ZTE nubia Red Magic 6s Pro vs. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Gamer's Dilemma?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished ecosystem, long-term software support, and a top-tier camera, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the better choice. However, the Red Magic 6s Pro delivers unmatched gaming performance and charging speeds for dedicated mobile gamers, making it the clear winner in that niche.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia Red Magic 6s Pro | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - China | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2643, A2644, A2645 |
| 5G bands | 1, 28, 41, 78 SA/NSA - China | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2643, A2644 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE-A, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2641 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, September 06 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 27 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 169.9 x 77.2 x 9.5 mm (6.69 x 3.04 x 0.37 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 215 g (7.58 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| Pressure sensitive zones (450Hz touch-sensing) Sliding trigger on the back Built-in cooling fan RGB Light | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~387 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 111.6 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 165Hz, 700 nits (typ) | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888+ 5G (5 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 11, Redmagic 4.5 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 18GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.0, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 2 MP, (macro) | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), PDAF, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | - | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, aptX, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.0, OTG, accessory connector | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, heart rate | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 120W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 17 min (China) 66W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 65 min (International) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 5050 mAh, non-removable - International modelLi-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable - China model | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Eclipse Black, Transparent, White | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | - | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 600 EUR | € 423.38 / $ 394.86 / £ 355.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 97h | Endurance rating 121h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -21.4 LUFS (Excellent) | -24.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 758329 (v8), 870708 (v9) GeekBench: 14612 (v4.4), 3664 (v5.1) GFXBench: 62fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 801691 (v9) GeekBench: 4706 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
ZTE nubia Red Magic 6s Pro
- Blazing-fast 120W charging (China)
- Powerful Snapdragon 888+ for gaming
- Dedicated gaming features (triggers, cooling)
- Shorter battery life compared to iPhone
- Less refined software experience
- Camera quality is not a priority
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Exceptional battery life (121h endurance)
- Superior camera system
- Seamless iOS ecosystem and software support
- Slower charging speeds
- Less raw gaming performance than Red Magic
- Higher price point
Display Comparison
Both devices feature displays with an infinite (nominal) contrast ratio, indicating excellent black levels. However, the iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1050 nits, suggesting superior visibility in direct sunlight. While the Red Magic 6s Pro’s display specifications lack brightness data, its focus is on a high refresh rate for smoother gaming. The iPhone’s display technology is likely LTPO, enabling variable refresh rates for power efficiency, a feature not explicitly mentioned for the Red Magic.
Camera Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max excels in camera capabilities, offering a sophisticated photo and video experience. While specific sensor details aren’t provided for either device in the context data, Apple’s reputation for computational photography and image processing is well-established. The Red Magic 6s Pro, geared towards gaming, likely prioritizes camera functionality less, focusing on adequate performance rather than class-leading quality. The iPhone’s advanced features like Cinematic mode and ProRes video recording are absent on the Red Magic.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipset architecture. The Red Magic 6s Pro utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ 5G, an octa-core processor built on a 5nm process. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, conversely, employs Apple’s A15 Bionic, a hexa-core chip also on a 5nm process. While core count differs, Apple’s chip design prioritizes performance-per-watt, often resulting in sustained performance despite a lower core count. The Red Magic’s Snapdragon 888+ is known for its raw power, but can be prone to thermal throttling under prolonged load, a challenge the Red Magic attempts to mitigate with its advanced cooling system. The iPhone’s A15 Bionic benefits from Apple’s tight hardware-software integration, optimizing performance and efficiency.
Battery Life
The iPhone 13 Pro Max demonstrates superior battery endurance with a rating of 121 hours, compared to the Red Magic 6s Pro’s 97 hours. However, the Red Magic compensates with incredibly fast charging: 120W wired (in China) achieving 100% in just 17 minutes, or 66W internationally taking 65 minutes. The iPhone 13 Pro Max offers a more modest charging speed, reaching 50% in 30 minutes via wired PD2.0, and supports 15W wireless charging with MagSafe or Qi2 (requiring iOS 17.2). The Red Magic’s charging speed is a significant advantage for users who need to quickly top up their battery, while the iPhone prioritizes overall battery longevity.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE nubia Red Magic 6s Pro if you need a phone specifically engineered for extended gaming sessions, demand the fastest possible charging speeds (especially the 120W version available in China), and are comfortable with a less refined software experience. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer a premium, all-around smartphone with a superior camera system, a mature and intuitive operating system, and exceptional battery life, even if it means sacrificing some raw gaming horsepower.