Editor's Pick: Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

Gaming smartphones: what are they good for?

The RedMagic 7 Pro is the best attempt yet at making gaming phones a thing.

UNLIKE MANY, I like gaming smartphones. In fact, I credit one for prying me out of the Apple ecosystem—I was sent a Black Shark 3 Pro phone for review, reluctantly gave it a go, and saw my Call of Duty Mobile K/D ratio improve so much it felt like cheating. I got so used to the 90Hz display, I couldn’t go back to my iPhone.

I say “unlike many” because much like folding phones, I’ve never seen a gaming phone out in the wild. I was discussing smartphones with friends last year, and when we’d seen the usual Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus blowers, I took out my Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2. I was immediately mocked for the phone’s distinctly uncool RGB lighting, dual USB-C ports, and popout selfie camera—and many of these friends work in the games industry!