Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Nubia Red Magic 3s: Which of them is the best gaming smartphone?

Nubia Red Magic 3s vs Asus ROG Phone 2

Mobile gaming has undoubtedly taken two steps forward in 2019. The total number of gaming dedicated handsets has nearly tripled since 2018. The popularity of mobile gaming in India has seen several OEM introduced gaming smartphones in the country.

Among the many gaming phones in the country, two stand out above the rest; the Asus ROG Phone 2 and the Nubia Red Magic 3s.

Both the Red Magic 3s and ROG Phone 2 are equipped with the powerful Snapdragon 855+ SoC and advanced cooling systems, making them strong contenders for the fastest Android smartphone in India. With a marginal price difference separating the two phones, let’s find out which one of these two phones is the best.

On the performance front, both phones are pretty evenly matched. Both the Red Magic 3s and ROG Phone 2 are equipped with a Snapdragon 855+ SoC. The entry-level variants of both devices feature 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.0 storage. Both phones also feature an advanced cooling system to keep the chip performing at its peak even after prolonged gaming.

Display

While the Red Magic 3s sports a slightly bigger screen than the ROG Phone 2, it all boils down to refresh rate. The ROG Phone 2 offers a 120Hz refresh rate as compared to the 90Hz on the Red Magic 3s. Resolution, touch sampling rate, aspect ratio, and pixel density are similar on both devices. The ROG Phone 2 also supports HDR10 and a 108 percent DCI-P3 coverage.

Design 

Gaming phones can have some pretty outlandish designs, and these two devices are no exception. However, the Asus ROG Phone 2 does look and feel more premium than the Red Magic 3s. Both the ROG Phone 2 and Red Magic 3s also have a good assortment of ports. Both devices also offer virtual buttons that can be used to map in-game actions for a more customisable gaming experience. 

Camera

In terms of optics, the Red Magic 3s uses a single 48-megapixel sensor, while the ROG Phone gets dual-rear cameras. The ROG Phone 2’s 48-megapixel primary sensor and 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera delivered some of the best results we’ve seen on a gaming smartphone.

We’re talking photo quality on par with smartphones like the OnePlus 7 and Redmi K20 Pro, which is quite impressive for a gaming handset. Asus has also added a pretty capable front camera on their latest gaming smartphone. Despite its up to 8K video recording, the Red Magic 3s’ single 48MP camera does fall short against the dual rear cameras on the ROG Phone 2.

Battery

When it comes to battery, size matters. And, the ROG Phone 2 does get a bigger 6,000 mAh battery, compared to the 5,000 mAh on the Nubia Red Magic 3s. Moreover, the ROG Phone 2 also features 30W fast charging and 10W reverse charging support as compared to the 27W fast charging support on the Red Magic 3s.

Software

The Nubia Red Magic 3s runs on Android 9 Pie with the Red Magic 2.1 skin, while the ROG Phone 2 gives you the option to choose between near-stock Android and ROG UI. While software on the Red Magic 3s is pretty good, Asus offers a more practical solution by giving users a choice between gaming and a clean stock UI experience.

Price

There’s very little to tell the two phones apart in terms of pricing. The ROG Phone 2 is the more expensive of the two devices, coming in at Rs 2,000 more than the Red Magic 3s. However, Asus offers better value for the price than Nubia. For 2K more, the ROG Phone 2 offers a higher refresh rate, a second rear camera and a bigger battery.

Verdict

While both the ROG Phone 2 and Red Magic 3s tick all the boxes for mobile gaming, Asus’ gaming handset does more. If you don’t mind the extra weight the ROG Phone 2 brings to the table; then you’ll be pretty pleased with the overall experience.

The ROG Phone 2 delivers a decent camera, best-in-class performance, a superb display, seamless software experience, and a massive battery, making it a better overall device.