ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+ vs. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Red Magic 8 Pro+ offers unparalleled charging speed and raw gaming performance thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and advanced cooling. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a superior camera system, tighter software integration, and a more polished overall experience. It depends on your priorities: gaming or a premium, versatile smartphone.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+ | Apple iPhone 14 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 | LTE | 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 - A2894, A2896 |
| 5G bands | SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2894, A2896 |
| 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, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2895 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, December 26 | 2022, September 07 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, December 28 | Available. Released 2022, September 16 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 164 x 76.4 x 8.9 mm (6.46 x 3.01 x 0.35 in) | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 230 g (8.11 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 | Unspecified | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1116 x 2480 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~400 ppi density) | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 111.6 cm2 (~89.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1300 nits (peak) | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) |
| - | Always-On display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 13, Redmagic OS 6 | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 4.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.12µm, under display | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.9, 25mm (wide), 1/1.57", 1.0µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel 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 | 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1.12µm, under display | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30/60fps | 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 | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, accessory connector, DisplayPort | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-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 Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 165W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 14 min (advertised) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Transparent | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple |
| Models | - | A2894, A2651, A2893, A2895, A2896, iphone15,3 |
| Price | About 700 EUR | € 530.79 / $ 489.81 / £ 446.75 |
| SAR | - | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.07 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 | - | -24.3 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 955884 (v9) GeekBench: 5423 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+
- Unmatched charging speed (165W)
- Exceptional gaming performance
- High refresh rate display
- Aggressive cooling system
- Camera performance lags behind iPhone
- Software experience less polished than iOS
- Design geared towards gaming (may not appeal to everyone)
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Superior camera system
- Seamless iOS integration
- Premium build quality
- Excellent battery life
- Slower charging speeds
- Less raw gaming power than Red Magic
- Higher price point
- Limited customization options compared to Android
Display Comparison
The iPhone 14 Pro Max takes the display crown with its measured 1760 nits peak brightness, offering exceptional visibility even in direct sunlight. Its infinite contrast ratio (nominal) further enhances image quality. The Red Magic 8 Pro+ has a high refresh rate (likely 120Hz or higher, though specific details are needed) for smooth gaming, but lacks the iPhone's sheer brightness and color accuracy. The Red Magic's display is likely AMOLED, offering vibrant colors, but may not match the iPhone's calibration.
Camera Comparison
Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max consistently delivers exceptional photo and video quality, thanks to its advanced image processing and hardware. The Red Magic 8 Pro+ likely has a capable camera system, but it's unlikely to match the iPhone's dynamic range, detail, and video recording capabilities. The iPhone's computational photography is a significant advantage.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Red Magic 8 Pro+ is a beast, delivering blistering performance for demanding games and applications. While the A16 Bionic in the iPhone 14 Pro Max is incredibly powerful, the Red Magic's focus on raw processing power gives it a slight edge in synthetic benchmarks and graphically intensive tasks. However, iOS optimization often results in a smoother, more responsive user experience overall.
Battery Life
Both phones offer excellent battery life, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max boasting an impressive endurance rating of 121 hours. The Red Magic 8 Pro+'s 165W charging is a game-changer, allowing for incredibly fast top-ups. While the iPhone's charging is significantly slower (15W wireless, PD2.0 wired), its battery efficiency compensates for it.
Buying Guide
The ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+ is ideal for hardcore mobile gamers who prioritize performance, fast charging, and a dedicated gaming experience. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max is perfect for users deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, those who value a top-tier camera, and those seeking a premium, reliable smartphone for all aspects of their digital life.