Red Magic 10 Air Review: A Powerful Gaming Phone with Some Surprising Twists

The world of gaming smartphones continues to push boundaries, and the Red Magic 10 Air is the latest contender making waves. Marketed as a “lightweight” powerhouse by Red Magic, this phone promises cutting-edge performance, gamer-focused features, and a distinctive design. But does it live up to the hype, and is it worth the ₹45,000 price tag? Here’s a deep dive into everything you need to know.

Design and Build: Lightweight… or Not?

At first glance, the Red Magic 10 Air may not strike you as particularly “airy” or thin. Despite its name, it houses a hefty 6000mAh battery — impressive, but certainly not contributing to a slim profile. Compared to other phones with even larger batteries, this one feels average in thickness. Still, it’s not heavy or bulky in the hand and does give off a solid, premium feel.

The white glass back has a striking look, with design cues reminiscent of flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or S25 Ultra. It also sports metal aluminum frames and a dedicated red gaming key on the side that instantly switches to gaming mode. This button, along with air triggers (touch-sensitive shoulder buttons), enhances the gaming experience, although their practical use may depend on your gaming habits.

Interestingly, Red Magic has removed the internal cooling fan from this generation — a surprising move for a gaming phone. This decision seems to have contributed to some heating issues, which we’ll discuss later.

Hardware and Performance: A True Gaming Beast

Under the hood, the Red Magic 10 Air packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, delivering blazing-fast performance. Benchmarks like AnTuTu scores confirm that it’s one of the fastest smartphones available right now. Paired with LPDDR5X RAM (expandable) and UFS 4.0 storage, this phone handles heavy tasks, multitasking, and gaming with ease.

However, during testing, there were some concerns. When stress-tested with apps like CPU Throttle Test, the phone heated up quickly — temperatures climbed to around 43°C, causing two app crashes. Clearly, the removal of the cooling fan has impacted its thermal management, so heavy gamers should keep this in mind.

Gaming Features: Built for Gamers

Gaming is where the Red Magic 10 Air truly shines. It supports 90fps in BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and even 120fps in PUBG, delivering smooth, fluid gameplay. The game mode allows you to boost performance, manage notifications, and customize settings. The VC chamber cooling system helps, but it doesn’t fully compensate for the absent fan.

The air triggers provide an extra layer of control, especially for competitive shooters, and the RGB lighting on the back can be customized to flash during notifications, charging, or gaming sessions — adding a fun, immersive touch.

Display: Immersive Visuals

The Red Magic 10 Air features a 6.8-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1600 nits peak brightness. Indoors or outdoors, the screen remains visible, vibrant, and responsive. It’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has an under-display camera, giving you an uninterrupted full-screen experience.

That said, the adaptive refresh rate toggles between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz but doesn’t drop to 1Hz for extra battery savings. Netflix HDR is unsupported, but you can enjoy 4K HDR content on YouTube.

Cameras: A Mixed Bag

The camera system includes a 50MP main camera, ultrawide sensor, and a 16MP under-display selfie camera. While these specs sound promising, real-world performance is mixed.

• Main camera: Delivers decent shots, particularly in good lighting, but lacks standout features like multi-focal length in portrait mode.

• Selfie camera: The under-display placement leads to noticeable glare and softness, making it one of the weaker points of this phone.

• Video recording: Supports 8K at 30fps and 4K at 60fps — more than enough for casual creators, though few users will shoot in 8K regularly.

Battery and Charging

With its 6000mAh battery, the Red Magic 10 Air offers excellent endurance. You can expect around 55–60 minutes to fully charge using the included 80W fast charger, which is impressive. Even under gaming stress, the battery holds up well — though, again, the phone’s heating can become noticeable.

Software and UI

Running on Android 15 with Red Magic OS, the software feels snappy and responsive. You get 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security patches, though availability and support may vary since the device isn’t officially launched in India. Expect some Chinese bloatware and apps if you import it.

Notable software features include:

• Smart Slide Bar for quick access

• Intelligent Touch controls

• Minimal gaming flags and design elements

Connectivity and Extras

The Red Magic 10 Air covers all essential connectivity:

• 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and tri-band support

• 28 sensors for enhanced performance

• 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner (fast and accurate)

However, note that it only supports Type-C 2.0 instead of the faster 3.x standard, which is a minor letdown for a flagship.

Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?

For around ₹45,000, the Red Magic 10 Air delivers top-notch gaming performance, a high-quality display, long battery life, and a gamer-centric design. But it’s not without compromises:

• Heating issues due to the missing fan

• Weak selfie camera performance

• Lack of official India support

If you’re a gaming enthusiast who prioritizes FPS, power, and unique features like air triggers, this phone is an exciting option. However, if camera quality or thermal management matters more to you, you might want to look elsewhere.

Should You Wait for an India Launch?

Since the Red Magic 10 Air is currently not available in India, importing it comes with risks like limited warranty and potential software quirks. If Red Magic officially launches in India, it could become a real game-changer in the budget flagship segment.