I tested Redmagic’s 11 Pro gaming phone, and I’m convinced that liquid cooling is the way forward: It also gets unbeatable battery life, and you won’t believe what it costs

I generally like using Redmagic phones; they always have outlandish designs, incredible performance, and innovative cooling solutions. I reviewed the Redmagic 10S Pro just six months ago, and the brand is now detailing its latest flagship, the Redmagic 11 Pro.

Redmagic didn’t change too much with the design of the phone, but there’s a novel new addition: liquid cooling. The Redmagic 11 Pro has the distinction of being the only phone to use liquid cooling, and it also retains the dedicated cooling fan. The battery is even bigger now at 7,500mAh, outmatching the OnePlus 15 — this is the biggest battery you can get in a phone in North America.

Basically, what you have here is a giant slab of a gaming phone with a ridiculous battery. The best part is that it doesn’t cost anywhere as much as a regular flagship, even though you’re getting the latest Qualcomm silicon and all the other extras.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Pricing and availability

Redmagic unveiled the 11 Pro on November 3, and the phone is going on sale starting November 19 in all markets where the brand has a presence. The base variant of the phone comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it costs $699/£629/€699, which is a pretty great value when you consider the caliber of hardware you’re getting.

There’s also a 16GB/512GB edition that costs $799/£709/€799, and a 24TB/1TB model retailing at $999/£879/€999 if you want to go all-out. I’m using the 16GB/512GB model in the Subzero color option, and I think this model does a great job highlighting the design and liquid cooling.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Design

I’m not going to talk too much about the design, as the Redmagic 11 Pro is nearly identical to its predecessor. I like that there’s no camera protrusion, and the fully-flat design feels great — just like the Pixel 9a. Of course, the styling is unlike any other phone today, and the LED lighting along with visible screws and brushed metal aesthetic underneath the glass make the phone stand out quite a bit.

I also like that the visual nature of the liquid cooling system; you can see the fluid move around when it’s engaged, and it’s very cool. In a similar vein, you can tell when the built-in fan is active, and it gets LED lighting as well. This is a phone that demands (and gets) instant attention, and I like that Redmagic has its own visual identity now — that wasn’t the case in the past.

Redmagic sells the phone in three colors: Cryo, Nightfreeze, and Subzero. The silver Subzero is the model that attracts the most amount of attention, and the Nightfreeze is also quite decent considering it shows off the liquid cooling module.

The 11 Pro has an aluminum mid-frame with a glass rear, and while I have no doubt that the “aviation-grade” aluminum is sturdy, I’m not taking any chances with the back glass. The rear pane of glass on my 10S Pro broke without much effort — it just slid down the couch and landed on the floor — so it’s a good thing that Redmagic bundles a case with the phone. Now, while it is a disservice to cover up that design, I’d suggest doing so as the glass doesn’t really handle tumbles well.

Other than that, the only notable change is that the fingerprint module is in a decent location, and the phone gets IPX8 water resistance. While it isn’t as good as IP68 or IP69, it’s much better than the IP54 that Redmagic went with on the 10S Pro.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Panel

The 11 Pro has the exact same panel as the 10S Pro; the 6.85-inch AMOLED screen gets 144Hz refresh, brightness going up to 2,000 nits, and 2592Hz PWM dimming as standard. It has good colors out of the box, and you get to customize the balance as needed. What I like the most is that there isn’t a visible cutout, and this makes a huge difference while streaming content or playing games on the device.

The stereo sound isn’t the most detailed, but what I like in this area is that you get an actual 3.5mm jack, and it’s just effortless to connect IEMs or earbuds to the device. Gaming is a joy as well, and Redmagic is doing a good job ensuring the phone sustains high refresh rates while playing demanding games.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Hardware and battery

Anything other than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 would not do on a gaming phone, and thankfully, Redmagic went with Qualcomm’s latest silicon. Having tested the chipset, I found it to be faster than the Dimensity 9500, but at the cost of overheating. While it isn’t as evident in daily use, extended gaming sessions make the phone quite toasty, and I even had instances where I was doing 3DMark stress testing where the phone basically shut down.

Thankfully, it isn’t as big an issue in general gaming scenarios. This is where Redmagic’s unique cooling solution is handy; the 11 Pro gets a piezoelectric ceramic micropump that circulates coolant into “ultra-fine liquid channels” at the back, and it has a high threshold, working anywhere between -40 to 70 degrees Celsius. Combined with the built-in fan and dedicated vapor chamber, the Redmagic 11 Pro has the most extensive cooling solution of any phone available today.

It needs that to handle the heat generated by the Qualcomm silicon, and to Redmagic’s credit, there isn’t much in the way of throttling even with extended gaming. The downside is that the phone gets a bit hot, but it is manageable, and it doesn’t heat up anywhere as much as its immediate rivals that use the same silicon.

Other niceties include a gaming mode that lets customize trigger actions and tweak the settings. There’s eSIM connectivity, and I didn’t have any problem with cellular or network-related connectivity whatsoever on the device.

Another difference is the battery; thanks to a huge 7,500mAh battery, the Redmagic 11 Pro lasts a day and a half without breaking a sweat. I got the device to last up to two days with medium use, and it takes just under an hour to charge the sizeable battery thanks to the bundled 80W charger.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Cameras

Cameras have always been a bit of an afterthought on Redmagic phones, and that’s no different on the 11 Pro. The phone has a 50MP main camera paired with a 50MP wide-angle lens, and it doesn’t even get a dedicated zoom lens. There isn’t much in the way of versatility either, but at least you get 4K60 video.

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The phone takes pretty decent photos in daylight, but you can see the limitations in challenging situations. The wide-angle lens is also good enough at times, but the cameras in general aren’t anywhere as good as traditional mid-rangers like the Vivo V60.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Software

Redmagic isn’t changing much with the software; the 11 Pro comes with Android 16 out of the box, and it doesn’t have much in the way of overt styling. This is a good thing, as you get a fluid UI that’s great to use, and there’s plenty of customization should you need it.

There are some quirks with stability and errant crashes, but other than that, I didn’t see any issues while using the 11 Pro. There’s some bloatware out of the box, but all of it can be uninstalled, and it is in line with what you’d find on most Chinese phones anyway.

Annoyingly, the Redmagic 11 Pro will get just two software updates alongside five years of security updates, and that’s just not enough. It’s clear that the brand doesn’t have the engineering resources to deliver long-term updates, and it is a similar position as ASUS in this regard where it’s unable to provide updates even though the hardware is designed to last.

Redmagic 11 Pro: The alternatives

The OnePlus 15 is a viable alternative if you need better cameras. It has the same Qualcomm silicon, and while I’m not a fan of the design, it is good to hold and use. It is costlier at $899, but you’re getting better cameras with greater versatility, and the 7,300mAh battery lasts two days.

Redmagic 11 Pro: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You need the best hardware available right now
• You want a powerful gaming phone
• You need a phone that lasts two days

You shouldn’t buy this if:

• You need great cameras
• You want the best software features

Like its predecessors, the Redmagic 11 Pro utterly dominates when it comes to the hardware. It is one of the best gaming phones around if you just need raw power and are interested in a high-end gaming phone with great thermal management. The addition of liquid cooling gives the 11 Pro a definite advantage, as it allows the phone to stay cooler as the silicon heats up, and while it has a higher thermal threshold, you don’t notice any throttling.

The dedicated ultrasonic triggers and game-focused software extras also make a difference, and I like that the phone doesn’t have a visible cutout — it is a big deal while gaming. The bigger battery is great to see as well, and thankfully, Redmagic didn’t mess with the software — you still get a clean UI with good optimization.

Ultimately, the 11 Pro is all about hardware prowess; the cameras aren’t that great, and Redmagic doesn’t try to hide that fact. So if you need a powerful gaming phone with average cameras, this is without a doubt the best choice. There’s no arguing the value, and at $699, you’re paying considerably less than all other flagships while still getting the latest internals, and that in itself is a win.

FAQ