The Android pill market is in a wierd place, most of all in the case of small type components. Samsung’s greatest tablets have vibrant shows and nice software program, however its most up-to-date Galaxy S10 Extremely flagship makes use of a last-generation chip, backing away from direct competitors with probably the most highly effective pill processor of all time within the M4 iPad Professional. In the meantime, the finances Android market is awash in low-end {hardware} with lackluster specs, and that is the place small tablets abound. If there is a purpose why Apple has but to place an M-series processor within the iPad Mini, it is in all probability as a result of the A17 Professional cell processor it at the moment runs on is leagues quicker than the lackluster chips present in even the most effective small Android tablets.
All of that makes a brand new pill from RedMagic fairly the eyebrow-raiser. The corporate has till now been identified for its smartphones. Yr on 12 months, RedMagic has managed to ship flagship Android gaming telephones with among the most spectacular spec sheets in the marketplace. They’re odd gadgets in some ways — no different model ships telephones with a built-in AI anime waifu companion — however there is no arguing with the worth proposition.
The RedMagic Astra continues that pattern, this time in pill type. Pairing a flagship processor with a frankly astonishing quantity of reminiscence and a formidable show, it is powerful to discover a higher pill at this dimension and worth level, at the least on paper. However to see whether or not it holds up in the actual world, we checked out skilled opinions. What they needed to say was surprisingly constant. Let’s dive in.
The RedMagic Astra delivers eyebrow elevating specs in a compact bundle
The RedMagic Astra seems to be easy on the skin. Get previous the RGB emblem and tiny cooling fan on the again — aesthetic reminders that it is a gaming-focused gadget — and it is a metallic and glass slab like another. Inside, issues get much more fascinating. The Astra runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the identical chip powering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and different 2025 flagships. It is a significantly extra highly effective chip than the Apple A17 Professional within the iPad Mini, or the older, MediaTek processor discovered within the far costlier Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. The Astra will be configured with 12 to 24 gigabytes of RAM, one other flex in comparison with the 8 GB within the iPad Mini and 12 GB within the Tab S10 Extremely. In different phrases, it is each extra highly effective on paper than competing small tablets or another Android pill, interval.
RedMagic has paired that horsepower with a 9.06-inch, 2.4K, OLED show operating at 165Hz. If the sample is not but clear, sure, these specs are variously extra spectacular than what Apple or Samsung provide, even on the excessive finish of their lineups. As an illustration, neither competitor provides any gadget with a refresh fee larger than 120Hz. Rounding issues out is an 8,200 milliamp-hour battery with 80-watt quick charging.
You would be forgiven for calling it overkill, however the worth definitely is not. At $549 for the bottom mannequin and $899 for the maxed-out RAM and storage configuration, the RedMagic Astra is not an affordable Android pill, but it surely undercuts its direct competitors. However does the lower cost mirror a hidden compromise? We checked out opinions to search out out.
Reviewers agree the RedMagic Astra lives as much as its spec sheet
Reviewers who acquired their palms on the RedMagic Astra gaming pill shaped a shocking consensus. After scouring opinions from respected sources, the consensus is sweepingly constructive. With that mentioned, some nitpicks have been picked.
Talking of nits, the show was a spotlight throughout the board. Tom’s Information known as it “jaw-dropping.” “Fairly spectacular,” mentioned Telephone Area. And 9to5Google thought of it “method higher … than many different tablets in the marketplace.”
Efficiency was one other straightforward win for the Astra. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is probably the most highly effective cell processor for Android in the mean time, and RedMagic provides it as a lot headroom as doable by including an precise cooling fan along with an virtually comical quantity of RAM. The end result? Nary a stutter or dropped body, even throughout sweaty gaming periods.
Many Android gadgets fall quick within the software program division. Nonetheless, reviewers have been pleasantly shocked by the Astra’s light-weight Android 15 pores and skin. One gripe got here from 9to5Google, which disliked the built-in video games launcher because it seems to be like gaming-oriented software program in a really cliche method, although ZDNet discovered that the CPU tuning it provides offered a lift in efficiency for probably the most demanding video games. Android Central was justifiably displeased with the Astra’s meager two years of promised software program updates, which lag behind commitments from different manufacturers.
Even when this is not the pill for you, it is good to see an organization like RedMagic carrying the torch for highly effective, smaller tablets that do not compromise on specs. If the Astra can spur market leaders like Apple and Samsung to bolster their very own lineups, pill lovers in every single place can be higher off.
