If you’ve been active in the Android space for a long time, you’ll remember that back in the early days, there was a common school of thought that believed that tablets would usurp laptops. I never thought that, simply because Android was yet to get desktop-grade applications and those tablets always seemed to skimp on performance.
However, despite most Android tablets having mid-range or low-end specs, there’s the rare specimen that maxes out on performance and makes my mouth water. Today, that’s the Nubia RedMagic Nova. It was launched in China but it is finally getting a global release for a surprisingly sensible price tag.
The RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet Stands Out In A Crowd And Hits The Max Level On Its Power Stat
All the way back in 2018, ZTE’s subbrand Nubia decided that it needed to throw its hat in the ring for a gaming-focused smartphone and that was how the ZTE Nubia RedMagic was born. Since then, RedMagic has sort of become an outfit of its own, producing gamer-centric Android devices.
The RedMagic Nova is the latest in that lineup and since gamers love big screens, it gives you everything that you could possibly want to make sure your gaming sessions go perfectly.
The Design
The RedMagic Nova is quite a looker of a tablet. Its sides and body are made of aviation-grade aluminum and its silver colorway is calling my name—though the black model fits the gamer aesthetic more. It is only 7.3mm thick, so it does a good job of looking sleek.
Along the top edge of the tablet’s back panel is a transparent glass window that shows off some of the device’s internals, particularly the cooling system and RGB lights. It’s definitely an eye-catching tablet and hits the “futuristic” mark better than most.
The Screen
If a tablet is going to be all about gaming, its screen can’t afford to be a letdown. That’s why you get a sizable 10.9-inch 2880 x 1800 IPS LCD with a 144Hz refresh rate and an 840Hz touch sampling rate (I personally haven’t seen higher). AMOLED would have been nice but I suppose Nubia was trying to keep costs down.
The Performance
The RedMagic Nova is a monster in the performance department as it comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Edition, which if you’re not aware, is basically an overclocked version of the chip that we all know and love (the RedMagic 9s Pro has it too). Unsurprisingly, it hits a 2,352,902 AnTuTu score, making it the most powerful Android tablet and simply one of the most powerful Android devices overall.
Such a high score is certainly assisted by the fact that this tablet has active cooling. Despite its thin build, there’s actually a 20,000 RPM cooling fan in it along with a nine-layer cooling system (which is part of what you can see through the transparent window on the back). It’s obvious that Nubia doesn’t want you to look at any other Android tablet for gaming purposes.
The device is available in two configurations: 12/256GB and 16/512GB.
The Battery And Charging
The bigger form factor lets this gaming tablet carry around a 10,100 mAh battery which they say will give you up to 10 hours of gaming time and about 19 hours of regular use. Paired with 80W fast charging, I give Nubia a thumbs up in the battery department.
The Cameras
You shouldn’t buy a tablet if a camera is extremely important to you and you definitely shouldn’t be buying a gaming tablet in that case. That doesn’t mean that the camera this tablet comes with is trash but you should likely temper your expectations. There’s a 50MP unit on the back and a 20MP selfie shooter.
The Other Hardware
To round out the gaming experience, you get four stereo speakers on this tablet to make the visual experience just as good as the audio. There are also three mics built-in, perfect for voice chat.
On top of that, there’s a fingerprint sensor on the side of the device as well as a USB Type-C port that supports video output, in case you want to play on a big screen with a Bluetooth controller in your hands.
The Pricing And Availability
The RedMagic Nova gaming tablet is going to be available pretty much all over the world, including the United States. The best part is that despite all that value, it is going to start at $499, with the higher-specced model priced at $649. You’ll have to wait until October 7th before you can pre-order, while open sales are going to start on October 16th.
In Euros, the pricing remains the same as in the US, and for those in the UK, you can get it at £439 and £559 for the 12/256 and 16/512 models respectively.
