ZTE nubia RedMagic 6R vs. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Clash of Philosophies
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing longevity, a seamless user experience, and a top-tier camera, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is the clear winner. However, gamers and power users seeking maximum performance at a lower price point will find the RedMagic 6R a compelling alternative.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia RedMagic 6R | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 4, 12, 17, 20, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - 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, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 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, May 27 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, June 02 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame, glass back | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 163 x 75.3 x 7.8 mm (6.42 x 2.96 x 0.31 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 186 g (6.56 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.67 inches, 107.4 cm2 (~87.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, 770 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 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 4.0 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Quad | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.0, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 5 MP (macro) Auxiliary lens | - |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | - | 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 | 16 MP, (wide) | 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 | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, aptX, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS | 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/6, 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 | 55W wired, PD3.0, QC4 (China) 30W wired, PD3.0, QC4 (International) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4200 mAh | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Mercury Silver, Light Blue | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | NX666J | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 500 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 RedMagic 6R
- Significantly faster wired charging (55W)
- More affordable price point
- Dedicated gaming features (likely including shoulder buttons)
- Inferior battery life
- Less refined software experience
- Lower display brightness
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Exceptional battery life
- Superior camera system
- Polished and user-friendly iOS ecosystem
- Slower wired charging
- Higher price
- Less focus on raw gaming performance
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display at 1050 nits compared to the RedMagic 6R’s 588 nits. This translates to superior visibility outdoors. While the RedMagic 6R’s refresh rate isn’t specified, the iPhone 13 Pro Max features ProMotion, an adaptive refresh rate technology (up to 120Hz) that dynamically adjusts for smoother scrolling and animations. The iPhone’s infinite contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, provides deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. The RedMagic 6R, while likely using an OLED panel, lacks these advanced features, making the iPhone the superior choice for media consumption and general use.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer photo and video capabilities, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max holds a significant advantage. While specific sensor details for the RedMagic 6R are unavailable, Apple’s computational photography and larger sensors deliver superior image quality, especially in low-light conditions. The iPhone’s image processing prioritizes natural colors and detail, while the RedMagic 6R likely focuses on more vibrant, potentially oversaturated images. The iPhone’s video recording capabilities are also best-in-class, with features like Cinematic mode and ProRes video recording unavailable on the RedMagic 6R.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The Apple A15 Bionic, built on a 5nm process, consistently outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (also 5nm) in single-core tasks and efficiency. While the Snapdragon 888’s octa-core configuration (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1, 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78, 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) appears more complex, Apple’s chip design and software optimization yield superior real-world performance. The iPhone’s hexa-core setup (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) focuses on maximizing performance per watt. The RedMagic 6R’s cooling system is crucial to sustain peak performance, but the iPhone’s efficiency minimizes throttling, offering more consistent performance over extended periods.
Battery Life
The iPhone 13 Pro Max dominates in battery endurance with a rating of 121 hours, significantly exceeding the RedMagic 6R’s 76 hours. This difference is due to a combination of a larger battery capacity and the A15 Bionic’s superior power efficiency. While the RedMagic 6R offers faster wired charging at 55W (China) or 30W (International) compared to the iPhone’s 20W, the iPhone’s overall battery life and wireless charging options (15W MagSafe/Qi2) provide greater convenience. The RedMagic 6R’s faster charging is beneficial for quick top-ups, but the iPhone’s longevity reduces the need for frequent charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE nubia RedMagic 6R if you need uncompromising gaming performance, fast charging, and don't mind a less refined software experience. You'll benefit from the Snapdragon 888's raw power and the 55W charging. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer a polished, user-friendly experience, exceptional battery life, a superior camera system, and seamless integration with other Apple devices. The A15 Bionic offers excellent performance, but prioritizes efficiency over outright peak power.