RedMagic 7 Hands-On Review – World’s First Gaming Phone Powered By Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
With the increasing development of mobile games, many friends have gradually switched from PC games to mobile games. In the past, I always felt that mobile games were the choice of the minority, but even League of Legends has released mobile games, which shows that the times are really different. Mobile phone manufacturers have clearly understood this, and many top-tier flagships are now gradually emphasizing game performance. But if you want to talk about gaming performance, I believe that game phones have the most say.
After years of exploration, domestic manufacturers have forcibly opened up the category of gaming mobile phones, which is not easy. Because mobile phones are not as diverse as PCs, the optional configurations are the same as conventional mobile phones, such as the SoC that determines the performance of mobile phones. Chip suppliers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek can never customize for a single manufacturer. On the one hand, cost constraints, on the other hand, Aspects are cooperative competition.
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I still remember that when gaming phones first appeared, there were only gaming features such as e-sports design, shoulder buttons, and peripheral accessories. There was no unique selling point. Since the configuration was the same, why did users choose relatively exaggerated gaming phones? At that time, there were two paths in front of the gaming phone. Either strengthen the heat dissipation to maintain the high frequency of the chip or choose other configurations such as memory and charging to overtake in the corner. The RedMagic chose the former.
As one of the earliest brands of gaming mobile phones, RedMagic has always been focusing on air-cooled heat dissipation. It has been compared with other mobile phones before. It turns out that compared to the common passive heat dissipation, RedMagic active air-cooling does have better heat dissipation efficiency; therefore, RedMagic’s multi-generation models have not abandoned active air cooling but chose to gradually upgrade and develop a unique mobile phone cooling solution. It can be said that no one understands heat dissipation better than the RedMagic.
At the end of last year, Qualcomm released the new Snapdragon 8 processor as scheduled. While the performance was comprehensively improved, it also brought higher power consumption, which brought great challenges to the heat dissipation design of mobile phone terminal manufacturers. RedMagic officially launched the brand-new RedMagic 7 Series Gaming Phone. As the industry’s first gaming phone equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, how the RedMagic 7 gives full play to the performance of the Snapdragon 8 has become the focus of everyone’s attention the key of. Let’s take a closer look at this new game flagship and see if it can become a new choice for mobile game users.
RedMagic 7: Specifications
| Specification | RedMagic 7 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM and Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Rear Camera |
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| Front Camera | 8MP |
| Other features |
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| Connectivity |
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| Security | Under-display fingerprint scanner |
| Software | Android 12 with RedMagic OS 5.0 |
Unboxing
From the packaging box, we can feel a strong sense of e-sports. The black packaging box is matched with the bright silver REDMAGIC words, and the printed comics are also more beautiful. In a (very nice) box, the Nubia RedMagic 7 comes with a 65W charger with a Type-C interface, which is more compact and easy to use, a Type-C charging Cable, a silicone cover to protect the smartphone from accidental drops, and an English manual.
Design
Take out the Red Magic 7 from the box, and the first thing you see is the design that players love. The Red Magic 7 has three colors: Obsidian 12+128 / Pulsar 16+256 / Supernova 18+256 (Transparent). This time we got the Supernova (Transparent) version. This version adopts the unique transparent color scheme in the industry, which is like e-sport style. Compared with the previous generation, this time, the Red Magic 7 Transparent has more transparency than before. As shown in the picture, in the bare metal state, you can directly see the work of progress through the glass cover, which also makes the phone look more beautiful.
The Rear side is made of a whole piece of glass, which feels premium. The most conspicuous is the brushed metal module in the middle including three cameras and flashlight, also printed “REDMAGIC” engraved by ultraviolet laser and the exclusive Red Magic logo with Red light.
The back of the fuselage is also printed with many logos through ultraviolet cold light laser engraving technology, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Logo, etc. so that the characteristics of the mobile phone can be seen at a glance. This time, the Red Magic 7 also follows the symmetrical aesthetics of the central axis.
Not only the colorful RGB fans and internal design are more clearly visible, but also the colorful wiring can be seen from different viewing angles, making the overall body more layered. Under this cool back cover, the ICE magic cooling system of the Red Magic 7 is hidden. The entire cooling system includes 9 layers of cooling technology. It has a maximum speed of 20,000 rpm, effectively achieving active heat dissipation, and through a new design, the wind pressure is increased by 35% compared with the previous generation, and the noise is reduced by 40%, bringing an excellent experience.
This time, the Red Magic 7 has also upgraded the canyon air duct. Compared with the previous Red Magic mobile phones, this time, the Red Magic 7 not only has left and right symmetrical air intakes and air outlets in the middle frame position but also added an additional air intake channel on the back of the phone. According to the official information, the new air intake will enter the air at the same time as the air intake of the middle frame in actual use. With the newly designed heat conduction structure and a more powerful fan, the internal temperature of the fuselage can be compared with that of the single air intake. On average, it dropped another 1.9 degrees Celsius.
In addition, the entire heat dissipation system also includes aerospace-grade heat dissipation materials, superconducting copper foil, VC heat sink, graphene, aero-thermodynamic aviation aluminum middle frame, etc. All these combine to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the fuselage and ensure high performance. Continued and stable performance.
On the front, the Red Magic 7 uses a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a 20:9 display ratio, a resolution of 2400X1080, and a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. The most important thing is that its refresh rate reaches 165Hz, and supports 60, 90, 120, 165Hz multi-speed adjustment, which can meet the needs of various usage scenarios while dealing with an excellent gaming experience. At the same time, the screen also supports a 720Hz multi-touch sampling rate, and the click response time is only 7.4 milliseconds, ensuring a faster game control response, allowing you to be one step ahead in the game.
After reading the front of the fuselage, let’s turn our attention to the side of the Red Magic 7. As the inventor of the “shoulder button” design of gaming mobile phones, the Red Magic 7 is naturally equipped with a dual-touch shoulder button design. However, what is different from similar products is that each shoulder button of the Red Magic 7 is controlled by an independent touch IC. This not only makes the shoulder key return rate as high as 500Hz but also avoids the possible interference and delay problems caused by the two keys sharing the main control. The small curved concave shape on both sides of the shoulder keys can also play a limiting role in actual use, and even “blind operation” can easily find the key position.
The middle frame of the RedMagic 7 is made of aero-thermodynamic aviation aluminum. The power button is located on the right side, and the volume button is located on the left side. The bottom is a USB Type-C interface, and the top retains a 3.5mm audio interface. The Red Magic 7 is 170mm long, 78.33mm wide, and 9.5mm thick. If you hold it with one hand, the weight of 215 grams is really heavy, and it is fine when playing games on the horizontal screen.
Display
One of the first impressions of the Red Magic 7 that made a good first impression on me is the screen. As early as last year, punch-hole screens have basically replaced other full-screen solutions and become the mainstream of the industry. Aside from conventional mobile phone products, even typical game brands like Black Shark have also invested in the punch-hole screen camp. It is really gratifying to see a non-hole-digging screen phone in 2022. We have mentioned in many reviews articles before that the punch-hole screen has obvious advantages. It can provide a high screen ratio without causing a series of other problems like the lifting camera. But there are also disadvantages. Due to the existence of a cut area on the screen, even though the apertures of mainstream flagship mobile phones are very small, there is still no way to completely eliminate its impact on the display of content integrity.
For game scenes with relatively richer screen content, it is of course not easy to be accepted due to the lack of a certain part of information due to hardware settings. And the design that retains the upper and lower borders like the Red Magic 7 does not have such a problem at all. At the same time, due to its large screen size, the line of sight is in the center of the display when playing games on a normal horizontal screen, which can provide a good sense of visual immersion.
In terms of specifications, the Red Magic 7 uses a 6.8-inch 20:9 AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels, supports 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut and DC dimming, has a maximum 165Hz screen refresh rate, and provides 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 165Hz four gears are optional. For daily use, it is recommended to adjust to 90Hz to ensure smoothness and control power consumption to a certain extent. In the past 2 years, major mobile phone manufacturers have continuously challenged the limit of screen refresh rate, from 90Hz, 120Hz to 144Hz, bringing a more delicate operating experience and visual perception. This time, the Red Magic 7 continues to use the industry’s highest 165Hz screen refresh rate, providing gamers with a silky smooth experience.
For users who play games for a long time, this time the Red Magic 7 also provides a “DC dimming” switch, which is located in “Settings > Display > Night Light”. Reduce screen damage to eyes.
What surprised me is that this time, the Red Magic 7 directly provides a “refresh rate adjustment” widget, which is convenient for us to adjust the refresh rate directly on the desktop. Of course, you can also adjust the screen refresh rate by sliding down the top control bar. At present, the Red Magic 7 provides four modes: 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and 165Hz, which is convenient for users to adjust to the appropriate level according to their own needs.
When running a game without frame lock such as “Real Racing”, you can see that the frame rate of the RedMagic 7 can be stabilized at 165fps for a long time, and when you use social media, Moments or browse the web every day, this 165Hz screen is always on the screen. It can provide us with a silky smooth experience. When not playing games, I usually adjust the screen frame rate to 120Hz, because the smoothness of 120Hz is enough for daily use, and it saves more power. The most important thing is that adjusting the frame rate does not need to repeatedly enter the settings page to complete, just click once on the desktop, or adjust it in the pull-down notification bar, so it will not cause trouble in use.
As far as the actual look and feel is concerned, the screen brightness and color accuracy of the Red Magic 7 have a good performance, and the display fineness is at the mainstream level. The screen fingerprint is still retained. The 7th generation under-screen ultra-thin optical fingerprint is used. There is no problem with unlocking speed and recognition accuracy. It also supports heart rate monitoring. Since the fingerprint module is relatively high, it is more convenient to unlock with one hand.
The Red Magic 7 comes with the seventh-generation under-screen ultra-thin optical fingerprint, which is excellent in both response speed and recognition accuracy, and has good reliability. It can also unlock the phone quickly and accurately in low temperatures, wet hands, and other scenarios. . At the same time, it also supports the heart rate detection function, which makes the fingerprint recognition module have more functional applications.
Hardware Performance
After reading the appearance design of the Red Magic 7, let’s go deep into the Red Magic 7 to analyze and test its “Hardware Performance”. As a masterpiece in 2022, the Red Magic 7 has become the industry’s first gaming phone equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, paired with LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 flash memory. There is definitely no problem in daily use, but as a game phone, its main battlefield should of course be on mobile games. As a representative of a typical gaming phone, how the Red Magic 7 will perform in the two key aspects of performance and heat dissipation is actually more interesting. The core hardware configuration is an open secret.
There is definitely no problem in daily use, but as a game phone, its main battlefield should of course be on mobile games. As a representative of a typical gaming phone, how the RedMagic 7 will perform in the two key aspects of performance and heat dissipation is actually more interesting. The core hardware configuration is an open secret.
For performance optimization, Red Magic used MAGIC WRITE fast read and write technology, RAM BOOST memory acceleration technology, and MAGIC GPU image enhancement technology for this product. Among them, MAGIC WRITE technology can improve the writing speed and install software faster; RAM BOOST is equivalent to the familiar memory fusion technology; MAGIC GPU is mainly used to ensure the stability of the game frame rate.
Benchmark Test
The RedMagic 7 will be able to push the CPU’s main frequency to the limit, without the phenomenon of overclocking of the super-large core on some models. In fact, this kind of performance has almost been “standard” in the previous Red Magic system models. However, it is precisely because the RedMagic 7 can fully unleash the CPU potential of the new Snapdragon 8, which also makes it easy to score much higher single-core and multi-core scores than other models on the same platform in the Geekbench test. After the test, it can see that the single-core score is 1,245, and the multi-core score is 3,751.
At the same time, according to official information, the RedMagic 7 has also made additional enhancements to the memory and flash memory performance at the bottom of the system, and the RAM BOOST memory acceleration technology can provide an additional 6GB of equivalent memory capacity. From our measured data, the MAGIC WRITE fast read and write technology equipped with the RedMagic 7 also makes its flash random write performance reach the highest level in the current industry.
In terms of GPU, we used 3DMark Wild Life software to test the GPU, and finally, the RedMagic 7 scored 10,062 points, which can be said to be the top score and can get a good gaming experience.
Of course, the performance enhancement design of the RedMagic 7 is also reflected in the graphics processing performance. On the one hand, the official claims that there are two core technologies of five-layer buffering and TC frame supplementation at the bottom of the system, which can effectively improve the frame rate stability in the game; on the other hand, from our actual measurement results, 3DMARK Wildlife scores of more than 10,000 points It also means that the GPU performance release level of the RedMagic 7 has surpassed almost all smartphones that have been released, including the iPhone 13 Pro Max, standing at the pinnacle of the industry.
With the all-around performance release and underlying enhancement design of the CPU, GPU, memory, and storage parts, it is obviously not surprising that the RedMagic 7 can run a high score of more than 10,20,482 in the AnTuTu test. Not only do the CPU and GPU determine the overall performance of the phone, but the RAM and storage also need to work together to make a better overall experience.
The RedMagic 7 uses LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 high-speed storage, allowing the phone to have a faster reading speed. After the use AndroBench to test, the Read Speed can reach up to 1781.35MB and the Random read speed can reach 321.06MB/s, The write speed can reach 1268.93MB and the Random 310.07MB Performance like /s is the basis for a smooth gaming experience.
Gaming Performance
Presumably, everyone also wants to see the actual game performance of the RedMagic 7. A benchmark score is just a number, and the real experience will show the difference between gaming phones and other phones. People are demanding gaming phones. It’s very important to be able to make people feel comfortable, so what is the real gaming experience? Lets See:
First of all, We started the test from “Genshin Impact“. In the test, we set the game preset on extremely high graphics quality and turned on the 60-frame mode, which is the highest experience that can be experienced on Android smartphones. As can be seen from the test, the game Genshin Impact maintained at around 60fps and remains stable, and there is no frequency reduction and overheating in the center. The strongest air cooling and heat dissipation capabilities of the RedMagic 7 is a great advantage, and the CPU heat temperature in software is also controlled at 53 °C, you can play without any pressure, and the shoulder buttons can also help the operation very well, bringing a different experience.
In “League of Legends: Wild Rift“, the RedMagic 7 can turn on the 60fps mode. We turned on the 90fps mode and turned on the highest graphics quality that can be turned on. The game is stable at 60fps. Such a loading the game is not a problem for the RedMagic 7 at all. In terms of temperature, according to the test, after running “League of Legends: Wild Rift” at 60ps for half an hour, the maximum temperature on the front of the RedMagic 7 is 40.5 degrees, and the maximum temperature on the back is 42.2 degrees.
In FPS games, the shoulder button role is more obvious. We experienced the use of the shoulder button in “PUBG Mobile” and “Call of Duty Mobile“. It’s not only used for easy shooting, but you can also use it to change the bombs, or other operations such as moving, by setting the mapping button, and you can also set the shoulder buttons. In terms of temperature, according to the test, after running “PUBG Mobile” for half an hour, the maximum temperature of the front of the RedMagic 7 is only 46.2 degrees, and the maximum temperature of the back is only 48.3 degrees. This temperature is even better than running “Call of Duty Mobile“.
Since the RedMagic 7 uses a 165Hz refresh rate screen, whether you can experience the refreshment of 165Hz is also a key point. The RedMagic 7 officially stated that there are more than 100 games that support the 165Hz refresh rate. The “Ace Force” has always been very active in adapting to high frame rate devices. As an FPS game, the touch-sensitive shoulder buttons of the Red Magic 7 are of great help to “handicapped players” like us. As can be seen from the frame rate curve, in addition to the death replay and the automatic frame rate halving at the end of the game, the RedMagic 7 can run steadily to 165FPS throughout the game, fully demonstrating the smoothness of this ultra-high screen degree advantage.
RedMagic OS v5.0
Redmagic 7 is launched on the market with Android 12 and customized with Redmagic OS 5.0. This is an interface that does not overturn the Android interface, but which undoubtedly still winks at gamers, with futuristic graphics and highly contrasting colors. Among the additional functions, we find the sidebar with a series of quick shortcuts, the heartbeat sensor in the fingerprint reader, and the aforementioned possibility to change the color of the rear LED lights.
As a gaming phone, the RedMagic 7 is not only the pinnacle of performance but also unique in UI optimization for players. This can be felt from the first moment we get started with the RedMagic 7. This is mainly because the overall design of REDMAGIC OS 5.0 on the Red Magic 7 is not consistent with most traditional mobile phones, but focuses on game functions. For example, on the main interface of REDMAGIC OS 5.0, we can see the game time, RedMagic fans, and other controls widgets, and cut into our gaming life with one click.
When playing games, the RedMagic 7 also provides many convenient function adjustments through the floating menu. For example, we can adjust the performance mode, brightness, touch buttons, etc. through the floating menu of the RedMagic 7. This allows us to make targeted function adjustments for different games to further improve the efficiency of our games.
ICE 8.0 Cooling System
In the process of playing the game, I did not feel any obvious heating phenomenon on the backplane, which is due to the “ICE 8.0 Cooling System” carried by the RedMagic 7. It is composed of a high-speed centrifugal fan, aerospace-grade heat dissipation material, super soft and high thermal conductivity rare earth, canyon cooling air duct, superconducting copper foil, VC heat sink, high thermal conductivity gel, composite graphene, and aviation aluminum middle frame. The most powerful cooling system ever.
In terms of decomposition, the heat dissipation of the RedMagic 7 is still divided into two types: active heat dissipation and passive heat dissipation. At the passive heat dissipation level, by introducing ultra-soft and high thermal conductivity rare earth material, the core heat source can be directly wrapped, and the heat can be quickly exported to the maximum extent. At the same time, the internal aerospace-grade phase change heat dissipation material can produce a phase change at about 40 ° C, quickly absorb the heat emitted by the core CPU, maintain a relatively reasonable temperature inside the fuselage, and maintain high-performance output for a long time.
In terms of active cooling, the 20,000 rpm active cooling fan and the newly designed “canyon air duct” can come in handy. As you can see, the 20,000 rpm active cooling fan can provide quite strong wind. And in order to balance “heat dissipation capacity” and “noise”, the Red Magic 7 also provides a “smart adjustment” function. In this mode, the RedMagic 7 will intelligently adjust the speed according to the CPU temperature. When running games that require less CPU, the fans will remain in a low-speed environment to reduce the impact of noise on the gaming experience.
From the heat test, we can also clearly see the newly upgraded “canyon air duct” in the RedMagic 7. When running the game, the cold air from the outside will enter the phone through the air inlet holes on the back and side of the phone. After passing through the fan, the hot air inside the fuselage will be emitted from the air outlet on the other side. According to the official performance of the RedMagic, the design of dual air inlets can significantly reduce the temperature of the mobile phone compared to no opening on the back, which can also ensure the long-term high-performance release of the mobile phone and improve the experience of long-term gaming.
Camera
As a professional gaming phone, video is not a must-test item. But for the RedMagic, the situation is a bit special. After all, the RedMagic “backed” by Nubia, which started as a camera phone, has additional advantages in the design of camera algorithms and image functions. Therefore, it is more meaningful to have additional experience with its camera.
First of all, in terms of basic design, the rear camera module of the RedMagic 7 is composed of a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Even if you look at the hardware configuration alone, it is a very typical mid-range level among gaming phones.
However, thanks to the integration of Nubia image technology, the “camera family” of the Red Magic 7 is obviously unusual at the level of algorithms and functions. On the one hand, it has a full screen of camera modes and function options, and the “playability” can be said to be directly full.
On the other hand, Nubia’s self-developed multi-point focusing algorithm, as well as the industry’s most advanced 8K HDR10 video shooting function, also allows the RedMagic 7 to theoretically respond to some high-quality video and sports capture scenes.
In the daytime or indoor well-lit scenes, the proofs shot by the Red Magic 7 have rich details and appropriate exposure. I believe this is the advantage brought by the high-pixel main camera.
In terms of night scenes, the RedMagic 7 does not directly switch to the night scene mode like the mainstream flagship mobile phones, but only as a reminder. It needs to be manually switched to the night scene mode in the future, and better night scene proofs can be obtained through parameter adjustment.
In terms of basic zoom performance, although the RedMagic 7 is not equipped with an independent telephoto sub-camera, it can be seen in the proofs that its main camera + algorithmic zoom can provide at least 2x focal length even in scenes with a large light ratio high sharpness performance.
In fact, in most scenes, the 2x zoom performance of the RedMagic 7 is completely sufficient, and you may hardly realize that it has no physical telephoto.
Secondly, although the pixel of the macro sub-camera of the RedMagic 7 does not seem to be high, it also has the focus edge magnification function that is rare in other models, plus the computing power of the new Snapdragon 8 itself. Many similar products, and even some higher-end flagships, are more likely to take crisp macro photos.
As we mentioned in the previous article, the Red Magic 7 itself has an exclusive self-developed focusing algorithm bonus, which makes it able to respond quickly in some situations of capturing photos. Coupled with its flagship computing power and high-speed flash memory, its photo-generation, and storage speed are extremely fast, and the actual feeling of use is surprisingly smooth and pleasant.
Battery
Of course, for gaming phones, limited performance is not enough, and there must be enough fast charging to truly reassure players. In this regard, the standard 65W PD fast charging adapter of the Red Magic 7 series is very refreshing at first. The RedMagic 7 comes with a 4500mAh dual-cell battery with up to 65W wired charging. How fast is the charging of this RedMagic 7? We also tested it.
In terms of specific charging indicators, the RedMagic 7 can currently support the 65W wired fast charging protocol. We can see from our measured data that at room temperature, it only takes 15 minutes to charge the 4500mAh battery from 1% to 43%, and 30 minutes to 90%. In the end, the RedMagic 7 completed charging from 1% to 100% in just over 35 minutes. Of course, when it comes to the game scene, presumably everyone will directly turn on the “charging separation” function, and the charger will directly supply power to the computing module, which will completely avoid the battery heating problem caused by “playing while charging”. Extend the life of your phone.
The most surprising thing is the standard 65W GaN charger, which is much smaller than many 65W chargers. Not only that, the “Type-C to Type-C” interface design allows the charger to support a number of mainstream fast-charging protocols including PD/QC, and is perfectly compatible with a variety of commonly used devices. You only need to take one with you when you go out, and the charging problems of mobile phones, notebooks, tablets, and Switch are all solved.
Conclusion
In general, the RedMagic 7 is undoubtedly the best 2022 gaming phone flagship full of surprises. On the one hand, it has almost all the characteristics of an “excellent game device”, and it can also meet the demanding needs of professional players and game anchors in terms of feel and control.
On the other hand, with the support of up to 9 layers of heat dissipation material and active built-in air cooling accumulated over many years of technology, the RedMagic 7 has also truly released the strength of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to an unprecedented level this time. If nothing else, at least all existing mainstream games can provide a “full-frame” experience, and there is no problem.
At the same time, we can also see that the RedMagic 7 also clearly paid attention to some details outside the game, such as design, taking pictures, and fast charging. This makes it not only can be used to enjoy the top game fluency but also can handle it in daily use.
To put it simply, we believe that the Red Magic 7 not only provides players with truly reliable top game equipment in 2022 but also shows the entire industry a certain standard answer to “how to optimize the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1”. And does this also mean that after the RedMagic 7, we have reason to expect them to bring more, more extreme and comprehensive flagship products in the future; does it also mean that the performance of the RedMagic 7 will help the entire mobile phone industry welcome What about a real burst of performance and experience? If you are interested in this question, then you might as well look forward to more flagship gaming phones related reviews here.
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