REDMAGIC 11 Air gaming phone debuts with active cooling and 7,000 mAh battery

Chinese manufacturer Nubia has launched the REDMAGIC 11 Air gaming smartphone, featuring significant hardware upgrades over its predecessor aimed at addressing core gaming performance limitations. The device introduces two notable improvements: a 7,000 mAh battery (16% larger than the REDMAGIC 10 Air's 6,000 mAh capacity) and an active cooling system with a 24,000 RPM fan.

The cooling solution represents a strategic shift from last year's fanless design, combining a redesigned centrifugal fan with increased airflow efficiency, vapor chamber technology, and an aluminum heat dissipation bracket. According to Nubia, the new blades improve airflow by 21% while reducing noise and dust accumulation. This active thermal management targets performance throttling during extended gaming sessions, where conventional smartphones typically rely solely on passive cooling.

Hardware specifications position the device firmly in flagship gaming territory:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite with dedicated RedCore R4 gaming co-processor
• Display: 6.78" 2688×1216 AMOLED panel with 144Hz refresh rate, 2500Hz touch sampling
• Memory: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM with 512GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Controls: Shoulder triggers with 520Hz response rate and anti-sweat algorithms
• Cameras: 50MP main (OIS) + 8MP ultrawide rear, 16MP under-display front
• Charging: 120W wired fast charging

The display features near bezel-free design with a 95.1% screen-to-body ratio and incorporates 2,592 Hz PWM dimming to reduce eye strain. Gaming-specific optimizations extend to RGB lighting effects on the rear casing and the proprietary Red Magic OS interface.

Available initially in China, pricing starts at ¥3,699 ($530) for 12GB/256GB and ¥4,399 ($630) for 16GB/512GB configurations. Global availability begins January 29. For gamers seeking more extreme cooling, Nubia offers the REDMAGIC 11 Pro with liquid cooling technology launched late last year.

The REDMAGIC 11 Air's design choices highlight the diverging priorities between mainstream smartphones and dedicated gaming devices. While the fan mechanism adds complexity and potential points of failure, it addresses thermal constraints that typically force performance compromises during resource-intensive tasks. Combined with the substantial battery capacity, these features prioritize sustained peak performance over slim form factors.