Nubia unveiled the Red Magic 8S Pro with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2

The Nubia Red Magic 8 Pro was one of the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones to arrive at the very end of 2022. Now the company is releasing an improved Red Magic 8S Pro with the next Qualcomm chip, improved cooling and a more attractive look.

Nubia’s Red Magic 8S Pro was the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

The main change in the Model S is that it uses the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2, a faster version of the 8 Gen 2 chip. The Plus version increases the main core frequency from 3.2 GHz to 3.36 GHz and raises the GPU clock speed from 680 MHz to 719 MHz. This means the 8S Pro should have 5% faster CPU performance and 5.7% faster GPU performance.

Yes, it’s pretty much the same configuration as the «for Galaxy» chips, but with neutral branding. This is the first phone to use this particular version of the chip.

Either way, the phone comes in several configurations, you can choose up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. But there is also a Pro+ model with twice as much memory, we’ll get to that a little later.

The performance level of the chipset is supported by the improved ICE 12 cooling system. Compared to ICE 11 (used in the 8 Pro), the new system adds 5W/mK thermal paste and improves the air channel used by the 20k RPM fan. Each variant of the 8S Pro features an RGB illuminated fan (previously exclusive to the transparent premium version).

The 8S Pro is also equipped with an RGB illuminated fan (previously exclusive to the transparent premium version).

.

Speaking of options, the new model retains the aircraft-grade aluminum bezel and front glass, the back panel material depends on the option you choose, which also dictates the amount of RAM and storage.

The Nubia phone is built around a large 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 1116×2480 resolution (20:9) and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. Like the previous model, the brightness of this panel reaches 1,300 nits, and there is a permanent dimming function. The protection is provided by Gorilla Glass 5 sheet on top.

The display has a 120Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of 960Hz. There are two triggers with a 520 Hz touch sampling rate (7.4 ms response time). The development team claims that they have optimized the software responsible for these triggers.

The phone is powered by a 6,000mAh battery with 165W fast charging, which was exclusive to the Pro+ version of the Nubia Red Magic 8. The new cooling system also includes a graphene layer under the screen to help distribute heat during charging.

The camera configuration hasn’t changed. The 16 MP front camera is below the display so it doesn’t interfere with gaming graphics. The rear camera is based on the 50MP GN5 sensor (1/1.57″).

Wireless connectivity is level — there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the USB-C port can do video output if you want to play on a large display, wireless screen sharing is also an option with up to 120Hz with the Red Magic Studio. For those times when you play without headphones, there are two speakers with DTS:X Ultra sound.

Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro is available for pre-order today and will go on sale on the 11th. The base 8/128GB model starts at $550. Note that the Aurora variant (with transparent back) is only available in two memory configurations, and they are slightly more expensive than the other two color options.

As we mentioned earlier, there is also the Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro+ — this model starts with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at $760. Again, the Aurora version has separate storage options, up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for $1,035. You read that right, this is the first phone with 24GB of RAM.

And last — there is a limited edition Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro+ Bumblebee (16/512GB) for $900, which comes with a yellow rear panel design and several matching accessories.