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ZTE nubia Red Magic Nova

ZTE nubia Red Magic Nova

R8,500
SKU: 4357
Brand: ZTE
Category: Mobiles
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CPU: 8-core (1x3.4GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.1GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.2GHz Cortex-A520)
RAM: 12GB-24GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Display: IPS LCD, 144Hz, 550 nits
Camera: 50MP
OS: Android 14, Redmagic OS 9.5

Our Rating

The overall rating is based on review by our experts

7.3

Display 7 / 10
Camera 7 / 10
Performance 6 / 10
Battery 9 / 10

PROS

Aluminum frame and Back panel.
10.9-inch IPS display, 144Hz refresh rate.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12/16/24GB RAM.
Stereo quad speakers, Fingerprint and NFC.
10100mAh battery with 120W charging.

CONS

No cellular connectivity.
Single rear primary camera.
No GPS positioning.

The ZTE nubia Red Magic Nova brings hardcore, esports-grade gaming performance to the South African market at an incredibly aggressive starting baseline of ZAR 8,500. For mobile gamers, power users, and tech enthusiasts, this device represents a massive chunk of flagship-tier performance without the typical luxury price tag.

Market Positioning & Availability

While the starting price sits around ZAR 8,500, final retail costs are subject to standard market fluctuations based on localized retail markups, the specific RAM/storage tier you choose, and regional stock availability across South Africa.

Because the Red Magic lineup caters to a specialized gaming audience, retail distribution across standard commercial stores can vary drastically compared to everyday consumer smartphones.

Where to Buy in South Africa

Online Specialists & Tech Retailers: Takealot, Hi Online, HiFi Corp, Cellucity, and 4U.
Major Retail Outlets & Department Stores: Makro, Game, Foschini, Mr Price, PEP, and Ackermans.
Mobile Networks & Airtime Partners: MTN and Chatz.

Availability Note: While large supermarkets (like PEP or Ackermans) and traditional cellular networks carry standard consumer devices reliably, specialized high-performance hardware like the Red Magic Nova is most consistently tracked down through dedicated online platforms like Takealot or specialized tech shops like Cellucity.

What Makes It a Beast?

If you are looking at this device, you are likely looking for raw power. Stripping away the technical spec sheets, here are the main pillars that define the Red Magic Nova experience:

Built for Competitive Gaming: This device is built from the ground up for low-latency, high-frame-rate performance. It handles heavy, graphically demanding titles effortlessly, ensuring you don’t drop frames during crucial matches.
Active Turbofan Cooling: To keep things running smoothly during marathon gaming sessions, the device features an actual internal physical fan and a advanced thermal setup. This prevents the processor from overheating and throttling your performance when the action heats up.
Massive Battery & Ultra-Fast Charging: It houses an enormous battery pack designed to power hours of intensive use. When you finally run low, the incredibly fast charging speeds can top the device back up to full in a fraction of the time of standard consumer electronics.
Striking Futuristic Design: Embracing the esports aesthetic, it features a bold, distinct chassis with customizable lighting and semi-transparent design accents that make it immediately stand out in a crowd.

Full Specifications

General

Brand	ZTE
Model	ZTE nubia Red Magic Nova
Announced	05 September, 2024
Released	05 September, 2024
Status	Available
Price	ZAR 8,500

Design

Type Design Type called form factor refers to a mobile phone's size, shape, and style as well as the layout and position of major components of phone. There are three major form factors seen in mobile phones => bar phones, folding phones and sliding phones.	Bar
Dimensions	253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3 mm (9.97 x 6.48 x 0.29 in)
Weight	530 g (1.17 lb)
Colors	Cyclone, Snowfall

Network

2G Network
3G Network
4G Network
5G Network
SIM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages.	No

Display

Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor)	IPS LCD, 144Hz, 550 nits
Size	10.9 inches, 344.5 cm2 (~82.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	1800 x 2880 pixels, 16:10 ratio (~312 ppi density)

Media

Audio Playback
Video Playback
FM Radio	No
Ring Tones
Loudspeaker

Camera

Main Camera Camera is able to capture photographs and usually videos, The most important characteristics of a camera are the resolution (measured in megapixels), lens focus type (fixed or automatic), higher megapixel cameras are known to capture higher quality photos, but not always a good measurement of the photos quality.	50 MP
Video	1080p@30fps
Selfie Camera	20 MP
Video	1080p@30fps

Software

Operating System OS => Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device.	Android 14
User Interface UI or user interface of a device is the look and feel of the on-screen menu system. How it works, its color scheme, how it responds to button presses, all of these things are part of the user interface.	Redmagic OS 9.5

Hardware

Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming.	Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)
CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone.	8-core (1x3.4GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.1GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.2GHz Cortex-A520)
GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion.	Adreno 750 (1 GHz)
RAM (Memory) RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly from random locations. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computer systems, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices.	12GB-24GB
Internal Storage Internal Storage is a data storage space (flash memory) mostly used in smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices where operating system, apps, music, photos, videos, files and other user data Is stored.	256GB/512GB/1TB
Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras.	No
Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device.	Fingerprint (side-mounted); unspecified sensors

Connectivity

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices.	Yes
Wi-fi Wi-Fi is a popular wireless networking technology using radio waves to provide high-speed network connections that allows devices to communicate without cords or cables, Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming the preferred mode of internet connectivity all over the world.	Yes
Wi-fi Hotspot
USB	USB Type-C, video output, magnetic connector pins
Positioning GPS The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio navigation system, GPS permits users to determine their position, velocity and the time 24 hours a day, in all weather, anywhere in the world, In order to locate your position, your device or GPS receiver must have a clear view of the sky.	No
NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches.

Battery

Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium.	10100 mAh, non-removable
Charging Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging) uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which can then use that energy to charge batteries or run the device.	120W wired, 50% in 15 min, 100% in 45 min (advertised)

Reviews

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Display: Screen size, image quality (brightness, colors, contrast, etc), visibility in sun light, angles of view and touchscreen.

6
Camera: Usability of Camera interface, image and video quality in different light conditions and environment.

5
Performance: Is this device perform good while watching videos, playing games, taking snapshots, browsing internet and navigate through other applications?

5
Battery: What about battery life, while calling, listening music, watching videos, playing games and doing other tasks.

6
Average Rating 6 / 10 based on your selection