The first non-Galaxy phone with an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is here

The overclocked version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which Samsung markets as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, is finally making its way to more phones. The new nubia REDMAGIC 9S Pro is the first non-Galaxy device to feature the chipset, and it offers some impressive features that you won’t find on most other Android flagships.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version on the REDMAGIC 9S Pro is identical to the variant found on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup, with an ARM Cortex-X4 prime CPU core clocked at 3.4GHz and the Adreno 750 GPU boosted to 1GHz. It should offer marginally better performance than the standard variant, but it will likely run hotter.

To keep temperatures in check, nubia has equipped the REDMAGIC 9S Pro with a new ICE 13.5 cooling system. It’s an upgrade over the ICE 13 solution from last year’s REDMAGIC 9 Pro, featuring a larger 10,182 sq. mm. vapor chamber, an improved air duct, and a new cooling gel. Paired with the 22,000rpm cooling fan, the new system should prevent the device from overheating during extended gaming sessions.

The REDMAGIC 9S Pro is pretty much the same as its predecessor in other aspects, but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern. The device offers flagship-tier hardware, including a 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED display (2,480 x 1,116) with a touch sampling rate of up to 2,000Hz, a 16MP under-display selfie camera, a 50MP GN5 primary camera, and a 50MP JN1 ultrawide camera.

You also get a massive 6,500mAh battery with 80W wired charging support, 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. REDMAGIC also has a Plus variant of the device with similar specs, except for a smaller 5,500mAh battery, faster 165W wired charging support, up to 24GB RAM, and up to 1TB of onboard storage. For gamers, both devices include a pair of capacitive shoulder buttons.

REDMAGIC has also equipped the devices with a new in-house R2 Pro chip, which unlocks a slew of AI features in the latest version of its custom Android skin — REDMAGIC OS 9.5. These include new gaming features to give users customized vibration, sound, and lighting effects, along with handy tools for image manipulation, wallpaper generation, and more.

REDMAGIC 9S Pro price and availability

The REDMAGIC 9S Pro is available in China at a starting price of 4,799 yuan (~$660) for the base 12GB+256GB model. The Plus variant starts at 5,799 yuan (~$798) for the 16GB/512GB model and goes all the way up to 6,999 yuan (~$963) for the 24GB/1TB variant.

REDMAGIC has confirmed that it will launch the 9S Pro globally on July 16. We’ll update this post with prices for the international version as soon as it’s revealed.