Introduction and Specifications
After almost six months of the RedMagic 11 series, it’s time for a refresh, so here comes the RedMagic 11S series. As per tradition, we have the regular Pro version for review, which is often the same as the Pro+ version found only in China.
As is usually the case with the S lineup, the RedMagic 11S Pro brings minor changes to the table. It now relies on the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SM8850-1-AD chipset (or Leading Edition as RedMagic calls it), as opposed to the regular SM8850-AC variant that we saw in the RedMagic 11 Pro.
The AD version of the SD8 Elite Gen 5 isn’t exactly new either. We’ve seen the chip in action inside the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with the name “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy,” but the spec is out and it’s now being distributed to other manufacturers as well.
ZTE Nubia RedMagic 11S Pro specs at a glance:
- Body: 163.8×76.5×8.9mm, 230g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame, glass back; Pressure sensitive zone (520Hz touch-sensing), built-in cooling fan, aviation aluminum middle frame, IPX8 water resistant (submersion up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
- Display: 6.85″ AMOLED, 1B color, 144Hz, 2592Hz PWM, 1800 nits (peak), 1216x2688px resolution, 19.89:9 aspect ratio, 431ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm).
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1 Pro
- OS/Software: Android 16, RedMagic OS 11.5.
- rear camera: wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.55″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 1/2.88″, 0.61μm, AF; depth: Auxiliary lens.
- Front Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.77″, 1.12µm, under display.
- video capture: rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; front camera:1080p@30/60fps.
- Battery: 7500mAh; 80W wired, 80W wireless, reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4; NFC; infrared port; 3.5 mm jack.
- various: Fingerprint reader (under the display, ultrasonic); Stereo speaker.
The more powerful Snapdragon offers higher clocks on its two main Orion V3 Phoenix L cores and Adreno 840 GPU.
However, the rest of the hardware remains the same. We have the familiar 6.85-inch, 144Hz OLED display, dual 50MP camera setup on the back, a generous 7,500 mAh battery with 80W fast wired and wireless charging, and a cooling fan with an actual liquid cooling system. The transparent and flat glass back design also makes a comeback.
Despite a somewhat minor chipset upgrade, this could trigger other changes in the future, such as battery life or sustained performance, for example, not just raw performance. So let’s take a closer look.
Unboxing the RedMagic 11S Pro
The device comes in a standard retail box with the usual quick start guide, a transparent protective case, and a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer.
Interestingly, the European retail package also includes a compatible 80W fast wired charger. So congratulations to RedMagic for this.