ZTE nubia RedMagic Mars vs. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Clash of Philosophies
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished experience, long-term support, and a strong camera, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the better choice. However, gamers on a budget who prioritize performance-per-dollar will find the RedMagic Mars a compelling option, despite its age.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE nubia RedMagic Mars | Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2218 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat18 1200/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2161, A2220 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2018, November. Released 2018, December | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2019, September 20 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Dinorex T2X-1), aluminum back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 158.2 x 75 x 9.9 mm (6.23 x 2.95 x 0.39 in) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 193 g (6.81 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 4m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Dinorex T2X-1 scratch/shock resistant glass | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~402 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.0 inches, 92.9 cm2 (~78.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), Redmagic 1.0 | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 10GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 16 MP, f/1.8, PDAF | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.6" |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0 | 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 | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, aptX, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 18W wired | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | Li-Po 3800 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Red, Camouflage | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | NX619J | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 420 EUR | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 256GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 874.46 |
| 512GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 1,004.31 |
| 64GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 435.00 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 485.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | - | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -81.5dB |
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 459713 (v7), 536883 (v8) GeekBench: 13870 (v4.4), 3503 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
ZTE nubia RedMagic Mars
- Lower price point offers excellent value for gaming.
- Dedicated gaming features (likely including cooling systems).
- Potential for higher refresh rate display for smoother gameplay.
- Older Snapdragon 845 chipset is less powerful than the A13 Bionic.
- Slower charging speed (18W) compared to the iPhone.
- Less refined software experience and potentially shorter software support.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Powerful A13 Bionic chipset delivers exceptional performance.
- Excellent camera system with advanced image processing.
- Long battery life and fast charging (PD2.0) with wireless charging option.
- Significantly higher price point.
- Ecosystem lock-in may be restrictive for some users.
- 4GB of RAM may feel limiting for demanding multitasking.
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display at 820 nits, ensuring excellent visibility outdoors, a metric the RedMagic Mars' specs don't directly address. While the RedMagic Mars likely has a high refresh rate (a common feature in gaming phones of that era), the iPhone's infinite contrast ratio delivers richer blacks and more vibrant colors. The iPhone's display is also likely to have superior color accuracy, important for content creation and consumption. The lack of specific display details for the RedMagic Mars suggests a focus on refresh rate over absolute image quality.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer capable photo and video recording, but approach it differently. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is renowned for its computational photography, delivering consistently excellent results in various conditions. While the RedMagic Mars' camera specs are not detailed, it's unlikely to match the iPhone's image processing capabilities or dynamic range. The iPhone's advantage extends to video recording, with superior stabilization and color accuracy. The RedMagic Mars likely prioritizes camera features less, focusing instead on gaming-centric aspects.
Performance
The Apple A13 Bionic, fabricated on a 7nm+ process, demonstrably outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10nm) in both CPU and GPU benchmarks. The A13's hexa-core architecture, with its two high-performance Lightning cores clocked at 2.65 GHz, provides a significant advantage in single-core tasks and responsiveness. While the Snapdragon 845's octa-core configuration sounds impressive, the A13's superior architecture and process node translate to greater efficiency and sustained performance. The RedMagic Mars may offer a more aggressive thermal profile to maintain performance, but the A13's efficiency reduces the need for such measures. The 4GB of RAM on both devices is a limiting factor by today's standards, but the A13's optimized memory management mitigates this more effectively.
Battery Life
The iPhone 11 Pro Max achieves an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating exceptional battery life. While the RedMagic Mars' battery capacity isn't specified, its 18W wired charging is significantly slower than the iPhone's PD2.0 charging, which can deliver 50% charge in just 30 minutes. The iPhone also offers Qi wireless charging, a convenience the RedMagic Mars lacks. The A13 Bionic's efficiency contributes significantly to the iPhone's long battery life, offsetting any potential capacity disadvantage.
Buying Guide
Buy the ZTE nubia RedMagic Mars if you need a dedicated gaming phone that won't break the bank, and are comfortable with a less refined software experience. You'll benefit from a focus on sustained performance and a lower entry price. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prefer a premium, all-around experience with a superior camera, seamless integration with other Apple devices, and guaranteed software updates for years to come. You're paying a premium for the ecosystem and peace of mind.