Nubia Red Magic 3 review

Verdict

The Nubia Red Magic 3 represents fantastic value for gamers, and nothing’s going to take that away from it. For less money than any other Snapdragon 855 gaming phone, you get a handset built to be played on. The fan keeps it cool, the touch-sensitive triggers work brilliantly, there’s RGB lighting, the screen is enormous, and the speakers are loud. 

The reality is, however, that the Red Magic 3 isn’t built for much else. Poor translation throughout the UI, a very lacking camera experience and a mediocre display hold it back from being an everyday phone.

This means, if you’re an obsessive Android gamer on a budget who doesn’t care about much else, the Red Magic 3 is probably a four-star device. For everyone else though, thanks to shortcomings in key areas, you can knock a star off, which is exactly what we’ve done.

Who's this for?

If you’re a gaming fan, but don’t want to stump up the kind of money a flagship demands these days, and want a phone that’s been custom-built to deliver incredible battery life and gaming performance, the Red Magic 3 could be it.

Should you buy it?

As long as you’re comfortable with the fact the Nubia Red Magic 3 delivers a rather disappointing camera experience, you should consider it if you need gaming performance on a budget. It might not be perfect, but you’ll be hard-pressed to get more for less.

This isn't the only gaming phone. Check out these three alternatives:

Black Shark 2

The Black Shark 2 is similar to the Red Magic 3 in many ways, no NFC or water resistance, some translation issues, and a beefy metal frame that looks angry. What it does deliver however is a significantly better camera experience, making it a more desirable smartphone if you plan on doing more than just gaming on it. Costing only a fraction more than the Magic 3, it’s also a great value device.

Read our full Black Shark 2 review

Razer Phone 2

The Razer Phone 2 delivers style, a faster screen refresh rate and a significantly more polished experience out of the box. It also packs NFC, Wireless charging and water resistance.

While it was handicapped when it launched by a high price-tag and a lacking screen, it can now be picked up with a substantial discount, so if you can find it at the right price, it could be worth considering.

Read our full Razer Phone 2 review

Asus ROG Phone

The ROG Phone may have been superseded by the recently announced ROG Phone 2, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the original. It packs a fantastic camera, all the bells and whistles you’d want from a gaming phone and is also a joy to use in day-to-day life.

As with the Razer Phone, it’s popping up at discounted prices more and more, so if you can handle a smaller screen, it could be a great alternative to the Red Magic 3.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone review

First reviewed: July 2019