ZTE’s Nubia Redmagic Mars is unique one I’ll say. Not because anything in particular, rather the implementation of the phone and it’s features. The phone in and of itself is solid, built sturdily, and not compromising on features. But how does it fare against more expensive gaming devices? When there are multiple, and arguably better, more expensive gaming phones out there, will it stack up? It originally released in 2018 as well, so that’s something to take into account. With that said, sit back, relax, and let’s get into the review, of ZTE Nubia’s Redmagic Mars.

Design and Display 

The design of the phone, already in 2019 feels dated. It was originally released in China in December 2018, so the display leaves more to be desired. But for the price, I’m willing to take that exchange. The phone starts off at RM 1499, and that’s probably one of the cheapest ‘gaming smartphones’ out there. The back is a cool hexagonal design, with a metal back, and has a light up feature which activates when you charge the phone. You can set the LED back to pulse, or whatever other settings are available as well. Just keep in mind, it will drain your battery faster. The camera bump is minimal, and the fingerprint sensor is honestly too small. However, in terms of aesthetic, and who the phone is catered to, I think it looks great. The phone comes in the dimensions 158.2 x 75 x 9.9 mm, which is smaller than the Razer Phone 2’s 158.5 x 79 x 8.5 mm. So it does come in a more compact package, than the Razer 2.

The front features a 6″ screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Because of that, it has a a 78.5% screen-to-body ratio, and let me tell you, it feels old. Because of the innovations that have come so far this year, such as punchhole displays, motorised selfie cameras, this type of display just feels too dated. Granted, I can’t blame them, because of the price they would have had to cut something out somewhere. However, if they were to have adopted this form factor in the current market, they would sorely be mistaken if they thought it would’ve played out well. The Razer Phone 2 is sort of the same boat, but it has 144Hz refresh rate to back it up. So, keep that in mind if you’re planning to purchase this phone in this day and age.

Gaming Capabilities and Performance

The good thing about the phone, is it runs games reliably, and it looks good. Of course, it’s to be expected, but I guess you could say I was moderately surprised. 2018 feels so long ago now, but it really was just last year. I tried out PUBG, and it ran on the highest graphics, with no lag or any hindrances. It did get me a few Chicken Dinners, so I’ll give it that. I wasn’t worried about it, because it comes with the Snapdragon 845. While dated, it’s still a reliable processor.

Another thing was that while gaming, it didn’t get warm which is a major plus, especially for a ‘gaming’ phone. Some phones come up to be super hot sometimes, and that’s just not cool. Redmagic Mars actually has a hybrid cooling system which combines four air circulation chambers with active vapor cooling.The rear has a metal-alloy cover, and therefore dissipates heat better than plastic or glass. A smart move for a gaming smartphone.

The Redmagic Mars also comes with dedicated shoulder buttons, so that’s a cool little feature. It differentiates itself amongst the others in the market, and that’s good enough for me. The button is customizable will be set to perform an action in relation to something on screen. There’s two shoulder buttons, so you can set it to casting a skill, for example, on Mobile Legends. It comes in handy, and I definitely would like to see things like this get more adopted by other companies. It really does change the way you play, and it’s subtle enough to blend in with the aesthetics of the phone.

Disappointing camera, but expected 

The Nubia RedMagic Mars, comes with a less than decent shooter. The phone definitely skimped out there, to make up for the ‘budgetness’ of the phone. I mean, it’s alright. The focus of the phone, is definitely not on the camera, but it could make do depending on conditions. The phone comes with a seemingly ‘old’ camera setup, with a single 16MP, f/1.8 aperture camera. As I mentioned before, the phone was firstly introduced in 2018, so that might explain it. But still, seeing a single camera setup is relatively disappointing. Check out the some of the pics I took with the phone;

The photo did have some noise when I zoomed in a bit, so that’s something to consider about the camera. Otherwise, I would say it’s good enough for everyday use. However, if you’re really into photography or Instagram, I might suggest something with a better camera. The front facing camera is an 8MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture, and I guess it get’s the job done. Don’t these numbers look low to you? I’m too used to seeing phones with 30MP and above, so maybe my view is a bit skewed.

Verdict

Considering the phone starts at RM 1499, it seems too good to be true for gamers. The phone is definitely a performer, but lacks in the camera and screen real estate. But that’s alright, considering it is considerably older than other of the phones out there.

Spec List: 

Price: 6GB RAM + 64GB RM 1,499 / 8GB RAM + 128GB RM 1,899.

Dimensions and Weight: 158.25 mm × 75 mm × 9.85mm; 193g

Display: 6″ FHD+ (2160 x 1080 pixels; 18:9) In-Cell LCD display with 2.5D curved glass

SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: 64-bit Octa-core SoC, clocked at 2.8GHz; Adreno 630 GPU

RAM and Storage: 6GB (LPDDR4) RAM + 64GB (UFS 2.1) internal storage;8GB + 128GB; 10GB + 256GB

Rear Camera: 16MP, f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, dual-tone LED flash

Front Camera: 8MP, f/2.0, wide-angle lens

Battery and Charging: 3,800mAh with fast charging support

USB Port: USB Type-C

SIM: Dual SIM support

Fingerprint Sensor: Rear

Benchmark Scores;