I always find a certain thrill when a new piece of technology arrives that, besides feeling solidly built, hails from a brand not necessarily among the tech behemoths. While giants like Samsung, Apple, and OnePlus undoubtedly lead the industry for good reasons, I’m equally convinced that a vibrant ecosystem of lesser-known, perhaps slightly hidden, alternatives offers compelling value. For us gamers in particular, there’s often a strong incentive to explore options specifically tailored to our hobby, and this is precisely the niche Redmagic has carved out with its dedicated gaming phones.
Upon unboxing, the Redmagic 11 Air immediately impresses with its significant size. It’s a large device, perhaps even too large for some. With what I’d consider reasonably average-sized hands, I can just about manage the 6.85-inch OLED display with one hand, and even then, I often need to support it with my left hand to reach the top-left corner without fear of dropping it. Someone with smaller hands might be better served by a more modest alternative. Despite its heft, the Redmagic 11 Air feels robust and surprisingly secure in hand, especially when fitted with the provided textured phone case, which significantly enhances grip. It feels sturdy, though it’s clearly not designed for single-handed use, which is typically my preference for mobile phones.
However, the considerable screen size finds its purpose in the Redmagic 11 Air’s core identity: a dedicated gaming device, or a portable gaming console in smartphone form. When held horizontally, palms wrapped around it, and running a game like Call of Duty Mobile, the sharp OLED screen suddenly feels perfectly designed for the task. With a resolution of 2688×1216, the Redmagic 11 Air delivers a stable and immersive visual experience that’s absolutely ideal for video content, and especially for gaming. Enhancing this gaming experience are two digital trigger buttons positioned at each end of the phone’s right side. Thanks to the integrated game hub, I can precisely customize where on the screen a trigger press is mapped, and determine whether it acts as a simple tap, a ‘rapid fire’ burst, or a ‘toggle.’ Particularly in action games, where control schemes often suffer on touchscreens, I found this feature surprisingly effective, making the phone feel more like a controller, even if the smartphone’s flatter design can become somewhat uncomfortable during extended sessions.
To further solidify its role as a gaming phone, a few other intriguing features are worth mentioning. One is the integrated cooling fan, which spins at an impressive 24,000 RPM and does an excellent job of keeping the phone at a comfortable temperature, even during longer gaming marathons. As soon as I start a new game, a prompt appears to activate the cooling system. And for a bit of playful flair, a home screen widget allows me to crank the fan to full speed, accompanied by rather “cheesy” engine sounds and a glowing red light. A fun, albeit unnecessary, detail that I’ve used perhaps a little too often for someone who just turned 31.
Then there’s the 0809 X-axis vibration motor, which elevates my gaming experience with haptic feedback reminiscent of holding a DualSense controller. Whether I’m engaged in combat in Call of Duty Mobile or collecting blue gems in Duolingo, my immersion in the game is enhanced. While I find it challenging to feel completely enveloped by a portable gaming experience, this is still a very welcome addition, thanks to truly excellent vibration motors. If nothing else, the tech geek in me revels in a slight feeling of pleasure at the sight of such enjoyable hardware. The speakers also deliver a remarkably crisp audio experience, which again, feels like an obvious necessity for a gaming-focused phone.
Another characteristic feature of Redmagic phones is the pre-installed AI assistant, Mora. With her help, I can, among other things, access real-time tips and tricks while playing selected games. She’s also available as a tool for studying and working – or if I simply want to chat with an AI-generated animated character. I might sound old-fashioned saying this, but while technological advancement is commendable, I struggle to identify the problem this type of solution is meant to solve. Furthermore, Mora’s slightly suggestive design means I could never use her functions in public, or even at home, for that matter. At least not without grabbing a good pillow to hide behind. The Redmagic 11 Air is indeed designed for gamers, but here, the gamer stereotype goes a bit too far for my taste.
The Redmagic 11 Air is available in two colors: ‘Prism’ white and ‘Phantom’ black, which is the model I reviewed. Both models come with either 12GB of RAM and 250GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The phone’s aesthetic is clearly designed for gaming, featuring elegant gold details on the back, along with the Redmagic logo, whose RGB characteristics can be customized to suit your needs and tastes. Here, they’ve successfully struck a balance between a semi-futuristic and gaming-cool design without falling into exaggeration, which could have made it appear a bit tackier than it should. On the contrary, I feel a little ostentatious every time I pull this rather unique device from my pocket; its distinctive features make me think of what a Transformer might be like in smartphone form. However, I would have preferred the included case to be a different color than the semi-transparent white, which unfortunately does more harm than good to the appearance of my black Redmagic 11 Air. A black option for the black phone would have been far more sensible, especially considering the evident attention paid to the phone’s design.
Beyond everything else I’ve mentioned, I can report that the battery life is absolutely phenomenal. As someone who charges phones daily, I have so far never seen the battery level drop below 75%. With moderate use, it even rarely dips below 90% in a single day. The camera is also decent, offering 50 megapixels at the rear and 16 at the front. While it certainly won’t produce selfies that go down in history as particularly high-resolution, the camera nonetheless performs as expected. I did, however, have to go into the settings to disable an unnecessary Redmagic watermark that would otherwise be affixed to every photo taken. A strange feature, but one I quickly forgot once it was removed.
Overall, I’ve had a thoroughly positive experience with the Redmagic 11 Air. In addition to being a highly capable gaming phone with several enjoyable features, it’s also a good general-purpose mobile phone for a relatively low price. For €439.00, you get the slightly more expensive model, while paying a bit less gets you the cheaper version, which has slightly less RAM and storage space. As I mentioned earlier, its size is a bit large for a typical mobile phone, but with gaming as its central focus, its dimensions also serve an important purpose that benefits us gamers, which makes perfect sense given that we are, after all, the target audience for the Redmagic 11 Air.