Nubia Red Magic 7 could have the Galaxy S22 beat for gaming, and it's launching soon

The Nubia Red Magic 6
The Nubia Red Magic 6 (Image credit: Future)

February is shaping up to be a busy month, as we know the Samsung Galaxy S22 family is launching then, and we'll possibly also see the Xiaomi 12 series around the same time - now, we also know 2022's first gaming phone is coming too.

In a post on Chinese social media site Weibo, ZTE-owned Red Magic teased its slate of upcoming products for 2022 including a router, gaming monitor, VR headset and, as the title of this news story suggests, the Red Magic 7.

The Nubia Red Magic 7 is expected to be the next mid-range gaming phone from ZTE, following on from the Red Magic 6 last year.

The post confirms that the Red Magic 7 is coming in February 2022, and will be "the strongest on the surface" according to a rough machine translation. It's not clear if that means the strongest phone in general, or just in the gaming niche, but we'd assume the latter.


Analysis: a new gaming champ?

The Red Magic 6 was great for gaming because of the responsive physical side triggers which could be assigned to in-game buttons. Simply by having this feature again, the Red Magic 7 could be a better mobile for prolific gamers than its contemporary Februarians like the Samsung and Xiaomi.

Gaming phones focus on some specs more than others - display, processing power and a utilitarian design are all much more important than chic looks, camera capability and wireless charging, for example. So it's easy for Nubia to specialize its phone for competitive gaming.

We'll also likely see the Red Magic 7 launch for less than its same-month rivals, as Nubia's devices tend to be mid-rangers.

Judging by past entries in the series, the Nubia Red Magic 7 probably won't be the best phone in the world, but it could be a great mobile for gaming, especially if it comes at a competitive price and with bespoke game features.

When we hear more about the Red Magic 7 sometime in February we'll bring you everything you need to know about the new gaming phone - as well as all the information on those other upcoming devices we mentioned too.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford joined TechRadar in early 2019 as a staff writer, and left the team as deputy phones editor in late 2022 to work for entertainment site (and TR sister-site) What To Watch. He continues to contribute on a freelance basis for several sections including phones, audio and fitness.

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