efficiency by 50%.
• turbo fan: Spins at 24,000 RPM, actively expelling accumulated heat.

The result is that, Even in marathon sessions, the phone not only does not burn, but it barely heats up. The best thing is that both the fan and the liquid pump can be controlled manually from the phone settings, giving you full control over the balance between performance, temperature and noise. And speaking of noise: the fan can be heard when turned on to maximumbut it is a hum that is perfectly camouflaged with the sound of the game and is not annoying.

All this power is channeled through the Game Space Modea control center that you activate by sliding the switch on the right side of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro. This is where the phone becomes a console.

From this mode, you can force games to render at 2K and 120 FPS using interpolationput a custom crosshair in the game you want, apply filters to see enemies better, and perform a “screen extraction” to enlarge a specific area of ​​a game (very useful for detecting campers in shooters).

It also offers a function to amplify the sound of enemy footstepsas well as an AI assistant that acts as a personal coach to give you advice in real time (in compatible games) and even predict your probability of victory. Incidentally, it has integration with Gemini so you can use all the functions of this AI (chatbot, image editing, Circle to Search, real-time translation, etc.) and the virtual assistant Mora, the waifu with AI from REDMAGIC with which you can interact at any time.

By the way, it comes from the factory with REDMAGIC OS 11 based on Android 16. It is true that it comes with some bloatware (unnecessary applications for most), but the good news is that almost everything can be uninstalled without problem, leaving a much cleaner experience.

Autonomy to play without pause and load to not wait

With a giant 7500 mAh battery, the REDMAGIC 11 Pro offers quite good autonomy. In normal use, It lasted me comfortably for two days.while playing at times during the day, he always lasts until the end of the day. For gaming marathons, you can run Genshin Impact up to 7.4 hours straight.

When it’s time to recharge, its 80W fast charging (wired or wireless) is a luxury. In just 1 hour you recover 90% of the battery. It is worth mentioning that it also offers reverse wireless charging to charge other devices with its battery.

Our opinion of the REDMAGIC 11 Pro: mobile gamers, stay away… your king has arrived

The REDMAGIC 11 Pro does not compete in the gaming segment: it redefines it. With the highest raw performance on the market, backed by its revolutionary liquid cooling systemsets a new standard for high-performance mobile phones. For its starting price, it offers an unbeatable combination: 144 Hz AMOLED screen, extreme battery life and fast wireless charging, all powered by the most powerful processor available.

Of course, His Excellency has a clear focus. If you are looking for the best camera on the market or a discreet design, this is not your device. But if you are a demanding player who values Uncompromising sustained performance, meticulously designed gaming features and the best performance-price ratio in the gaming segmentThe verdict is clear: the REDMAGIC 11 Pro is, simply, the undisputed king of gaming phones.