Redmagic 11 Air

I can't help but feel a bit chuffed when a piece of tech lands in my letterbox which, as well as appearing to be of solid build quality, also comes from a brand that isn't necessarily one of the big tech giants. Samsung, Apple and OnePlus are undoubtedly at the top of the industry for a reason, but I'm also convinced that there are plenty of other, perhaps slightly hidden, options that are certainly worth considering. Especially for us gamers, there are good reasons to look at other options tailored to our specific hobby, and that's where Redmagic has found its niche, offering a phone that's specially designed for gaming.

So when I first unbox my new handset, I notice that this is a substantial piece of kit we're dealing with. The Redmagic 11 Air is big. For some, it might even be too big. I, who am blessed with what I would describe as reasonably average-sized hands, can just about manage the 6.85-inch OLED screen with one hand, and even then I need to support it with my left hand if I'm to reach the top-left corner of the screen without risking dropping it. Someone with a slightly smaller grip would probably have been better off finding a more modest alternative. Despite its size, the Redmagic 11 Air feels surprisingly easy to hold, and once I've slipped on the included phone case - whose textured surface helps secure the grip - it feels like it would take quite a lot for it to slip out of my hand. It feels sturdy, though not quite designed for one-handed use, which is, after all, how I tend to prefer my mobile phones.

However, there are certain mitigating factors to bear in mind regarding the large screen. The Red Magic 11 Air isn't just any old phone, but a device which, like its predecessors, has been developed specifically for us gamers. A portable gaming device in the guise of a phone, if you will. Held between your palms in a horizontal position with, say, Call of Duty Mobile running, the sharp OLED screen suddenly feels perfectly designed for the purpose. With a resolution of 2,688×1,216, the Redmagic 11 Air delivers a stable visual experience that feels absolutely perfect for video, but above all for gaming. What adds a further technical layer to the gaming experience are the two digital trigger buttons positioned at either end of the phone's right-hand side. With the integrated gaming hub, I can customise exactly where on the screen I want a trigger press to be mapped, as well as whether it should be registered as a single tap, 'rapid fire' or 'toggle'. Particularly in action games, where the control scheme often suffers when using a touchscreen, I find that the feature works surprisingly well and makes the phone feel somewhat like a controller, even though the flatter smartphone design becomes rather uncomfortable to hold during longer sessions.

To further cement its role as a gaming phone, there are a couple of other fun features worth mentioning. One of these is the built-in fan, which spins at 24,000 RPM and does a good job of keeping the phone at a comfortable temperature, even during slightly longer gaming sessions. As soon as I start a new game, I get a prompt to activate the cooling system, and for extra style points with my mates, I also have access to a widget on the home screen that lets me crank the fan up to full speed, whilst some rather cheesy engine sounds start playing and a red light comes on. A fun but unnecessary detail that I've used a bit too often for someone who's just turned 31.

Then there's the 0809 X-axis vibration motor, which enhances my gaming experience with a kind of haptic feedback that reminds me of what it feels like to hold a DualSense controller. Whether I'm engaged in combat in Call of Duty Mobile or collecting blue gems in Duolingo, my immersion in the game is enhanced, and although I find it hard to feel completely enveloped by a gaming experience in a portable format, it's still a very nice addition with really good rumble motors. If nothing else, because the tech geek in me shivers with a slight sense of pleasure at the sight of fun hardware. The speakers also deliver a really sharp audio experience, which again feels like a given for a phone focused on gaming.

Another feature unique to Redmagic phones is the AI-powered assistant Mora, which comes pre-installed on the device. With her help, I can, among other things, access tips and tricks in real time whilst playing selected games, but she's also there as a tool for both study and work - or if I just want an AI-generated anime girl to chat to. I might sound old-fashioned when I say this, but although it's obviously great that technology is moving forward, I struggle to identify the problem that this sort of solution is meant to address. What's more, Mora's slightly suggestive design means I'd never have been able to use her features out in public, or at home for that matter. At least not without pulling out a proper pillow to hide behind. Granted, the Redmagic 11 Air is designed with us gamers in mind, but here the gamer stereotype goes a bit too far for my liking.

The Redmagic 11 Air comes in two colours: the white "Prism" and the black "Phantom", which is the model I've been reviewing. Both models are available with either 12 GB of RAM and 250 GB of storage, or 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The phone's aesthetics are clearly designed with gaming in mind, featuring stylish gold detailing on the back, as well as the Redmagic logo, whose RGB features can be customised to suit your needs and taste. Here, they've managed surprisingly well to strike a balance between keeping the design semi-futuristic and gaming-cool without, for that matter, veering over to the exaggerated side of the spectrum, which would have risked making it feel a tad more nerdy than it needs to be. On the contrary, I feel a bit of a show-off every time I pull this rather unusual handset out of my pocket; its unique features make me think of what a Transformer might have looked like in smartphone form. I would have preferred, however, if the included phone case had come in a colour other than semi-transparent white, which unfortunately does more harm than good to the appearance of my Redmagic 11 Air. A black option for the black phone would have felt far more sensible, especially given that we're talking about a phone whose design has clearly been given a great deal of attention.

Apart from everything I've mentioned above, I can report that the battery life is absolutely phenomenal, and as someone who charges their phones daily, I've so far never seen the battery level drop below 75%. With moderate use, it rarely even goes below 90% in a day. The camera is also decent, offering 50 megapixels on the back and 16 on the front. It certainly doesn't result in any selfies that will go down in history as particularly high-resolution, but the camera still does what's expected of it. I did, however, need to go into the settings to turn off the unnecessary Redmagic watermark that would otherwise be stamped on every photo taken. A strange feature, though one I quickly forgot about once it was removed.

Overall, I've had a thoroughly enjoyable experience with the Redmagic 11 Air. As well as being a fully capable gaming phone with several fun features, it's a good mobile phone in general for a relatively low price. For £439.00, you get the slightly more expensive model, whilst a little less gets you the cheaper version, which comes with slightly less RAM and storage. As I mentioned earlier, its size is a bit on the large side for a mobile phone, but with gaming as the focus, its dimensions also serve an important purpose that benefits us gamers, which makes sense given that we are, after all, the Red Magic 11 Air's intended target audience.