RedMagic 7S Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Clash of Gaming and Ecosystems
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished experience, exceptional camera capabilities, and long-term software support, the iPhone 13 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the RedMagic 7S Pro delivers unmatched gaming performance and charging speeds, making it the clear winner for dedicated mobile gamers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia RedMagic 7S Pro | 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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International | 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 - International, 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 / EVDO / 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 | 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 | 166.3 x 77.1 x 10 mm (6.55 x 3.04 x 0.39 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 | 235 g (8.29 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 5 | 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 (~87.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors (China only), 120Hz, 600 nits | 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 | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 18GB RAM, 1TB 18GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | - | 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/2.2, 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 | 16 MP, (wide), under display | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm 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 | - | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 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 | 135W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 5 min, 100% in 15 min (China) 65W wired, PD3.0 (International) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Obsidian, Supernova, Mercury, Yellow | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | NX709S | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 780 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 7S Pro
- Blazing-fast 135W charging (China)
- High-performance Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- Optimized for mobile gaming
- Lower display brightness
- Potentially less refined camera system
- Less established software support
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Exceptional camera quality
- Bright and vibrant display
- Seamless ecosystem integration
- Slower charging speeds
- Less focused on gaming
- Higher price point
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display at 1050 nits compared to the RedMagic 7S Pro’s 449 nits. This translates to superior visibility in direct sunlight for the iPhone. While the RedMagic likely features a high refresh rate (typical for gaming phones, though not specified in the data), the iPhone’s infinite contrast ratio, thanks to its OLED technology, delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. The lack of specific PWM dimming information for the RedMagic raises potential concerns for users sensitive to flicker, a detail Apple typically excels at managing.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer photo and video capabilities, but their approaches differ. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is renowned for its computational photography and cinematic mode, delivering consistently high-quality images and videos. While the RedMagic 7S Pro’s camera specs are not detailed, it’s unlikely to match the iPhone’s image processing prowess. The iPhone’s sensor-shift stabilization and larger sensor size (typically found in Pro iPhones) contribute to superior low-light performance and smoother video recording. The RedMagic likely focuses on providing adequate camera performance for social media sharing rather than competing with the iPhone’s professional-grade capabilities.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm) in the RedMagic 7S Pro and the Apple A15 Bionic (5nm) in the iPhone 13 Pro Max represent different architectural philosophies. The Snapdragon’s octa-core configuration, with its Cortex-X2 prime core clocked at 3.19 GHz, aims for peak performance, while the A15 Bionic’s hexa-core design prioritizes efficiency and sustained performance. The 4nm process node of the Snapdragon offers improved thermal efficiency over the 5nm A15, potentially mitigating throttling during extended gaming sessions. However, Apple’s tight hardware-software integration often allows it to extract more performance from its chips despite the process node difference. The RedMagic’s likely use of LPDDR5X RAM further enhances its gaming capabilities.
Battery Life
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts an endurance rating of 121 hours, indicating excellent battery life. While the RedMagic 7S Pro’s battery capacity isn’t specified, its 135W (China) or 65W (International) wired charging is a game-changer. The RedMagic can achieve a 50% charge in just 5 minutes (China) or 100% in 15 minutes (China), significantly reducing downtime. The iPhone, with its PD2.0 charging, takes 30 minutes to reach 50%. The iPhone also offers 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.2), a convenience the RedMagic lacks. The faster charging of the RedMagic effectively mitigates any potential battery capacity disadvantage.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE nubia RedMagic 7S Pro if you demand the highest possible frame rates in mobile games, require incredibly fast charging (especially the Chinese variant with 135W), and prioritize raw performance over ecosystem integration. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you value a seamless user experience, a best-in-class camera system, long-term software updates, and a robust app ecosystem, even if it means sacrificing some gaming-specific features.