The RedMagic 7S Pro was one of the most powerful and feature-packed gaming handsets to launch in 2022, now though, there's a new kid on the block, the RedMagic 8 Pro.

Featuring a pretty drastic design change, as well as the latest flagship Snapdragon processor, the RedMagic 8 Pro has a lot to offer.

However, that certainly doesn't mean that the RedMagic 7S Pro is suddenly obsolete. Just a few short months ago it was one of the best gaming phones on the market, and it still packs a mighty punch in 2023.

So, which one is right for you? Join us as we take a deep dive into the benefits and shortcomings of these monstrous gaming smartphones.

Design

• RedMagic 8 Pro: 164.5 x 77 x 9.47 mm, 228g
• RedMagic 7S Pro: 166.27 x 77.1 x 9.98mm; 235g
• RedMagic 8 Pro: Finishes: Void (transparent) / Matte (black)
• RedMagic 7S Pro: Finishes: Obsidian (black) / Supernova (transparent) / Mercury (white)

When it comes to aesthetics, the 8 Pro and 7S Pro are quite different. The 8 Pro has a flat rear panel, flat display, and sharp angular corners. The design reminds us of the Razer Phone, with a bit of Sony Xperia DNA mixed in.

The 7S Pro has a curved back panel and softer curves on the corners. It's more reminiscent of the iPhone's shape, and the aluminium bumper encircling the device has some Apple-inspired vibes too.

The RedMagic 8 Pro is the more subtle option, in its matte black variant, at least. Whereas, the 7S Pro has a pretty loud design, no matter which of the three colourways you choose.

Both devices have the usual RedMagic touches, active cooling, capacitive-touch trigger buttons, a physical game mode slider and RGB-illuminated elements.

As to which design is best, that's completely subjective. We like the angular look of the new RedMagic 8 Pro, but can equally imagine others being turned off by it.

In practice, both devices feel great in the hand, though the softer edges on the RedMagic 7S Pro may make it more comfortable for marathon gaming sessions.

Display and speakers

• RedMagic 8 Pro: 6.8-inch AMOLED, 2480x1116 resolution, 1300 nits
• RedMagic 7S Pro: 6.8-inch AMOLED, 2400x1080 resolution, 120Hz, 600 nits
• RedMagic 8 Pro: Superlinear dual speakers with DTS:X Ultra
• RedMagic 7S Pro: Dual stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra

Both devices feature similar specifications when it comes to screen tech, and both benefit from under-display cameras for a truly uninterrupted experience. They're roughly the same size, but the sharper corners and narrower bezels on the RedMagic 8 Pro mean that the screen feels larger, even if the real difference is negligible.

What really sets the 8 Pro apart, though, is its brightness output. The RedMagic 8 Pro is capable of blasting out a staggering 1300 nits at peak, over double the brightness of the 7S Pro.

This means that it's much more usable in bright conditions, so you can happily soak up some rays while grinding in Genshin Impact.

The speakers are improved on the RedMagic 8 Pro, too. They pump out much better low-end frequencies and have excellent staging, making it easier to pinpoint your enemies on the battlefield without the need for a headset.

Performance and software

• RedMagic 8 Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 2, 12GB LPDDR5X, 256GB UFS 4.0
• RedMagic 7S Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1; 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1
• RedMagic 8 Pro: 6000 mAh battery, 65W fast-charging, RedMagic OS v6.0 (Android 13)
• RedMagic 7S Pro: 5000 mAh battery, 65W fast-charging, RedMagic OS v5.5 (Android 12)

The biggest change with the latest RedMagic release is a jump to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, one of the most powerful and efficient processors currently available.

Of course, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 is no slouch either, and with both phones benefitting from active cooling, thermal throttling is essentially non-existent.

In real-world terms, you're unlikely to notice a performance difference between the two while gaming, they're both of such a high specification that they'll chomp through any Android game with relative ease.

If you run some benchmarks, though, you can clearly see that the Gen 2 chip is the better performer - which could mean better longevity as more graphically intensive titles come to the market.

The RedMagic 8 Pro has a much larger battery, and this, combined with the efficiency of the latest chipset, means that it has much better battery life than the 7S Pro. You can max out your settings and still game for hours on end, and if you're just doing some light gaming, you might find that you can manage two days on a single charge.

Both phones run RedMagic OS, but the RedMagic 8 Pro ships with V6.0, based on Android 13, whereas the 7S Pro ships with V5.5, based on Android 12.

In terms of user experience and features, they're not too dissimilar, both offer comprehensive gaming tweaks and ship with minimal bloatware. However, V5.5 is much more stable and bug-free, whereas V6.0 is in dire need of some fixes and tweaks, at the time of writing. We're sure this will improve with time, though.

Cameras

• RedMagic 8 Pro: 50MP Samsung GN5 main, 8MP wide-angle, 2MP macro
• RedMagic 7S Pro: 64MP main, 8MP wide-angle, 2MP macro
• Both: 16MP f/2.0 UPC selfie camera

The RedMagic 8 Pro has a 50MP main shooter, which might sound like a downgrade from the 64MP main on the 7S Pro, but it's actually a far superior camera.

This is because the Samsung GN5 sensor is physically much larger, which results in better low-light performance and much more detailed images.

Aside from the main camera, the rest of the lineup is essentially the same on both phones. You'll get an 8MP wide-angle, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but severely lacks detail and sharpness, along with a fairly useless 2MP macro camera.

Both models utilise under-panel selfie cameras and the uninterrupted gaming experience is top-notch, just don't expect to be taking very flattering selfies. The camera is extremely soft and bloomy, so, to combat this, RedMagic applies some extreme sharpening - with pretty unpleasant results.

Conclusion

Both of these phones are great options for mobile gaming enthusiasts, but if we had to choose one, we'd go with the RedMagic 8 Pro.

It has a superior processor, much longer battery life, a brighter display, better speakers and a better primary camera. We're quite fond of the design, too.

That said, the RedMagic 7S Pro is still an excellent choice, and if you prefer a curvier phone, or find one at a good price - you won't be disappointed.