ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S vs. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Clash of Philosophies
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished experience, exceptional camera capabilities, and long-term software support, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S delivers unmatched gaming performance and incredibly fast charging, making it the clear winner for dedicated mobile gamers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S | 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 800 / 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 | 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, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA | 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 | 2022, July 11 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, July 15 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 170.6 x 78.3 x 9.5 mm (6.72 x 3.08 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 (520Hz touch-sensing) Built-in cooling fan Aviation aluminum middle frame | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | 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 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors (China only), 165Hz, 700 nits (typ) | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 12, Redmagic 5.5 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB 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, f/2.4, (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 | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 120W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 17 min (advertised) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Gray | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | - | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 590 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 121h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -24.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 801691 (v9) GeekBench: 4706 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S
- Incredibly fast 120W charging
- Superior gaming performance with active cooling
- Potentially better PWM dimming for sensitive eyes
- Likely inferior camera quality
- Less refined software experience
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Exceptional camera system
- Seamless user experience and ecosystem integration
- Long-term software support
- Significantly slower charging speeds
- Less focused on raw gaming performance
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1050 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Red Magic 7S’s display specs aren’t provided, nubia typically prioritizes high refresh rates for gaming. The iPhone’s infinite (nominal) contrast ratio delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The Red Magic 7S likely utilizes a higher PWM dimming rate, potentially making it a better choice for users sensitive to screen flicker, a detail not specified for the iPhone. The iPhone’s ProMotion technology (LTPO) dynamically adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, balancing smoothness and power efficiency, a feature likely present on the Red Magic 7S as well given its gaming focus.
Camera Comparison
Apple’s strength lies in its computational photography and video recording capabilities. The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s camera system excels in dynamic range and color accuracy. While the Red Magic 7S’s camera specs are not detailed, nubia phones generally prioritize gaming features over camera prowess. The iPhone’s sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) ensures sharp images and stable videos. The Red Magic 7S likely features a more basic camera setup geared towards casual photography, lacking the advanced features and image processing of the iPhone.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets: the Apple A15 Bionic (5nm) versus the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm). While the A15’s hexa-core architecture (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) differs from the Snapdragon’s octa-core setup (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510), both offer flagship-level performance. The 4nm process node of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 provides improved thermal efficiency compared to the A15’s 5nm node, potentially leading to less throttling during sustained gaming. The Red Magic 7S benefits from active cooling solutions, further mitigating thermal throttling. The iPhone’s performance is consistently high, but the Red Magic 7S is designed to *maximize* sustained performance for gaming.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an impressive endurance rating of 121 hours, suggesting comparable real-world battery life despite differing battery capacities (not specified for the Red Magic 7S). However, the charging speeds are drastically different. The Red Magic 7S’s 120W wired charging can fully charge the device in a claimed 17 minutes, a significant advantage over the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s slower PD2.0 wired charging (50% in 30 minutes) and 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2). The iPhone’s wireless charging, while convenient, is considerably slower. The Red Magic 7S prioritizes getting you back to gaming quickly, while the iPhone focuses on overall efficiency and longevity.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE nubia Red Magic 7S if you need a phone specifically engineered for extended gaming sessions, demand the fastest possible charging speeds (120W), and prioritize raw performance over camera quality or ecosystem integration. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer a seamless user experience, a best-in-class camera system, long-term software updates, and integration with the Apple ecosystem, even if it means sacrificing some gaming-specific features.