UI - Organizer

Realme 15x leaks: 7,000mAh battery, IP69 Pro rating, new UI upcoming

4:43 pm | September 18, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: UI | Comments: Off

A new Realme phone is on the way and in terms of leaks it went from 0 to 100 in two seconds. The Realme 15x has teaser videos out, review units in people’s hands and even units in stores that people can handle – and all of that made its way on the internet, of course. Realme 15x Let’s start with the official teaser first, which someone shared on Instagram. The phone will have a large 7,000mAh battery with fast 60W charging. This is similar to, say, the Realme 15T, for example. Also, the phone will have an “IP69 Pro” rating, which is a marketing term rather than a real thing....

I spent two weeks with the OnePlus Nord 5, and I can’t decide whether it’s an upgrade or a downgrade

2:49 pm | September 9, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets OnePlus Phones Phones | Tags: UI, US | Comments: Off

OnePlus Nord 5: Two-minute review

Despite having a few sparkly upgrades over its predecessors, I can’t help but feel as though the OnePlus Nord 5 is a bit of a downgrade from last year’s model overall.

This new entry to OnePlus’ mid-spec (and mid-price) line of Nord Android phones is largely what you’d expect if you’ve been following the company for the last few years. In its top-end handsets, like the OnePlus 13, OnePlus offers novel designs, fancy camera arrays, and scary price tags, but the Nords are more modest in feature set and cost, and like all good mid-rangers, they generally focus on two key areas to excel in.

Even more so than in the OnePlus Nord 4, it’s clear that the focus of the Nord 5 is on its performance and its display, which are, funnily enough, the same two departments that most other mid-range Android makers focus on too.

And, credit to OnePlus, the Nord 5 does have such great specs in these areas that it may convince people to buy the phone for its performance and its display credentials alone.

Take, for example, the screen: it now exceeds 6.8 inches diagonally, making the Nord 5 one of the few mid-range Android phones to do so, and that extra real estate will give gamers more space for their fingers – I don’t even need to mention the higher refresh rate to get people raring to play.

The use of a Snapdragon 800-series chipset – albeit a toned-down one – also gives gamers a lot more processing power than we’ve seen on a Nord handset before (and that's saying something!). Few mobiles at this price perform better under benchmark tests than this OnePlus.

I’m now on my sixth paragraph, and I’ve only talked about performance and display, and the reason is simple: while these two departments see notable increases, most other aspects of the phone show either no improvement or, in a surprising number of areas, spec downgrades from last year’s phone.

Some of these are minor changes. For example, the shift to a solid glass body instead of a two-tone metal one makes the handset look a lot more generic, but feel more premium, so some would argue about this being a downgrade at all.

Many more changes are inexplicable and result in a worse user experience, though. For example, the battery is slightly smaller and the charging is also slower, likely to include reverse wired charging, but it’s still an odd change. Plus, there’s less RAM available in the two models, the screen brightness has seen a decrease, there’s no UFS 4.0 for quick storage (admittedly a fairly niche feature), and the phone is also bigger and chunkier than before.

I’d be willing to bet that there’s a good reason, or at least a compromise, for every downgrade listed above. But that doesn’t change the fact that certain departments are worse off, and while the starting price of the Nord 4 is lower than that of the Nord 5, you’re actually paying more for the new model if you want to match the 12GB RAM capacity of last year's entry-level configuration (the Nord 5 starts at 8GB of RAM).

It’s disappointing to see this many downgrades, but at the end of the day, the OnePlus Nord 5 is still a strong mid-range Android phone. It’s just one that offers a dubious ‘upgrade’ over the Nord 4, and in fact may not be worth buying at all if you can find its predecessor available at a discount (which really isn’t too hard, judging by my three minutes of research…).

Plus, its clipped wings make it fall behind the flock a little way in the competitive mid-range Android market, when its similar-priced rivals have even more powerful chipsets and more processing power.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: price and availability

The OnePlus Nord 5 against a brick wall. — (Image credit: Future)

Announced in July 2025; US launch unlikely
£399 / AU$799 (roughly $600) for 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
£499 / AU$899 (roughly $700) gets you 12GB RAM, 512GB storage

The OnePlus Nord 5 was announced in early July 2025 – exclusively to TechRadar, I may add – and went on sale shortly afterwards. It wasn’t alone, with the OnePlus Buds 4, OnePlus Pad Lite, OnePlus Nord CE5, and OnePlus Watch sharing the spotlight.

You can pick up the phone for £399 / AU$799 (roughly $600, though don’t expect it to go on sale in the US as OnePlus offers a completely different line-up of Nord phones there). The default model has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, but you can also pick up a 12GB/512GB model for £499 / AU$899 (roughly $700).

On paper, this is a favorable comparison to the OnePlus Nord 4, but the Nord 5 does offer less RAM as standard. Last year’s phone had a 12GB/256GB model for £429 (around $550, AU$820 at the time) and a 16GB/512GB option for £529 (around $680 / AU$1,000). Technically, then, the Nord 5 is cheaper, but you’re getting less for that money – you'll actually pay more to get 12GB of RAM.

However much value you think this £399 / AU$799 starting price gets you, the OnePlus Nord 5 sits in the murky area between budget phone and mid-ranger, a no-man’s land that’s incredibly competitive for Android phone buyers.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: specs

Here's the spec sheet in full for the OnePlus Nord 5:

OnePlus Nord 5 specs

Dimensions:	163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm
Weight:	211g
Screen:	6.83-inch 20:9 FHD (1272 x 2800) 144Hz Swift AMOLED
Chipset:	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
RAM:	8GB / 12GB
Storage:	256GB / 512GB
OS:	Android 15, OxygenOS 15
Primary camera:	50MP, f/1.8
Ultra-wide camera:	8MP f/2.2 116-degree
Front camera:	50MP, f/2.0
Audio:	Stereo speakers
Battery:	5,200mAh
Charging:	80W wired
Colors:	Marble Sands, Phantom Grey, Dry Ice.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: design

The OnePlus Nord 5 on a brick wall. — (Image credit: Future)

Newly boring design
Glass adds premium feel
New mappable Plus Key is handy

The Nords have never exactly been lookers, and the OnePlus Nord 5 continues that tradition as one of the most boring-looking phones I’ve seen recently. I hope you plan to hide it in a case!

The phone is a big ‘chocolate-bar’ style box, coming in gray, white, or ice blue, depending on which variant you pick up. At 163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm, it’s a little on the big side, and at 211g, it’s slightly heavier than your average phone too.

Due to the phone’s size, the power button and volume rocker on its right edge are both quite hard to reach with your thumb, even with big hands like mine. Opposite them at the top of the handset’s left edge is the Plus Key, which you can customize in function; press and hold to open the camera, turn on Do Not Disturb, turn on the torch, and so on, with a fair range of options. It’s really useful, replacing OnePlus’ previous alert slider with a solid upgrade.

Rounding out our tour of the phone, there’s a USB-C port on the bottom edge as well as the SIM tray, which can allow for dual SIMs. No 3.5mm headphone jack here.

OnePlus has ditched the metal back of the Nord 5’s predecessor in favor of the premium-feeling but fragile glass, and I found the phone to readily pick up my fingerprints – though these were only visible from certain angles.

The glass of the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which is designed to be hardy and survive bumps. Talking about durability, the handset has an IP65 rating to ensure it’s fully protected against solid dust particles, as well as jets of water, but not submersion in liquid.

Design score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: display

6.83-inch, 1272 x 2800 resolution
New high refresh rate at 144Hz but lower max brightness
Aqua Touch feature returns

It’s in the display department where the OnePlus Nord 5 gets some of its biggest upgrades, and they all work together to make it a great device for entertainment.

Take, for instance, its sheer size. At 6.83 inches diagonally, it’s now one of the biggest panels on any Android phone right now, giving you lots of space to enjoy your game or TV show. The resolution, at 1272 x 2800, has remained the same from the Nord 4.

Another improvement is in the screen refresh rate, which now hits 144Hz. Admittedly, it’s rare that many people will make the most of this spec, as it’s only useful for a particularly narrow number of mobile games, but it’s an improvement nonetheless. It’s countered by a lower max brightness, though.

Elsewhere, you’re looking at what OnePlus calls Swift AMOLED, and while that first word seems mostly a marketing addition, you’re still getting a high-spec panel with a billion colors supported, 1800 nits max brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for protection.

While it’s less of a selling point in OnePlus’ marketing materials this year, the Nord 5 brings back one of its predecessor’s best features in Aqua Touch. This ensures that you can tap on the screen and get accurate results even when the display (or your finger) is wet.

Display score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: software

Android 15 with OxygenOS 15, and four annual updates
Unique features couple with attractive UI
Lots of bloatware but few bugs

The OnePlus Nord 5 comes running Android 15, but with the company’s OxygenOS 15 layered over the top. OnePlus has pledged 4 years of Android updates as well as an additional 2 years of security updates, so the Nord will last until 2029 for software boots and 2031 for overall protection.

As with all Android forks, this is largely a design change, but I feel OxygenOS harks quite closely to stock Android in layout while being quite different and distinct in aesthetic. It has bold and punchy colors but more restraint than some other Android-alikes.

OxygenOS remains one of the most popular of these Android forks, despite the love growing more muted in recent years, and features like Zen Space (which locks your phone for a set time while you work) and the preinstalled translation app help explain why.

Re-reading my Nord 4 review, I recalled how buggy I found the software last time around. I needed this reminder, because it wasn’t the case with the Nord 5: it worked flawlessly, never throwing an issue at me, and constantly being snappy and quick to navigate.

You can expect two things from a mid-range Android phone from a Chinese maker: bloatware and random AI features being thrown at you. And the Nord 5 certainly has the former, with loads of unwanted games, social media apps, and OnePlus’ own additions all cluttering up the home page.

However, OnePlus has seemingly learnt the lesson that the average consumer just isn’t as interested in dubiously-useful AI features as tech fans, because I didn’t find myself being bombarded with odd little features and gimmicks bearing those two foreboding vowels. Other than the replacement of Google Assistant with the infamously goofy Gemini, something which has affected all Android phones over the last few years, the Nord 5’s AI features are largely confined to the camera.

Software score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: cameras

50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, 50MP up front
Results are nothing to write home about
A few -post features are all handy

Curiously, OnePlus has been touting the camera department as one of the key areas of the OnePlus Nord 5. I’m not sure why, though, because it’s largely unchanged from the array on the previous-gen model, and so it’s just as unimpressive.

The handset packs a 50MP f/1.8 main and 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, both of which are fractionally wider-angle than last time around, but that seems to be the only change.

These cameras are totally fine; the reason many Android companies have clung to the same 50MP sensors for years now is that they’re totally fit for purpose without costing too much money. Pictures are bright enough to make sense and have a fair amount of detail.

But you’re not getting amazing dynamic range, or genius smart optimization, nor all the versatility that a zoom lens (or even a passable ultra-wide lens – 8MP, really?) offers. The phone also has a tendency to blow out brighter areas of a shot and lose a lot of detail in the darker ones.

The OnePlus Nord 5's camera app. — (Image credit: Future)

The ultra-wide camera takes pictures that are noticeably more vibrant, as you'll see below, but they lack detail where it matters. The lens also facilitates a macro mode, but I found this quite hard to focus, especially with it turning on automatically at inconvenient times, and its use of the ultra-wide's sensor means that you get the resulting oversaturated image too. That said, I find the vast majority of macro modes far worse, so props to OnePlus for that.

As I mentioned before, the camera department is where the most AI features exist. There’s the eraser tool that most Androids have nowadays to remove unwanted background items, as well as a tool to reframe pictures (which basically means it just crops them). There's also a detail boost, which can help if you’ve zoomed in too far and have lost quality, an unblurrer for objects in motion, and a reflection eraser, which does what it says on the tin. These are all helpful to make little tweaks to a photo if there’s an error.

The Nord 5’s AI tools are the lion’s share of its features, with few actual shooting modes. Expect the basics: photo, video, Portrait, Pro, and a few extra low-light and video modes for certain situations. You can shoot video at up to 4K/60fps and down to 720p/240fps or 1080p/120fps for slow-motion.

The one noteworthy camera upgrade here is in the front-facing camera, which has jumped all the way up to a 50MP resolution. This gives you plenty more pixels to play around with, should you want to crop or reframe a selfie, although by default, selfies are shot in a pixel-binned 12.5MP, and you need to select Hi-Res mode in the camera app to get full 50MP.

Camera score: 3 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 camera samples

Image 1 of 10

A camera sample captured on the OnePlus Nord 5. — (Image credit: Future)

A picture of a gallery on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. In real life the surrounding trees were a lot more varied in their 'green'-ness.

Image 2 of 10

A picture of a some flowers on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. Note how the two parts have different focus.

Image 3 of 10

A photo of some headphones taken indoors. I took the pictures for my Denon AH-C500W review using the Nord, and while the images in that review are all tweaked using editing software, this one isn't.

Image 4 of 10

A cup of coffee taken at 1x zoom.

Image 5 of 10

Now let's move into some modes. First up, this is a lake taken at 1x zoom to compare to the next image...

Image 6 of 10

... which was taken on the ultra-wide camera. Note that it's brighter and more vibrant but lots of detail is lost, especially in the background trees.

Image 7 of 10

This is a standard selfie, taken to contrast to the next image...

Image 8 of 10

... which is taken on Portrait mode, which has a light-touch effect but adds some bokeh background blur.

Image 9 of 10

Finally, to macro. This is a piece of jammy toast taken on the main camera once again...

Image 10 of 10

... and here it is in macro mode: much brighter but lacking depth of field. Note that I didn't move the phone at all, and the changed framing is because it's using a different camera and lens.

OnePlus Nord 5: performance and audio

Big upgrade to Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset
Two models: 8GB/256GB or 12GB/512GB
Bluetooth 5.4 or USB-C port for audio, no jack

OnePlus touts the Nord 5’s performance as its key selling point, and you can see why by just looking at the specs: they all reach above what you’d expect from a phone at this price point.

The chipset is a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 from Qualcomm, which is effectively a slightly-downgraded version of last year’s top-end Android chipset. It’s admittedly not the very fastest chipset being used in budget phones, with a successor announced several months prior to the Nord’s release (and many affordable Androids opting instead for non-Snapdragon 800-series chips, which are again more powerful), but it’s still a real perk of the phone.

The phone is blazingly fast, returning one of the best multi-core scores I’ve ever seen from a Geekbench test. Over three tests, it averaged 5,147, and I’d say anything above 4,500 is a fantastic score. More impressively, the scores I got stayed consistent even when the phone was heating up, which is certainly not always true in this price range, and it points to the Nord handling long gaming sessions well.

This high score shows from gaming to photo editing, and even when you’re whizzing around the phone’s menus. A few mid-rangers have a more powerful chipset, but I don't see why you'd need more (or even this amount, really...)

As you read in the price section, there are two versions of the phone: one with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and another that increases those capacities to 12GB/512GB. I tested the latter, which explains why the Nord felt so fast to use; I can’t speak to how the 8GB model runs, but it’s quite a price hike to get the higher-memory variant, so I don’t blame you for settling.

Audio-wise, OnePlus doesn’t rewrite any rules: there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, and the stereo speakers sound totally fit for purpose, but they won’t replace your Dolby Atmos speakers any time soon. You can also listen to music by pairing headphones to the Nord, which supports Bluetooth 5.4.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: battery life

Smaller 5,200mAh battery
Fast 80W charging
Reverse wired charging lets you power up other gadgets

For the last few years, mid-range phone batteries have been ballooning in size, and with that in mind, the OnePlus Nord’s 5,200mAh power pack feels relatively restrained. It’s still big, just not huge like I’d expected, and it’s actually smaller than the Nord 4’s.

Downgrade aside, the phone will last for a day of ordinary use with no sweat, and you can get comfortably into day two of use before needing to charge the device up. Alternatively, if you want to use your phone pretty intensely, I can still see it lasting a full day of use.

Battery life doesn't match the Nord 4, though, with the power pack's decrease exacerbated by the bigger screen, which needs more juice.

As a side note, the version of the phone on sale in certain regions like Australia and India has a 6,800mAh battery, which, as you mathematicians may be able to work out, is much bigger and will last for much longer. No such luck for everyone else, though.

Another battery downgrade comes in the charging department, which is down 20W to 80W in the Nord 5. That’s still very fast, and the lost speed is made up for by the presence of reverse wired charging. This lets you use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge up other devices using the Nord.

Battery score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: value

Thanks to its new low price, the OnePlus Nord 5 does represent value for money, though it’ll depend exactly on what you’re looking for.

Thanks to its high-spec display and processor, the Nord feels like a premium phone for certain tasks like gaming and watching movies, and so you can easily convince yourself you’re using a top-end mobile if these are your main uses for a phone.

Myriad downgrades over the previous-gen model do make the Nord 5 feel like slightly poorer value, though, so if I were considering this newer model, I’d definitely also check what kind of discounts the year-older Nord 4 was enjoying.

Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the OnePlus Nord 5?

OnePlus Nord 5 score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	You're roughly getting what you paid for in this decent-value device.	3.5 / 5
Design	A boring design, but the Plus Key is a useful addition.	3.5 / 5
Display	Big, bold and colorful, the huge panel is a boon for entertainment fans.	4 / 5
Software	OxygenOS remains great to use, with at least four years of upgrades promised to fans.	4 / 5
Camera	The cameras are nothing to write home about but they get the job done.	3 / 5
Performance	OnePlus keeps giving the Nord more power, even if there's less RAM. Super powerful!	4.5 / 5
Battery	Slight battery and charging downgrades probably won't affect many users.	3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a gaming powerhouse
Even with less RAM in its default option, the OnePlus Nord 5 is a powerful phone that gives budget gamers all they could ask for.

You want a big phone
The Nord 5 offers a huge screen for streaming, gaming or just reading your emails. The handset itself is equally a big beast.

You want a UI you'll enjoy, not just use
The OxygenOS fans can't all be wrong as the user interface is great to use and offers lots of unique features.

Don't buy it if...

You can find the Nord 4 discounted
It's only a year older and has better specs in lots of areas; honestly, if it's discounted, pick up the older model.

You want to take loads of pictures
The OnePlus Nord 5 is readily beat at this price point when it comes to camera capabilities. The snappers are fine, just not impressive.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: Also consider

There's one obvious OnePlus Nord 5 competitor that I apparently can't shut up about, but there are also a few other competitive mobiles on the market.

OnePlus Nord 4
The 2024 Nord is actually better than the new model in lots of ways, even if it's a touch older and does have some weaker areas.

Read our full OnePlus Nord 4 review

Xiaomi Poco F7
The Poco F7 from Xiaomi has lots of similar specs to the OnePlus, but the rest are better. It's more powerful, has a bigger battery, charges quicker, and costs less. It does have a poorer user interface, mind.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco F7 review

Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Nothing was made by an ex-OnePlus alum, but this mid-ranger actually sells in the US, so it's a good stateside alternative. It's slightly weaker, processing- and battery-wise, but its cameras are better by far.

Read our full Nothing Phone 3a Pro review

	OnePlus Nord 5	OnePlus Nord 4	Xiaomi Poco F7	Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Starting price (at launch):	£399 / AU$799 (roughly $600)	£429 (roughly $550, AU$820)	£389 / $399 (roughly AU$750)	$459 / £449 / AU$849
Dimensions:	163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm	162.6 x 75 x 8mm	163.1 x 77.9 x 8.2mm	163.52 x 77.5 x 8.39mm
Weight:	111g	199.5g	215.7g	211g
OS (at launch):	Android 15, OxygenOS 15	Android 14, OxygenOS 14.1	Android 15, HyperOS 2	Android 15, NohtingOS 3.1
Screen Size:	6.83-inch	6.74-inch	6.83-inch	6.77-inch
Resolution:	1272 x 2800	1240 x 2772	2772 x 1280	1080 x 2392
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM:	8GB / 12GB	12GB / 16GB	12GB	12GB
Storage (from):	256GB / 512GB	256GB / 512GB	256GB / 512GB	256GB
Battery:	5,200mAh	5,500mAh	6,500mAh	5,000mAh
Rear Cameras:	50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide	50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide	50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide	50MP main,. 50MP zoom, 8MP ultra-wide
Front camera:	50MP	16MP	20MP	50MP

How I tested the OnePlus Nord 5

The OnePlus Nord 5 lying on a brick wall. — (Image credit: Future)

Review test period = 2.5 weeks
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

To write this review, I tested the OnePlus Nord 5 for two weeks, but it got an extra half-week of play while I was writing this review.

I conducted a mix of experiential and 'lab'-style testing. Experiential means I used the phone like anyone else would: playing games, using social media, taking it on trips, and taking photos on the go. Lab tests were when I put it through benchmark tests and the like.

As you can tell by my software gripes, this testing process is rigorous, and it also involves some benchmark tests and tools so that we can compare phones against themselves in an objective way.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have used plenty of mobiles from OnePlus, as well as other devices in the price segment. This includes the Nord 4 from last year, and many of its 2025 rivals.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro: Two-minute review

If the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is too much of an investment for you, there are cheaper ways to get your mobile gaming kicks. The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro offers a comparable gaming experience for literally half the price.

As the first phone to run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version chipset, paired with a bolstered cooling system, the Red Magic 10S Pro can technically outperform any other phone on the market, even if that fact doesn’t particularly manifest itself in general use.

The phone also features a fine 6.85-inch 144Hz AMOLED display offering a blissfully unimpeded view of the action – though you’ll pay for that with terrible selfie pictures.

Indeed, Nubia’s phone continues to be suboptimal for those who don’t prioritize gaming above all else. Its camera system is fine, but not competitive with the best midrange smartphones. Meanwhile, its design, while nice and flat, is big and heavy, with a gamer aesthetic that remains an acquired taste.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro product shots — (Image credit: Future)

In a similar vein, Nubia’s UI remains a little on the clumsy side, with ugly icons and too much bloatware. With that said, its gamer-focused features are as potent as ever, and the company’s software update promise has taken a big step forward – especially in the EU.

The phone’s level of stamina is truly outstanding, thanks to the inclusion of a huge 7,050mAh battery. This thing could conceivably get you through two days or even more, at least when you’re not indulging in those epic gaming sessions. You’ll be able to get up to speed nice and quickly, too, with an 80W charger included in the box, though you’ll have to make do without wireless charging.

The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro remains a very specific tool for a very specific job. As impressive a value proposition as it is, we wouldn’t dream of recommending it to anyone who isn’t intent on doing a serious amount of gaming on the go. Most flagship or even midrange phones will probably be a better pick for most people on balance.

For that narrow slice of mobile gamers, however, Nubia’s top gaming phone offers the best bang-to-buck ratio out there.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: price and availability

Released on June 17
Priced from $699 / £579 / AU$649

The Red Magic 10S Pro hit shelves on June 18, 2025, with prices starting at $699 / £579 / AU$649 for the matte black Nightfall model, which comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model tested here is the midrange option with 16GB/512GB, which will set you back $849 / £709 / AU$799

The range-topping 24GB/1TB model costs $999 / £879 / AU$999.

As always with Nubia’s gaming phone range, this represents excellent value for the level of raw performance you’re getting here. Our pick for the best gaming phone on the market, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, costs $1,199 / £1,099.99 / AU$1,999.

Value score: 5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: specs

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro specs

Dimensions:	163 x 76 x 9mm
Weight:	229g
Display:	6.85-inch Full HD+ (1216 x 2688) up to 144Hz BOE AMOLED
Chipset:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version
RAM:	12GB / 16GB / 24GB (LPDDR5X)
Storage:	256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.1)
OS:	Android 15
Primary camera:	50MP Samsung OV50E 1/1.55-inch sensor w/ OIS
Ultra-wide camera:	50MP Samsung OV50D 1/2.88-inch sensor
Macro camera	2MP
Front Camera:	16MP under-display
Battery:	7,050mAh
Charging:	80W wired
Colors:	Nightfall, Dusk, Moonlight

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: design

Toughened glass and aviation aluminum middle frame
Completely flat with no camera bump
520Hz capacitive shoulder trigger buttons
Dedicated gaming mode switch

Suggesting that the Red Magic 10S Pro sports a similar design to the Red Magic 10 Pro is underselling things somewhat.

They’re identical to look at and hold, barring a couple of very minor cosmetic touches: a subtle chevron finish rather than a dappled one; a Red Magic logo switching to a different side; a new ‘Leading Version’ decal reflecting the new chip type, and so on.

This is another large, flat, straight-sided phone measuring 163 x 76 x 9mm and weighing 229g. Once again, it features an “aviation aluminum” frame with toughened glass to the front and back. And, once again, perhaps the most pleasing element of this is the total lack of a sticky-outy camera module.

The aesthetic is the same, too, with a slightly cheap-looking semi-transparent effect that shows you elements of the phone’s internal workings – or at least, elements that broadly represent the internal components.

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

Nubia still hasn’t managed to bolster the water and dust resistance rating beyond IP54, likely thanks to the continued presence of whopping great vents on either side of the phone. These facilitate the phone’s physical cooling fan, which kicks in during gaming and charging, and which is highlighted by several RGB lighting elements.

The right edge of the Red Magic 10S Pro is particularly busy. Besides the aforementioned cooling vent, it also houses a volume rocker, a circular power button, and three extra gaming-oriented controls.

There’s a pair of capacitive 520Hz buttons that can be mapped to game controls – particularly handy in competitive shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile and Delta Force. You also get a physical Gamespace switch here, which instantly brings up Nubia’s gaming UI.

Another gaming-oriented inclusion is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge. This negates the issue of audio lag, which even high-end wireless headphones will struggle with, to varying degrees.

The Red Magic 10S Pro, like its predecessors, sports a striking all-screen design with extremely small display bezels and an under-display selfie camera, producing a high 95.3% screen-to-body ratio. This doesn’t leave room for dual front-firing speakers, which means you can cover the speaker on the bottom edge with your hand.

In terms of sound output, you’re looking at speakers that get plenty loud and offer decent stereo separation, but which are somewhat piercing and lacking in low-end depth – certainly compared to many flagship phones.

Design score: 3.5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: display

6.85-inch OLED
1216 x 2688 ‘1.5K’ resolution
144Hz refresh rate
2000 nits peak brightness

After changing things up with the Red Magic 10 Pro, Nubia has gone with the exact same display for the 10S Pro. This is a large 6.85-inch OLED with a nicely balanced ‘1.5K’ resolution, which works out to 2,688 x 1,216.

This also produces a 144Hz maximum refresh rate. The list of games that can actually support such fluidity is pretty slender, but it’s one of the few use case scenarios for such a spec. The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro has it beat at 185Hz, but then, you’re paying double the money for such diminishing returns.

In peak HDR scenarios, this display is capable of hitting 2,000 nits, though in general use, you won’t get anywhere near that mark. It’s bright enough for clear outdoor usage, however.

As we’ve already discussed, the Red Magic 10S Pro Display is notable for being completely unhindered by a selfie notch. Experiencing video and gaming content in such an unobstructed way feels good, and you might question why more phones don’t take such an approach.

The answer to that question is very simple indeed, but we’ll leave off answering it until the camera section.

Display score: 4 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: cameras

50MP main with OIS
50MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro
16MP in-display selfie camera still terrible
Up to 8K/30fps video

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the camera system here is identical to that of the Red Magic 10 Pro.

There’s the same 50MP 1/1.55" OmniVision OV50E main sensor with OIS and a 7P lens. This is accompanied by a 50MP 1/2.88" OV50D ultra-wide, and an all-but-pointless 2MP macro sensor. There is no dedicated telephoto camera.

You also get the same 16MP in-display front camera.

There’s an unspoken deal you strike with every gaming phone manufacturer: they will give you an extremely fast phone with a level of sustained performance and stamina well in excess of your average flagship phone. In return, you will give up any expectations of taking really good photographs.

That holds as true with the Red Magic 10S Pro as it did with its predecessors (for the record, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro takes decent shots, though it’s well short of the very best camera phones). This is a competent mid-range performer, though you could spend about £100 less on the Google Pixel 9a and have a much better time if photography is your priority.

With that main sensor, shots look sharp and contrasty in good lighting, if a little over-processed and unnaturally vibrant. Night shots look nice and clear, though again, there’s a slightly false note to the level of brightness.

Ultra-wide shots take a notable hit to quality, with a drabber, flatter look compared to the main sensor. This can occasionally work in its favor, producing more natural-looking shots, but in general, the disparity is just distracting.

Zoomed shots all crop in on that main sensor, but they’re not worth using beyond 2x. Even at 4x, the drop-off in detail is stark.

It’s a familiar story by now, but the decision to go with an in-display front camera results in flat-out terrible selfies, lacking in detail and contrast. Nubia claims that the AI algorithm has been upgraded here, and I suppose if I were being charitable, I’d concede that the selfies I took were the best I’ve seen from a Red Magic phone.

But you have to understand that this is a very low bar indeed, and almost any affordable phone released in 2025 should be able to top it in the selfie stakes.

Nubia is one of those manufacturers that implements a couple of annoying settings straight out of the box. One is an inexplicable watermark (as you can see in some of my sample images), while another is an obnoxious beautifying mode for selfies. You can turn both off easily enough, but it should really be this way out of the box.

Video recording is very solid here, with Nubia putting that flagship chip to good use in supporting 8K recording at 30fps or – more practically – 4K at 60fps. Footage shot using the latter configuration was nice and smooth, courtesy of that OIS.

Camera score: 3 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro camera samples — (Image credit: Future)

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Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: performance

Souped-up Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version
12GB, 16GB, or 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM
256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage
Sustained performance takes a step back, though average performance is still better

The one component that explains and even justifies the Red Magic 10S Pro’s existence is the move to a new chip. Kind of.

In fact, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version found here is merely an overclocked version of the chip from the Red Magic 10 Pro – and most other 2025 flagship phones, for that matter.

Nubia claims that it supplies a 30% power boost, with the CPU clock speeds moving up from 4.32GHz to 4.47GHz and the GPU from 1,100MHz to 1,200MHz. The NPU, meanwhile, provides an AI performance boost of 40%.

This is supported by a bolstered Liquid Metal 2.0 cooling system, which rejigs things for a 5°C reduction in temperature compared to the 10 Pro.

None of this is noticeable in day-to-day performance, nor even when gaming. There’s a very simple reason for that: the Snapdragon 8 Elite was already more than enough to handle the very best games that the Google Play Store has to offer.

Graphically advanced games such as GRID Legends already run fabulously on the Red Magic 10 Pro, while you can blast opponents on Call of Duty: Mobile at high frame rates and graphical settings.

Indeed, even using our usual suite of benchmark tests, the Red Magic 10S Pro performed no better than its predecessor. That still positions it as one of the fastest phones on the market, of course, but know that the main advantage to buying this phone is performance headroom.

Sustained performance was unimpeachable on the Red Magic 10 Pro, and it seems Nubia hasn’t quite managed to maintain such a high level here. A score of 84.8% in 3D Mark's Solar Bay Stress Test falls 15% short of its predecessor, suggesting that it can’t quite maintain peak performance across an intensive 20-minute workout.

However, it’s worth digging deeper into the figures here. A peak loop score of 12568 is quite a bit higher than the Red Magic 10 Pro’s 10032. Indeed, the 10S Pro could beat that with its lowest loop score of 10654. In other words, the Red Magic 10S Pro can’t stay at its maximum level as long as the 10 Pro, but its output is still better at any given moment.

Needless to say, general navigation and day-to-day use don’t pose a problem for the Red Magic 10S Pro. Especially not with the 16 GB of RAM that my test model comes bundled with.

Performance score: 5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: software

Red Magic OS 10.5 on Android 15
UI is ugly but solid enough
Dedicated Game Space gaming UI
Up to 5 years of OS and security updates

In keeping with the Red Magic 10S Pro’s half-step nature, it ships with Red Magic OS 10.5. It’s much the same as Red Magic OS 10 in the previous model, sitting atop the same Android 15 operating system.

That’s not necessarily a positive, as Nubia’s UI still needs a lot of work. It’s a fairly clunky experience, with ugly icons and wallpapers, and an unnecessarily huge fan widget. Nubia’s Google Feed replacement to the left of the Home Screen continues to be a tacky collection of random news stories and apps.

While it’s a lot less buggy and janky than it used to be, there are still some rough edges. On my test model, that manifested itself most obviously with a pair of app icons on the second Home Screen mysteriously labelled ‘Unknown’.

I’m not sure why, but I was required to dive into Gmail’s Settings just to make this default email app sync up.

Bloatware is still an issue, too. Even deselecting all the terrible games at the set-up phase doesn’t clean things up completely. Rather hilariously, there are two dedicated folders filled with download prompts for said unwanted apps.

TikTok, Facebook, MoboReader, MoboReals, WPS Office, and Booking.com are all there at set-up, whether you like it or not.

With all that said, Red Magic OS 10.5 runs snappily, and Nubia's Game Space game management UI remains a comprehensive way to organize and manage your gaming. Flip that switch, and you’ll enter a landscape interface that lets you tweak performance, screen sensitivity, screen ratios, and individual game plug-ins that verge on the cheat-y.

Google Gemini is pre-installed, alongside some now fairly standard AI tools for photo search, image editing, real-time translation, and the like. Circle to Search is also here.

Ongoing support continues to fall behind the best, but is now much improved over the Red Magic 10 Pro. There are now three years of OS and security updates in the global and US models, and five years in the UK and EU models.

Software score: 3.5 / 5

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: battery life

7,050mAh battery
Multi-day usage
80W wired charging

Nubia really stepped things up with the Red Magic 10 Pro, squeezing in a huge 7,050mAh battery. The 10S Pro has the same, and it remains one of the biggest cells on the market.

With this battery on board, I was able to blast through two days of moderate usage, and even well into a third before I felt compelled to plug it in.

When the phone finally did run out of juice entirely, the bundled 80W charger got me back up to 72% in just 30 minutes. A full charge took me 45 minutes, which isn’t too shabby at all given the battery’s capacity.

There’s no wireless charging here, which we’ve come to expect from Nubia’s gaming sub-brand. That’s not to say it should be let off the hook entirely – the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro includes a wireless charging provision – but it’s an understandable omission in the name of prioritizing gaming-friendly features on a strict budget.

Indeed, it’s probably a more apt criticism to note that there’s no secondary USB-C port on the long edge, which makes charging while gaming so much more viable in the ROG.

Battery score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro?

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro score card
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Design	It’s big and unwieldy, and the gamer aesthetic grows a little tiresome, but it’s also nice and flat.	3.5 / 5
Display	This screen is big, sharp, fluid, and it gets reasonably bright. It’s also unobstructed by a bothersome notch.	4 / 5
Performance	As the first phone to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version, this is one of the very fastest phones around.	4.5 / 5
Camera	It’ll take solid pictures in good lighting, but you don’t buy a gaming phone if you’re seriously interested in great photos.	3 / 5
Battery	This phone has one of the largest batteries around, and it’s good for multi-day use.	5 / 5
Software	Nubia's custom UI is reasonably fast and fluid these days, but it’s still ugly and cluttered.	3 / 5
Value	You simply won’t find this level of performance at this price anywhere else on the market.	5 / 5

Buy it if...

You're a gamer who doesn’t have cash to burn
The Red Magic 10S Pro offers top-level gaming performance, but it costs about half the price of our favorite gaming phone, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro.

You’re anti-notch
Sick of display notches spoiling the view? The Red Magic 10S Pro doesn’t have one.

You want the biggest battery possible
At 7,050mAh, the Red Magic 10S Pro's battery is the biggest on the market.

Don't buy it if...

You like selfies
That in-display front camera might look cool, but it takes truly terrible selfies.

Subtlety and style matter to you
Nubia’s design language is big, brash, and slightly tacky.

You prefer a clean UI
Red Magic OS is ugly, cluttered, and a little glitchy.

Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro review: also consider

The Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro is a great-value gaming phone, but there are some excellent alternatives if you want to spend more or less.

Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro
The previous model should be available at a lower price right now, despite being only six months older and broadly as capable.

Read our full Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro review

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
This step-up option gives you similar gaming performance, but a lot of quality-of-life features on top – albeit at a much higher price.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review

How I tested the Nubia Red Magic 10S Pro

Review test period = 1 week
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Nubia 80W power adapter

First reviewed: June 2025

I spent hours learning how to play Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening just so I could accidentally win within a minute of starting a save

12:00 am | July 16, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Consoles & PC Gadgets Gaming Nintendo | Tags: UI | Comments: Off

There are ample means by which you could learn about the fascinating intricacies of feudal Japan. Still, Koei Tecmo presents the option for a doubly steep learning curve with the latest addition to its turn-based grand strategy RPG series, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition (a repackaged edition of the initial 2023 game released for Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5).

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5 (Complete Edition); PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, (original edition)
Release date: June 5, 2025

In this Nintendo Switch 2 game (also available on PlayStation 5), you play as a contemporary daimyō, acting as a Japanese feudal lord ruling over a province during the turbulent Sengoku period. There’s the option to follow the story of the series’ titular character, Nobunaga, head of the Oda clan, but you can also play as a host of other historical leaders from the era.

So, what is Nobunaga’s ambition? Oh, just the small feat of unifying Japan; a contentious matter among those he wished to suppress to achieve his dream. Your objective in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is to help realize this vision – whether or not you’re playing as the man himself – by developing your lands, conducting diplomacy, and, of course, a healthy dose of feudal warfare as you strive to dominate the various territories of Japan.

Along the way, you’ll also encounter cutscenes reimagining famous battles from the time, as well as rumors from your various officers, which reflect the era’s propensity for near-constant drama and gossip among its magnates.

Nobunaga's Amibition: Awakening Complete Edition on Nintendo Switch 2. — (Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

It’s a game that struggles to find its footing; in one part, it’s a gruelling uphill battle to learn complex political systems, heightened only by the game’s stunted UI and some slightly half-baked gameplay mechanics that I accidentally manipulated to win the game in less than a minute (more on that later).

On the other hand, there is something intangibly captivating about this historical part-fiction. Combat mechanics are satisfying, there’s a fulfilling base management system, and great care and attention have been paid to injecting the game with ample historical education and context-based events to keep things interesting. It’s just so brutally difficult that any enjoyment I could find is as yet out of reach.

I played over 30 hours of the game (it felt like at least ten of those were spent reading endless text boxes and tutorials) before I got to a point where I was happy upping the difficulty to medium.

Naturally, I instantly lost, and another ten hours later, I’m still in the throes of learning the next level of strategy required to win past dumb-dumb difficulty; but I’m comforted to read online that I am one of so, so many gamers to say the same.

Humble beginnings

You begin the game by selecting a date from 1543 to 1614 and then choosing a clan to play as. Each begins the game with different setups: alliances, provinces, and officers, which you’ll take custody of and command as you grow your control of Japan.

There is a tutorial, but as you may expect if you’re familiar with the genre, it’s pretty bare-bones, covering only the fundamentals you’ll need to get started and win a campaign on the easiest settings. After that, you’re on your own, left to unpack the other 70% of the game that the tutorial scarcely mentions.

It’s worth noting that, as the game advises, you’ll want to pick one of the easier levels first, not least because the tutorial can almost sabotage you at higher difficulties. I mistakenly jumped straight in at a medium difficulty level and followed the tutorial religiously, which led me straight into war with a far more powerful enemy.

You’ll want to start your game by checking out your territories, each of which consists of a castle and counties that contribute to resource production. Each district has a farm and fair that you can harvest to increase your monthly earnings, as well as slots for settlements that offer different benefits.

The castle county also has a town square that you can develop with various facilities. That’s not always down to you to decide, though; the art of Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening, really, is delegation.

Rise above your station

The first port of call, then, is assigning dominion over your lands to your officers. Officers can make or break your strategy; they’ll make judgment calls for you within their lands, though you can give guidance and structure if you want to micro-manage. You’ll recruit more and more as the game progresses through covert operations and recruitment drives, and you can choose which ones to hire based on how well their unique traits, skills, and relationships mesh with your strategy.

Each castle will need a Lord stationed from your more senior officers, and then you’ll want to assign dominion to counties to ensure the land is worked efficiently. As your Lord’s station improves, they’ll be able to pick up the slack and manage counties within their territory, too.

Officers will also recommend actions and make suggestions for how to engage in military or covert operations, which you can choose to accept or decline; but lean too far and you may find they’ll start acting on their own accord or lose loyalty towards you. As the fearless leader, you’ll also have your own castle; this can be managed autonomously by Substitutes instead.

Occasionally, they’ll even want to barter with you, whether because their loyalty has dropped low enough that they wish to part ways or because they’re offering a boon in exchange for land holdings. In each trade, you’ll need to hit a certain point value to secure the officer, and if you really want what they’re offering, you can up the ante to ensure they stick around for longer.

I found this mechanic to be a bit frustrating, given that I rarely seemed to have much to barter with, and when I did, it either drastically overdelivered or underdelivered.

Overall, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening’s staff management mechanics are pretty satisfying and well-rounded. The game does well to give you tips and pointers in this department, and you can really affect the game’s outcomes with your staffing decisions. Unique traits of officers really can drive the game, especially when it comes to battle mechanics and officer proposals.

A council of your peers

Another core tenet of running an effective kingdom is consulting your council. However, much of this council management is left unexplained, and as the game gets pretty tied up in its own Sengoku-specific vocabulary, it’s hard to even find the help you need within game guides.

User guides online are fairly scant, too, but I can understand why. I can’t see myself pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into learning this behemoth of a strategy game and then spelling it out for the next player for free, either.

Policies are the backbone of progress in the game, and one of the areas I enjoyed the most during my playthroughs; they allow you to unlock new features, better delegation, and strengthen your forces. However, you’ll want to wait until you have excess gold before setting up any new ones, as some are pricey.

From the council menu, you can also bestow accolades to your officers, which increases their abilities and can even grant them special effects. These are earned by achieving significant accomplishments like clan targets and demonstrating loyalty.

You can also choose to give gifts of treasure to your officers to improve their stats and loyalty, marry them to an eligible Hime, and grant titles earned by appeasing the Imperial Court from this menu.

As you grow your lands, you’ll also want to divest more responsibilities onto your officers by heading to your council and setting up a new province to be ruled over by a regent.

These run fairly autonomously, and especially on harder difficulties, the choices you make to staff these regions can make or break your game; choose a warmongering Lord and you stand to lose a fair few allies.

Friends we made along the way

With your ultimate goal being unification, you might want to make some friends in high places, so you’ll need to put on your diplomacy hat and send your highest officers – or your daimyō – as a diplomat to rack up some goodwill with your neighbors, including a monthly gold stipend to woo them.

Once you’ve built trust, you can ask them to be your allies and help you in combat, negotiate peace between warring territories, or even solidify your alliance through marriage. You’ll also want to conduct diplomacy with powerful entities like the Shōgun and the Imperial Court, the latter of which can offer you official posts in exchange for (costly) diplomatic activities to help you improve your prestige.

I’ve mentioned vassals already; once you’re allied with a smaller clan that may want or need protection and acknowledges you as a superior force, you can ask them to become your vassal and effectively join your territory. In time, and especially under pressure, your vassals might decide to just absorb themselves into your clan altogether, but either way, these relationships count towards the end goal of unification.

Do be warned, though, if you don’t want to cheese the game too much; there’s at least one clan scenario you can play where the goal territory is occupied entirely by allies, meaning you can just load a new save, vassal-ize your allies and win before you’ve even assigned your first officer.

Generally speaking, the diplomacy in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is a good enough system, though you’ll want to really think about which allies make the most sense based on your goals; some allies may end up getting in the way of your expansion or be more trouble than they’re worth when enemies come knocking at their doors.

That being said, diplomacy lacks the intricacy required to offer a rewarding alternative to war. One frustration I found was that you seemingly can’t make a country with existing vassals your own vassal. I say seemingly because in the rafts of game guides available within the software, I can’t for the life of me find an alternative other than straight-up demolishing the vassal and then building relations with your target nation, at which point it’s likely better to just chip away at the territory of theirs that you want.

It’s also really frustrating that you work so hard for what can often be so little; it can take anywhere from two to six months even to accrue enough goodwill for reinforcements, and you don’t always get the all-out assault you want.

Considering it’s six to ten months to achieve enough goodwill for an alliance, too, you can wipe out a senior officer all year-round with diplomacy if you’re not careful, leaving their civil affairs at home unmanaged.

What are we doing today, brain?

Okay then, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening – if it’s war you want, it’s war you’ll get. It’s nigh-on impossible to dodge combat for an entire save, so if you enjoy a pacifist playthrough, you might be better off with a more flexible strategy game like Sid Meier's Civilization 7.

Once you’ve chosen an enemy's castle as your target, your castles will start amassing soldiers and readying supplies for war, indicating preparedness with a little flame icon next to the castle town(s) selected as your militarization base. Once completed, you’ll direct troops to march, choosing from various strategies suggested by your officers as to the route taken as well as which, if any, provinces you control will join the fray. You can also conduct covert operations to spread rumors or incite revolts across enemy territory and weaken forces, or just raze or destroy target castles to help with upcoming battles.

En route, you’ll undoubtedly encounter enemy units, and if your senior commanders or daimyō are on the field, you’ll be able to trigger a battle event. Instead of passively watching the unit counters trickle down in an autonomous head-to-head, you have the opportunity to command each of your troops yourself with the assistance of your officer’s recommendations, and broadly speaking, I’d recommend doing so if you really want to cut down their troops.

Battling is generally quite fun, especially when the game throws you a historical fight sequence with a good lore drop.

Best bit

After hours of trial and error in higher difficulties, followed by more hours of learning the ropes in lower difficulties, I returned to the scenario that had me stumped to begin with and opted to manually control my troops for a challenging siege that I won in the first try. Nothing beats that feeling.

There are a few ways to win here: destroy the enemies’ path to escape, decimate their forces, or crush their morale with consecutive defeats on the field. Some battlefields also have strategic key points, and controlling these improves your armies’ standings and morale, too.

Battling is fun, but Siege encounters are a bit trickier. Maps are slightly more complex, and if you don’t manage to launch your attack on the castle before it’s finished preparing for your attack, you’ll have an even harder time as you encounter traps and barricades. These can be brutal, especially in the early stages, and if you don’t follow your officers’ advice to always bring three to five times the units your enemy has – and I’d really recommend you aim high.

If you want to skip these siege sequences altogether, you can – and they can be a little tedious if you mostly want to auto-play – but then you miss out on the authority mechanic. Winning battles will earn you authority, which can mean anything from lands submitting themselves to you to new (or fallen) alliances.

A beautiful mess

So, that’s gameplay covered, but what about the actual user experience of the game?

I mentioned already that the user interface is a little disappointing, and that point stands; crowded menus, unclear navigation, and clumsy controls make an already challenging game downright frustrating. It’s a shame, because the game itself isn’t bad, aesthetically. Sure, the map and menus are all dated, but the splash art is delightful, the music is immersive, and the voice lines are delivered with conviction and minimal cheese.

The standard button layout is really confusing and unintuitive, especially for navigation and menu access, but the biggest crime is the UI clarity and visibility. Battle and siege interactions play out on an unzoomable field, and when more than three or four units on each side are on the battlefield, it’s nigh-on impossible to see where your forces start and your enemies end, which can make manual controls for retreating and resting troops hard.

Thankfully, some of these complaints are deftly handled by having the Switch 2 as my platform of choice for this review; mouse mode makes navigating through rafts of menus and directing your troops far smoother than using a controller. In fact, I’d say unless you’re used to how the games lay out their UI on a controller, it’s the de facto way to enjoy Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening (outside of a PC, of course).

Still, there’s just a lot of chaos in the game and abundant quick fixes that could be made to streamline the interface. For example, annoyingly, if you want allies to send reinforcements as you march to battle, you’ll have to head to the alliance interface instead of conducting from your marching orders screen, which can often mean they arrive long after or before your troops.

Generally, automation and management are fine, but more options to issue mass directives for castle or province management would really help to reduce time spent clicking through various menus.

Not easy to love

Over time, I grew to really enjoy Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening. It’s an addictive uphill slouch for infrequent strategy players, but even for the more experienced, the work needed to fully learn the game might come as a blow.

Had I not needed to play it for this review, I might just have given up after the third or fourth false start, but having to persevere has earned the series a new fan. I can’t, in good conscience, rate it more highly than I have; it’s just too messy and inconsistent, and too many parts of the game stick out like a sore thumb for their shallowness when compared to the richness and complexity elsewhere.

Winning feels good, though, and not just because it’s despite the issues the game presents. Even on easier modes, nothing is handed to you on a platter, and you need to engage with the game’s source material and setting to reap the many rewards of playing Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening. If you’re up to the challenge, this game will bring it.

Should I play Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening?

Play it if…

You love grand strategy
As far as strategy games go, this one has got most others beat with the sheer amount of micro controls, all while also giving you plenty to do at a macro level. View Deal

You enjoy battle tactics
War mechanics in this game are rich and fulfilling, offering a few different ways to play and clear direction to victory. Provided you can read the UI. View Deal

You want to keep coming back for more
There is so much replayability to Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening; not only to beat your own runtime, but also to play all the various clans across the years.View Deal

Don't play it if…

You hate a steep learning curve
Hoo boy, this is not the game for you. From controls all the way to core functions in the game, it’s a long road to knowing how to play.View Deal

You want more ways to win
Diplomacy plays a role in the game, yes, but I’ve yet to find a way you can achieve Nobunaga’s Ambition without at least a little bloodshed.View Deal

You can’t tolerate bad UI and UX
From confusing button layouts to nonsensical menus to its weak tutorial and hard-to-parse interfaces, sometimes Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is physically tiring in its poor design. View Deal

Accessibility

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is far from an accessibility-first game, but there are some features of note.

The difficulty is adjustable to a fairly granular level; different scenarios offer different star ratings, but you can also head to settings before starting a scenario to adjust AI difficulty and behaviors right down to how clans form alliances.

You can also opt to spend more of the game delegating and focusing on macro controls if the micro management proves challenging.

Mouse controls are a boon to the game’s unwieldy AI, and could double as useful alternatives for those who can’t use Joy-Con control layouts. There are no specific audio accessibility features, nor are there colorblind or graphics settings.

How I reviewed Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening

I played Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2, racking up over thirty hours of gameplay. In that time, I set up multiple campaigns in different scenarios and difficulty settings, playing through to the victory scenario in each and trying all of the various features.

While using docked mode, I was playing on a 4K TV with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. I also tried handheld mode using the Joy-Con 2 controllers and used mouse mode.

I love a good strategy game, clocking in over 250 hours playing Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 (and that’s only on one console where I own it!) and reviewing strategy games like Age of Empires 4.

First reviewed July 2025

Tecno announces HiOS 15 with improved UI and new AI features

10:29 am | May 8, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI, UI | Comments: Off

Tecno has announced HiOS 15, the company's next generation Android-based operating system for its mobile devices. The new update comes with updated UI, improved performance and efficiency, as well as a raft of AI features. Starting with the UI, HiOS 15 comes with a cleaner interface with 40% fewer pre-installed apps. There are new animations and transitions, with AI-generated wallpapers and new minimal icons. The app transitions are also 15% quicker to make the UI feel snappier. The OS comes with features such as MemFusion 3.0 and memory defragmentation to improve memory...

Tecno announces HiOS 15 with improved UI and new AI features

10:29 am |

Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: AI, UI | Comments: Off

Honor Watch 5 Ultra review: an Ultra-worthy build with a very basic UI

1:00 pm | May 5, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Health & Fitness | Tags: Apple Watch Series, NFC, UI | Comments: Off

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: One minute review

The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is, from a hardware standpoint, a very good smartwatch indeed. It’s got a lovely 1.5-inch 466 x 466px AMOLED display, which is bright and butter-smooth; its case is made of titanium and its screen from Sapphire glass; it looks like a classic dress watch in the black aesthetic of my test model, but the fluoro band keeps things sporty – you could wear this for anything from wakeboarding sessions to weddings, and it wouldn’t be out of place.

It’s got a 480mAh battery that lasts around five days based on our tests – an impressive performance. The screen is pretty and the watch is intuitive to navigate, with health features that stand up to scrutiny. The digital crown, a feature often missed in non-Apple offerings, allows for easy scrolling.

So, will I wear it again? Unfortunately, no.

I love the watch’s design, I love its low price point, and I like the simple layout of its UI. I found it very useful, from the Find My Phone option to the sleep tracking. I think it’s a great watch, but ultimately undeserving of its Ultra moniker.

It tracks 100 sports, but most of these modes are very basic in their metric collection. There are no third-party apps, essential to customizing your smartwatch experience; you’re stuck with what's installed on the watch out of the box. There’s no Strava, no Spotify, no WhatsApp, although you can view messages with the notifications functionality. The watch does have an NFC chip onboard, but it’s not designed to support banking payments. Customization options are limited to an (albeit generous) selection of free watch faces.

The end result is a watch that looks well designed from the outside, but which feels strangely hollow inside. In many respects it’s a high-performing and great-value device, but the lack of features makes it hard to recommend.

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Price and availability

Honor Watch 5 Ultra in Black — (Image credit: Future)

Priced at €279 in the EU (around $300 / £235 / AU$480)
Around the same price as the cheaper Samsung and Apple watches
When and where you’ll be able to buy it is yet to be confirmed

The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is priced at €279 in Europe Union countries, which converts to around $300 / £235 / AU$480. That’s a great price for a watch with this build quality; it’s only a little bit more expensive than the Apple Watch SE.

However, Honor hasn’t yet confirmed when, or where, outside of the EU, you’ll be able to buy the Honor Watch 5 Ultra, due to international restrictions imposed on the brand similar to those on Huawei. We do know that it’ll be compatible with handsets running Android 9.0 and iOS 13.0, as well as the best Honor phones.

Value score: 3/5

Specifications

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Design

Titanium and Sapphire glass
Simple UI
Digital crown

The Honor Watch 5 Ultra is, as mentioned above, an extraordinarily well-designed smartwatch (from a hardware standpoint) for its price. As well as high-quality innards like that great battery and powerful processor, the watch has a pleasant, unique octagonal shape with a grade 5 titanium case and bezel.

Sapphire glass protects the touchscreen, and together with the casing and fluoroelastomer band (leather is also available) this is certainly a watch that can withstand knocks, bumps and scrapes. I wore it non-stop for a week, and I was never worried about dinging it.

It looks like a premium dress watch, and the metal casing feels exceptionally premium – it’s certainly a better-looking watch than the otherwise comparable, and more expensive, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The watch has just one button, and the user experience has been vastly improved with the addition of a digital crown, which allows for easy scrolling. The Honor Watch 5 Ultra’s all-in-one button allows for an easy snapshot of your health, among other things, similar to Samsung’s body composition feature.

The fact that the magnetic charger is USB-A rather than the more powerful USB-C is a slight disappointment, but the fast-charging still works fine. Another disappointment is that there’s only one size; like many of its contemporaries, Honor is not taking into account those with smaller wrists.

Design score: 4/5

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Features

100 workout modes
8GB of storage
No third-party apps or NFC payment

Things are a little more limited in the features department. With no third-party apps – which elevates the likes of the OnePlus Watch 3 from a nice curiosity into an essential wrist assistant – you miss out on deep interactions with everyday apps like Gmail, your maps service of choice, Keep Notes, Spotify, Strava, Komoot, your Wallet of choice, and so on.

The basic feature set is all you’re going to get. It’s not awful; you get notifications, call dismissal, on-phone music controls, 8GB storage for your music, which you can control with Honor’s native MagicOS Music app, but nothing terribly exciting.

The watch does have an NFC chip, but without a Wallet app you can’t really use it. I can view my WhatsApp messages on my wrist via the basic notifications service, but I can’t reply to them. You can see how my frustrations with the Honor Watch 5 Ultra were mounting during the week I wore it.

Things look a lot better from a health perspective. Honor’s suite of health and fitness features are good, with the new Health Scan feature first on the docket. It takes heart rate, blood oxygen and stress readings, collating them with sleep stats and your height and weight (which you input into the app) to check for outliers that could point to potential issues.

Sleep tracking is also great, with your sleep stages broken down in a similar manner to competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring. The Watch 5 Ultra offers a Sleep Score with some additional insights based on how much sleep it believes you’ve had.

Workout support is solid, with over 100 sports modes, but very few of them offer more sophisticated metrics than heart rate and estimated calories burned. Running and swimming do offer specialized metrics, however, tracking pace per kilometer, stride length and stride frequency on the roads, while counting strokes and taking pool length into account during swimming.

Features score: 3/5

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Performance

Some UI frustrations
Good battery life
Accurate workouts

I wore the Honor Watch 5 Ultra for a full week, testing it on runs, in the pool, and during sleep. The watch accurately estimated my steps, coming within a few hundred steps of my Samsung Galaxy Ring, and tracked sleep stages with similar accuracy.

I got a Healthy Morning Report and Sleep Score in the Honor Health app breaking everything down for me, with the usual insights – drink less caffeine during the day for better sleep, and so on – but Honor’s metrics and context are nowhere near as sophisticated as Samsung’s sleep animal chronotypes feature.

Run tracking served me well over the week, with all the usual pace, stride and speed features as well as GPS maps and elevation. A nice touch was a ‘fat reduced’ metric, telling me in one instance that my 8km run burned approximately 4g of fat. Swim tracking was also good, and the watch successfully identified my dominant stroke as ‘mixed’ as I swapped from front crawl to breaststroke during the workout.

The battery performed as described, lasting through around four and a half days of near-constant wear.

I’m happy with the performance here, but it would have been nice to be able to add to the limited features on offer with third-party apps. The frustration of not being able to use so many basic smartwatch functions with my phone made the device less useful, overall, than its competitors.

Performance score: 4/5

Scorecard

Honor Watch 5 Ultra: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You own an Honor phone

If you own an Honor phone, this is the perfect accompanyment, and probably Honor’s best smartwatch to date.

You don’t need third-party apps

If you don’t need WhatsApp and the like on your phone, this makes for a great fitness tracker.

You want a good-looking watch

There’s no denying it: this watch, with its titanium casing, looks fab.

Don't buy it if...

Money is no object

If you’ve got a bigger budget, you could go for a top-end Garmin watch or Apple Watch Ultra.

You’re on Google or Apple

You’ll be better served with a Wear OS or Apple Watch for better ecosystem integration.View Deal

Also consider

Apple Watch Series 10

A much better option for iPhone users.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 10 review

OnePlus Watch 3

Similar in design, but a lot better for Wear OS users.

Read our full OnePlus Watch 3 review

How I tested the Honor Watch 5 Ultra

I wore the Honor Watch 5 Ultra for a full week, draining the battery down completely and monitoring runs, swims and strength workouts. I spent time using the UI to its fullest extent, testing the digital crown and button functionalities, and wore it as my daily driver. I also wore it to bed to examine its sleep tracking capabilities and tried the health monitoring metrics such as the new Health Scan feature.

I spent a week testing the Nubia Red Magic 10 Air, and it’s a winning blend of power and portability

3:26 pm | April 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phones | Tags: Australia, OIS, UI | Comments: Off

Red Magic 10 Air: Two-minute review

With the Red Magic 10 Air, Nubia has essentially taken last year's Red Magic 9 Pro, squeezed it into a much slimmer and less obnoxious design, and charged a lower price for the privilege of owning this newer model.

As repurposing jobs go, it's a very canny one. The Red Magic 10 Air is a highly capable gaming phone that costs less than $600 / £450, and you won't find better performance for the money.

While it runs on a chip that's no longer top of its class, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 remains an excellent runner. It'll handle the latest games extremely fluidly, which is really what matters here.

Nubia's new slimmed-down design is the best it's ever come up with, certainly within the gaming phone space, and it hasn't even had to compromise on battery life to achieve this trimmer body. With a 6,000mAh cell, the Red Magic 10 Air will last two days of normal usage quite easily.

The Nubia Red Magic 10 Air being held in a hand — (Image credit: Future)

While the Game Space gaming UI is still there to let you manage and customize your games, Red Magic OS remains one of the busiest and cheapest-feeling UIs on the market. It's better than it's ever been, but that's really not saying much.

Another continued weak point is the phone's photographic provision. This twin 50MP camera setup will get you adequate pictures in most scenarios, but you can do better even for this sort of money.

Meanwhile, the phone's in-display selfie camera may be good for media content, but it makes for truly terrible selfies.

Ultimately, if you're shopping for a gaming-capable phone for less than £500, the Red Magic 10 Air is one of your best bets – especially if you want a phone that doesn't stretch the lining of your pockets.

We'd still like to see further refinement to the hardware and particularly the software, but the Red Magic 10 Air successfully carves out a new niche, even if we're not 100% sure there's a market for it. Until the day that Asus decides to create a mid-range ROG phone (if that day ever comes), this is the most unassuming gaming phone on the market.

Red Magic 10 Air review: price and availability

Review images for the Nubia Red Magic 10 Air — (Image credit: Future)

From £439 / $579
Launched on April 23, 2025
Flare model expected in June 2025
Not available in Australia

The Red Magic 10 Air is on sale now, having commenced open sales on April 23, 2025. The Flare model, with its fetching orange finish, is expected to go on sale a little later, in June 2025.

Pricing starts at $579 / £439 for the Twilight and Hailstone models with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. You can bump that spec up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (as reviewed here) in all three finishes for $699 / £559.

As always with Red Magic devices, this is a hugely competitive price for the level of performance being supplied. The Air might not be as capable as the Red Magic 10 Pro, but it's also $70 / £140 cheaper than that phone's launch price.

At $579 / £439, it undercuts the Poco F7 Pro – another mid-range performance-focused phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip – by £60.

The Red Magic 10 Air is not available in Australia at the time of writing.

Value score: 4.5 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: specs

Red Magic 10 Air review: design

Much slimmer, lighter, and more subtle than Pro
520Hz capacitive shoulder trigger buttons
Only IP54 rated
Customizable Magic Key

The Red Magic 10 Air is by far the best-looking gaming phone Nubia has ever made, as well as the easiest to live with.

Nubia has significantly stripped back the garish gamer aesthetic, providing a mostly clean etched glass back with only subtle Red Magic branding. Even the RGB lighting has been stripped right back, with just a small ring light positioned above the two rear cameras in its own housing.

My test model is in the Hailstone shade, which is a pleasingly shimmery white. You can also specify it in Twilight (black), while a Flare variant is coming in June for those with a yearning for something more eye-catching. The latter offers a bold orange finish with a black frame, together with a transparent-effect strip running the length of the rear panel.

That 'Air' name needs to be taken in context. A thickness of 7.85mm and a weight of 205g both sound pretty normal for a regular phone, but they work out to be extremely compact for a gaming phone.

Nubia has still managed to equip its latest phone with a large battery, a meaty vapor chamber cooling system, and a handful of extra controls positioned around its aluminum frame – all requirements of the gaming phone format.

Those controls include a pair of 520Hz capacitive shoulder buttons, which can be mapped to gaming controls. This makes competitive shooters such as Warzone Mobile and the new Delta Force, in particular, much more intuitive to play.

The most interesting design tweak, aside from that slimmer body, is the move from a physical hardware switch for entering Nubia's Gamespace UI to a more generic button. Yes, it lacks the tactile clunk of the original, but it gains versatility by being remappable.

While it defaults to the Gamespace UI for launching and managing games, it can be reassigned to a camera shortcut, a mute/silent button, or for turning on the torch.

Like the Red Magic 10 Pro, the Air is only rated to an IP54 level of dust and water resistance. This is well short of the Poco X7 Pro and its flagship-level IP68 rating.

One other signature Red Magic feature is the lack of a visible notch, which means that video and gaming content is completely unobstructed.

Design score: 4 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: display

6.8-inch AMOLED
2,480 x 1,116 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
1600-nit peak brightness

Glancing at the specifications of the Red Magic 10 Air's display, it instantly becomes clear what Nubia has done here. It's essentially using the screen from last year's Red Magic 9 Pro.

While that means it's not quite as big, sharp, bright, or responsive as the Red Magic 10 Pro, it still makes for an excellent media canvas.

This is a 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED with a 2,480 x 1,116 resolution (aka 1.5K). No, you don't get the Red Magic 10 Pro's 144Hz refresh rate, but you could count on one hand the number of consequential games that really make use of this spec. The new Delta Force shooter is the most recent and notable example, but it's a rarity.

It's more of a shame to lose the 10 Pro's bolstered brightness, though a 1,600-nit peak still proves plenty bright enough in all but the sunniest of conditions.

Colors look vibrant yet natural, at least once you switch away from the default 'Colorful' setting to the better-balanced 'Standard' one. It's a thoroughly pleasant display to use day-to-day, as well as for gaming.

On the audio front, two stereo speakers provide nice spacious sound with a reasonable level of depth – for a mid-range phone, at least – and DTS-X Ultra certification.

Display score: 4 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: cameras

50MP main with OIS
50MP ultra-wide
Improved 16MP selfie camera
Up to 8K/30fps video

On the Red Magic 10 Air, Red Magic has stuck with broadly the same camera system as the Red Magic 10 Pro, with one very minor tweak.

The main camera here is a 50MP 1/1.5" OmniVision OV50E with OIS and a 7P lens. The other camera is a 50MP 1/2.88" OmniVision OV50D ultra-wide. There's no dedicated macro camera this time, which is of absolutely no consequence.

These cameras have been present in the past few Pro generations, and they've never impressed. They fall at the lower end of the mid-range camera quality scale, with occasional blown-out highlights in scenarios that call for HDR mode, and unnaturally vibrant colors in general.

Fed with the right amount of light, you can capture solid shots with decent detail. Those punched-up colors ensure that none of your shots will look boring or washed out, and human subjects look quite nice and defined. Portrait mode, too, is reasonably effective at accentuating the subject even without proper depth mapping.

Zoomed shots crop in on the main sensor, and remain serviceable at 2x, but turn to an increasingly noisy mess at 5x and 10x. Night shots, however, look quite crisp and clear, courtesy of a decent-sized sensor and OIS.

The ultra-wide shows a drop-off in detail and depth, as you'd expect from a significantly smaller sensor, but it's not terrible. The tone is broadly consistent with that main camera, which is always welcome.

You also get the same 16MP front camera this time, with the same ruinous in-display configuration. This makes for some of the worst selfie shots you're likely to see in a 2025 phone of any price.

The video recording provision is pretty decent for a mid-range phone, utilizing the Red Magic 10 Air's flagship chip to support 8K/30fps or 4K/60fps.

Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: camera samples

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Nubia Red Magic 10 Air camera samples — (Image credit: Future)

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Red Magic 10 Air review: performance

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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is an oldie but a goodie
6,100mm² vapor chamber cooling
12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM
256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage

The 'Red Magic 9 Pro on a diet' vibes continue with the Red Magic Air 10's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. This was the chip of choice for the 2024 Android flagship crowd.

It's since been superseded by the brilliant Snapdragon 8 Elite, as seen in the Red Magic 10 Pro, but that doesn't mean this older chip is obsolete. It remains a very strong runner, and one that continues to be competitive in 2025, especially with either 12 or 16GB of RAM to help it out, as there is here.

In CPU benchmark terms, the Red Magic 10 Air comfortably beats the Pixel 9 Pro XL with its Tensor G4, which is one of the top flagship phones at the moment. I encountered the usual GFX Bench quirk that Nubia phones exhibit, where the GPU frame rate results seem less impressive than they are, but rest assured that this thing flies on practical graphical tasks.

Crucially, it's capable of running the most advanced games on high settings and fluid frame rates. It's a known fact that mobile game development hasn't kept pace with mobile chip technology, which means that the likes of GRID Legends, Genshin Impact, and Warzone Mobile run beautifully on last year's top chip.

It also runs relatively cool. While the Red Magic 10 Air loses the active fan cooling of the Pro series, a 6,100 mm² vapor chamber keeps things from getting too toasty.

A stability score of 89.8% in the demanding 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test brings the Red Magic 10 Air out ahead of most 2025 flagship phones, if well short of the Red Magic 10 Pro and Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. This tells you that the phone will broadly maintain its performance over slightly longer gaming sessions.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: software

Red Magic OS 10 on Android 15
Busy but fluid and customizable UI
Dedicated Game Space gaming UI

Nubia has stuck with the same software as on the Red Magic 10 Pro, which means you get Red Magic OS 10 sat atop Android 15.

It's never been an especially appealing interface, with little artistry or subtlety to the icons, menus, and wallpapers. However, Nubia has cleaned up its act significantly over the past few years, and the Red Magic 10 Air offers Red Magic OS at its least obnoxious.

There are no longer any ugly widgets on the home screen when you first boot the phone up. I didn't spot too many typos or glitches, either.

Most of the apps you'll see first are from Google, with the exception of Nubia's own pointless web browser. The second home screen is where all the bloatware lives, including uninvited downloads of TikTok, Facebook, MoboReels (third-rate video clips), MoboReader (a third-rate ebook reader), Booking.com, WPS Office, and Goper (where you can manage all your Nubia devices).

If MoboReader and MoboReels feel somewhat low-rent, wait until you've seen what lives to the left of the home screen in place of Google Feed. Nubia has supplied a bunch of dubious 'Recommended apps', some even worse recommended games, and a bunch of assorted news stories. It all feels very cheap.

With all that said, Red Magic OS 10 is customizable and functional, and it scrolls along at a fair old lick.

Nubia's Game Space game management UI has always been a highlight, insomuch as it caters well to the target demographic. Press that red button, and you'll be taken into a landscape UI that lets you launch games, tweak the phone's performance output, play with screen sensitivity, and manage in-game plug-ins. Think enhanced zoom and sound equalizers in shooters.

AI implementation is pretty minimal compared to many other contemporary phones, despite that meaty AI-ready chip. You get real-time voice translation, Google's usual Magic Editor, Gemini preinstalled, and that's about it. Suffice to say, this isn't the phone to go with if you're excited by the cutting edge of mobile AI.

The Red Magic 10 Air is set to receive three years of Android version updates and three years of security updates. That's an advance on the flagship Red Magic 10 Pro's one Android version and three years of security updates, though it's still not among the best on the market, even at this price.

Software score: 3 / 5

Red Magic 10 Air review: battery life

6,000mAh battery
Two days of regular usage
100W wired charging (international version)

Given that Nubia has slimmed the Red Magic 10 Air down significantly compared to the Pro line, you'd expect something to give on the battery capacity front.

Something has indeed given, but only relatively speaking. Out goes the mammoth 7,050mAh battery of the Red Magic 10 Pro; in comes a still-huge 6,000mAh cell.

In general use, I found that this sizeable battery was quite comfortably capable of lasting through two days of moderate usage. A day with 3 hours and 15 minutes of screen-on time left me with 62%.

The international version of the Red Magic 10 Air comes with a 100W charger, but the model I was sent only had the 80W charger that comes with the Chinese model. I say 'only', but it was still able to get from empty to 100% in a creditable 51 minutes.

As with the rest of the Red Magic range, there's no wireless charging provision here. That's even more forgivable at this lower price, though.

It's a shame there's no second USB-C port, as with the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. I found gaming while charging quite tricky, as reaching the right-hand shoulder button proved particularly awkward.

Battery score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Red Magic 10 Air?

Buy it if...

You like to game, but don't want to fill your pocket
The Red Magic 10 Air isn't exactly a small phone, but it isn't as obnoxiously big as other gaming phones.

You don't have more than $600 / £450 to spend on your gaming phone
Red Magic phones are always great value, but the Air comes in at less than $600 / £450. It's a gaming phone bargain.

You hate notches
Nubia uses an in-display notch for its phones, which means it doesn't get in the way of video and gaming content.

Don't buy it if...

You take a lot of selfies
Selfies on the 10 Air are bad – really, really bad – thanks to that in-display notch.

You appreciate a clean UI
Red Magic OS is busy and ugly, and a world away from Google's stock Android.

You're a hardcore mobile gamer
The 10 Air is undeniably a gaming phone, but if you're someone who spends hours playing mobile games every day, the Red Magic 10 Pro or the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro will serve you better.

Red Magic 10 Air review: also consider

The Red Magic 10 Air isn't the only gaming-ready mid-range smartphone on the market. Here are some of the alternatives to consider.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Pro
Perhaps the closest competitor to the Red Magic 10 Air, Xiaomi's budget performance champ runs the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the same-sized 6,000mAh battery, and costs only a little more money. It also packs an even better screen and a way better selfie cam.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro review

Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro
Shop around and you'll still be able to find the Red Magic 9 Pro or the Red Magic 9S Pro selling brand new, probably for a decent price. These phones have the same screen and processor as the Red Magic 10 Air, but a slightly larger battery and superior cooling.

Read our full Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro review

How I tested the Red Magic 10 Air

Review test period = 1 week
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, Red Magic 80W power adapter

First reviewed: April 2025

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K review – a filmmaker’s workhorse with quality full-frame sensor

3:20 pm | January 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Video Cameras | Tags: AF, ISO, RAW, UI | Comments: Off

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: two-minute review

The Blackmagic Pyxis is the company's first venture into box-style cameras, and at its core lies a proven full-frame sensor, delivering up to 6K resolution and 13 stops of dynamic range. The key benefit of this high resolution is that you can use the full width and height of the 3:2 surface area of the sensor, allowing for much greater flexibility when you need to produce content for multiple platforms.

The camera’s UI is generally a triumph, with large touch controls, clear navigation, and sensible menu structures. However, when you turn the camera to film vertically, the UI stays fixed; on the older Pocket 6K, the UI rotates to suit the new orientation, so it’s clear that Blackmagic had thought about this problem and had come up with a simple solution, and it’s odd that they’ve yet to implement it on the Pyxis, which lends itself even more to shooting in different orientations. That said, even during my brief time with the camera the company released significant updates to both the camera and the Blackmagic Camera App that delivered functionality and performance improvements, so I’m confident that it will address smaller issues like this in time.

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera in the studio, mounted to video tripod, with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

In terms of hardware, the camera's standout feature is its machined aluminum construction, which offers professional-grade modularity and heat dissipation. However, the positioning of its cooling mechanism draws air from the base of the camera and forces it out through the top, and while it’s great for warming your hands on a chilly day, it does leave the camera feeling particularly exposed to inclement weather.

It features a multitude of mounting points on its bottom, top and side, where you’ll find its modular accessory plate, which can be used to install a rosette plate for a grip or an SSD holder for example. While the $2,995 / £2,645 / AU$4,899 (approx) starting price is competitive, buyers should factor in additional costs for essential accessories like an EVF, monitor, handle, and other rigging solutions, although many people buying this camera are likely to already have some compatible accessories.

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera on set, with optional monitor — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

The camera excels in its versatility with its comprehensive I/O (input / output) options, including BP-U battery compatibility, a nice common standard, as well as a 12G-SDI port and USB-C connectivity. The USB-C port on the front of the camera can transmit a video signal out to an HDMI source (without visual assist tools like false color), and the one on the rear can be used to tether the camera to a mobile device for remote wireless control, monitoring and synced recording across multiple connected Blackmagic cameras. Other professional features like timecode sync, Ethernet connectivity, SSD recording, and cloud workflow integration are also included.

The Pyxis delivers impressive image quality with Blackmagic's highly regarded color science, though it lacks some features that mirrorless shooters will be used to, like advanced autofocus and optical image stabilization. Some form of internal ND filter system would have been a big bonus, but nothing in this price range or class offers that, so expecting it would be unreasonable. While its few limitations are worth consideration, if you’re in the market for a true workhorse camera that can be adapted to a wide range of shooting scenarios the Blackmagic Pyxis makes a strong case for itself, especially when you consider that the purchase of a Blackmagic camera includes a full license for the DaVinci Resolve Studio editing suite, worth $295 / £235 / AU$440.

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: price and release date

Body-only price: $2,995 / £2,645 / AU$4,899 (approx)
Available now in three lens mount versions; EF-mount, L-mount of PL-mount (the latter costs $100 / £100 / AU$180 extra
You'll want additional accessories

The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K was announced at NAB Show Las Vegas in April 2024 and is available to order now. It can be picked up for a list price of $2,995 / £2,645 / AU$4,899 body-only in EF or L-mount, while the PL mount version costs $100 / £100 / AU$180 (approx) extra.

That price represents five star value given how the camera handles and what it is capable of for filmmaking. However, you will also need to factor in multiple accessories to improve the shooting experience, including an optional monitor, viewfinder, top handle and more.

Price score: 4.5/5

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: specs

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: design and handling

Excellent build quality with machined aluminum construction
Modular design, requires accessories to maximize its potential
UI doesn’t rotate as on the Pocket 6K

The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K is a relatively compact camera given what it's capable of, but it still weighs in at a hefty 3.3lbs / 1,500g, which is roughly the weight of two Lumix S5 IIX mirrorless cameras. Measuring 119 x 106 x 151mm (H x W x D), and with a fixed LCD display on its left side, the Pyxis feels like it needs an additional accessory for monitoring. If you want to stay on brand, your options include the Blackmagic URSA Cine EVF, the specially designed Blackmagic Pyxis Monitor, or a Blackmagic Video Assist. I had the chance to pair the camera with the Pyxis monitor, and it was ideal for run-and-gun-style shooting without being overly conspicuous, and its built-in pop-up hood is a nice touch. It’s a solid addition to the camera's accessory lineup, and provides full camera control via its touchscreen and the three customizable function buttons on its rear.

I also got to use the URSA Cine EVF, and it would be a great option for filming Electronic News Gathering (ENG) / documentary-style work, as it immerses you in the frame by blocking out off-camera distractions. The setup is highly flexible, with the EVF being easy to position. It comes with an extension arm, as well as USB-C to USB-C cables of various lengths, so that you can place the EVF in the most comfortable orientation possible for your style of shooting. A nice detail sees the EVF’s USB-C cables come with screw fixtures so that they can’t be easily pulled out, and I also like that the EVF has a tally light built into it.

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The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's top handle, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

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Closeup of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's I/O options, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

Returning to the side of the camera, the Pyxis has physical controls for all key functions, and offers three customizable function buttons so that you can save your most commonly used tools – I set mine to focus assist, false color and LUT view. If you use the EVF, it also has physical buttons, three of which can be independently customized from the ones you’ve assigned on the body. I found that the buttons and control dial click and scroll responsively, and while I would have preferred an additional record button on the front or right side of the camera, the placement of the physical controls is generally logical, and will be swiftly committed to muscle memory with regular use.

People who are new to cinema-style box cameras may be in for a slight shock when they realize just how much additional kit they need to buy in order to make their camera functional – while its starting price seems competitive, the camera doesn’t even come with a battery in the box. So you will want to factor in additional costs, as they can stack up quite quickly. As well as power, the optional £165 / $199 (around AU$325) top handle feels like a necessity too, not least because it's critical for working with the EVF or Pyxis monitor. I’d most likely purchase the Pyxis monitor first, but the EVF is a nicely designed piece of kit; for me, as somebody who often shoots handheld outside, it definitely elevates the functionality of the camera.

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Memory card in the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's card port — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

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Rear of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

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Top view of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

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Closeup of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's controls, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

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The camera's layout is professional and purposeful, although the built-in screen’s position on the left side of the camera body forces you to touch it while holding it, quite a lot, which will undoubtedly jar some people. Helpfully, in the latest update (9.2) you’re able to lock the screen while still having full access to the camera’s physical controls, which is a welcome improvement in functionality. For audio, the camera offers a 3.5mm stereo input on the front, as well as a mini XLR input, which will give you phantom power. You can run the camera directly from mains power via its +12V 2-pin Lemo connector, which is handy for me, as someone who predominantly shoots in studios and controlled indoor environments. Its dual CF Express Type B card slots are protected by a rubber cover, and the locking USB-C ports add security for monitor connections. The overall build quality is excellent, especially given the camera’s competitive pricing, although the rubber media door could be more robust, and the lack of weather sealing is notable, albeit typical for this style of camera body.

Design score: 4/5

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: features and performance

Internal 12-bit Raw video, but no ProRes
Filmic quality to footage
Versatile rigging options
Professional I/O
No in-body image stabilization
No continuous AF

The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K offers impressive connectivity options, including 12G-SDI output, USB-C, and Ethernet. The dual native ISO provides flexibility in various lighting conditions, while the dual card slots offer redundancy and extended recording times. Its best-in-class menu system is intuitive for newbies and familiar to Blackmagic users, offering logical functionality and decent customization options.

Professional features include built-in timecode, streaming capabilities, and cloud workflow integration. It also comes with a range of exposure tools that will ensure you’re gathering as much usable Raw imaging data as possible while recording. Typically, I would rely on false color, which I assigned to one of the camera’s three customizable function buttons. But it was great to see the addition of the RGB traffic light indicator system, which has possibly been borrowed from RED’s Komodo cameras. When any one of the camera’s pixel channels are beginning to clip, that light will stay illuminated, indicating that you need to lower your exposure. It’s a great at-a-glance exposure tool that’s been seamlessly integrated into the general display UI. Although it doesn’t work for underexposure, there are plenty of other tools, like false color, histogram, and zebra patterns available to help here.

Closeup of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's monitor, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

During my review window Blackmagic released a couple of relatively major updates, one for the Blackmagic Camera App (iOS v2.2) and the other for the Pyxis 6K. The improvements introduced with Firmware 9.2 included some handy connectivity features. If its running the latest firmware, the Pyxis can now use a compatible iPhone as a monitor when acting as a personal wireless hotspot and tethered via the rear USB-C port (the Pyxis itself has no Wi-Fi transmission module), and when functioning like this, you can use your iPhone to control multiple cameras and even initiate synchronized recording, which is a great solution for people who often rely on multi-camera setups. The new firmware also provided a significant boost to the camera’s power efficiency, adding roughly 30-40% more operating time in my experience. Of course, your mileage may vary, but before the update I was already able to get about 35 minutes out of a BP-U-30 (28Wh) battery, and after the update I was getting another 20-30 minutes or so extra. Battery life monitoring was also improved by the update, so the camera will now go all the way down to 1% before eventually shutting off.

Some may be disappointed to learn that the Pyxis 6K has no stabilization whatsoever, but it does record gyro data to offer reasonable stabilization in post. There’s also noticeable wobble caused by rolling shutter when you’re moving with the camera, particularly when shooting in 6K open gate mode; it’s not horrendous, but it would encourage me to shoot more static-style shots when using this camera in particular. The visible effects of rolling shutter diminish as you reduce the sensor area used for recording, and are barely noticeable when shooting at 4K/60p in 17:9 aspect ratio, so I’d say it’s worth being conscious of what your output may be. Shooting for your end output instead of belligerently spamming open gate may be the wiser choice – you can save open gate for shots with less camera movement that need the flexibility of the sensor’s full readout. It’s worth mentioning that Davinci Resolve is also able to use the camera’s gyro data to mitigate some of the warping that you may see when moving the camera around while recording.

Closeup of the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K camera's LCD monitor, in the studio with a vibrant magenta background — (Image credit: Jon Devo)

Wrapping up my niggles, the autofocus system is basic and offers no continuous AF, but it does have some handy focusing tools, which can be adjusted to suit your preferences. You can also use the dedicated push-to-focus button at the top-left side of the camera, and there’s an Iris button above that, which can help you nail exposure in a pinch. The camera also works well with external focus solutions like the DJI Focus Pro, which would be a typical approach for working with a camera like this.

A final, positive operating observation is just how quickly the camera powers up. Within five seconds of switching it on, the camera is up and ready to record. If you’re not familiar with cinema cameras, this may seem like a long amount of time, but in this realm, the Pyxis is relatively speedy, and it’s refreshing.

Features and performance score: 4/5

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: image and video quality

Excellent image quality in most conditions
Better noise-handling than the Z50 at the same ISO
4K/60p video with a 1.5x crop

The Pyxis captures images that are typically attractive for Blackmagic cameras, if it’s a look you’re familiar with. By this, I mean that the footage looks detailed, without looking sharp, and highlights roll off softly, delivering a cinematic look that needs very little work to get it ready to publish. The quoted 13 stops of dynamic range provides good flexibility in post-production, especially if you expose for the highlights and utilize DaVinci Resolve’s highlight recovery in post, when needed. Color reproduction is excellent thanks to Generation 5 color science, and the OLPF effectively controls moiré, which is great for shooting buildings, or clothing like silk and denim.

Low-light performance is good within the camera’s limitations, though not class-leading. However, Resolve is armed with comprehensive tools for reducing the impact of sensor noise. If you have the time and the aptitude, Blackmagic RAW files are really easy to work with, and can be honed to deliver an attractive look in most situations. While it’s not a no-light camera, the Pyxis would be perfectly capable of delivering attractive video in bar/club lighting scenarios or other low-ambient-lighting scenarios. The ability to shoot up to 6K resolution with a full-frame sensor with frames for various aspect ratios provides excellent flexibility for different delivery formats.

Image and video quality score: 4.5/5

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K?

Buy it if...

You’re a solo filmmaker or a small production unit that needs a professional solution
The Blackmagic Pyxis 6K is clearly built with pro work in mind, and is incredibly versatile.

You value image quality and want RAW video
Blackmagic RAW is one of the easiest pro video formats to work with, and even at its lowest bitrate settings the Pyxis delivers sumptuous video when exposed well.

You have a higher-end cinema camera and need a B-cam
The combination of the Pyxis 6K’s sensor and Blackmagic’s color science provide an excellent starting point for delivering cinematic video. However, the camera produces an image that is robust and flexible. If you or your colorist has a basic understanding of grading, matching your clips with footage from another high-end camera should be straightforward enough.

Don't buy it if...

You need a compact all-in-one solution
The Pyxis is designed to be rigged up and utilized in a wide variety of ways. For this reason, it’s relatively stripped back, but provides users with plenty of options for customizing its form and functionality to suit their needs.

You don’t need RAW video
If color grading your footage is not something your work (or pleasure) typically requires, there’s no need to pick up a camera that offers no compressed recording formats. You’ll be adding an unnecessary step to your workflow, which will cost you time and may cost you enthusiasm.

You need high-frame-rate, high-resolution video
The Pyxis 6K can shoot 6K at up to 50/60fps in the 17:9 and 2:4:1 aspect ratio respectively. It also shoots 2K at up to 100fps. However, if high-frame-rate video is a must for you, there are other cameras to consider that are more specialized for this type of filmmaking

Blackmagic Pyxis 6K: also consider

Canon EOS C70

Canon's smallest cinema camera, the EOS C70 can be had for a similar price seccondhand to the Pyxis 6K. It's a Super 35 format camera (a smaller crop-sensor) with 4K video up to 120fps in 10-bit 4:2:2 plus 12-bit RAW recording. It boasts up to 16 stops dynamic range and utilizes Canon's RF-mount and features autofocus, while it features most of the I/O options demanded by serious filmmakers. Both the Pyxis 6K and EOS C70 put forward unique strengths.

Z CAM E2-F6 Mark II

Another cinema camera with modular box design iz Z CAM'S E2-F6 Mark II. Like the Pyxis 6K, it features a full-frame sensor and is able to record 6K video, but up to 60fps, plus it supports ProRes RAW and 10-bit color, with 15 stops dynamic range. There's SDI and full-size HDMI ports, plus a BNC timecode port and genlock. There's also the E2-S6 Mark II version which is largely the same, only it has a smaller Super 35 sensor. At $3,499, Z CAM's box camera is pricier than the Pyxis 6K

How I tested the Blackmagic Pyxis 6K

I had a briefing and sneak peak of the camera before its unveiling at NAB in 2024
I paired the camera with a variety of L-Mount lenses, and a IRIX T1.5 via a Viltrox PL-L adapter
I connected the camera to the Blackmagic Camera app

I was sent the Blackmagic Pyxis for review to test for a couple of weeks, due to a firmware update being released during my review window. The kit that came with the camera included the Blackmagic URSA Cine Handle, the Blackmagic URSA Cine viewfinder, a 1TB Angel Bird memory card and reader, as well as a Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 lens.

The first thing I did after receiving the camera was to conduct my endurance tests, which include battery run-downs and heat management. I set the camera up on a tripod in an ambient temperature environment of 70F / 21C, and left it filming continuously while connected to mains power and on battery power alone.

I then took the camera out with me on some street walks, and to a couple of family and evening events. I performed sound-quality tests in a small studio environment.

First reviewed January 2025

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: bugs and performance woes undermine a promising entry-level ereader

8:35 am | January 16, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers eReaders Gadgets Tablets | Tags: Play Store, UI | Comments: Off

Onyx Boox Go 6: Two-minute review

The Go series is Onyx’s latest Boox range of ereaders and e-paper writing tablets, with the Boox Go 6 being the newest – and smallest – member. It was released a couple of months after the first two Go series devices, giving Onyx time to fix the software issues I had highlighted in my Boox Go Color 7 review. And given how much I like the Boox Go 10.3 as a writing tablet, I had high expectations from this 6-inch entry-level ereader.

Its design doesn’t disappoint at all, with a slim, compact and lightweight body that makes it very portable indeed. Despite this light build, it still manages to feel quite robust. It also uses the latest E Ink Carta 1300 screen that makes reading a far superior experience over the Amazon Kindle (2024), and can easily hold its own against the Kobo Clara BW and the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024), both of which use the same display. Plus, having a microSD card tray to expand the 32GB internal storage if you need more space is a bonus. And that’s where the positives end for me.

While it’s adequate as an ereader, Onyx hasn’t quite taken full advantage of that fabulous display because ghosting is still a problem on Boox devices, even though Amazon has seemingly found a way to completely eliminate this issue in its 2024 Kindles.

A book cover displayed on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Then there are the software and performance woes. To be fair to Onyx, my issue with the unlinked Fonts folder has been rectified – you no longer need to manually create a separate folder within the Storage tab to make third-party fonts work – but I ran into other issues instead.

For starters, while I can connect to my Google Drive account, during my testing, files couldn’t be transferred wirelessly as it wouldn't give me access to anything other than the existing Onyx folder from previous Boox devices. As a Mac user, I couldn’t even use a wired connection to move ebooks onto the Go 6 as only Windows machines register the Boox tablets as external devices and, despite OTG (USB on-the-go) support and the device reading my external hard drive, I still couldn’t move my files. Thank goodness for BooxDrop!

I will admit that the Boox Go 6 powers on or wakes up much quicker than any Kindle or Kobo I have tested (even the latest ones), but page turns are rather slow. I found that pages with images on them can take over a second to flip over. While most users won’t necessarily be reading graphic novels, comics or history books with image plates, it’s still sluggish compared to the competition. Even battery life is disappointing here.

I’m also quite miffed that Onyx has chosen to use Android 11 as the Go 6’s operating system when the other devices in this series run on Android 12. And while not really a deal breaker, there’s no waterproofing here either.

As much as I admire Onyx for churning out ereaders and writing tablets every few months, I think the company ought to slow down to perfect the performance of its ereaders. It seems to be able to do that for its writing tablets, so why not its basic reading devices too?

Cartoon swans and an elephant on the start-up screen of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: price & availability

Announced August 2024
List price: $149.99 / €169.99 / AU$279
Available now directly from the Boox Shop and select third-party retailers

Compared to Kindle or Kobo, Boox devices have always been a little on the expensive side. The Boox Go 6 is no exception, listed for $149.99 / €169.99 (about £143) / AU$279 at the time of writing. That’s significantly more than the equivalent Kindle or Kobo.

The Amazon Kindle (2024) costs $129.99 / £104.99 / AU$199 sans ads on the lock screen, although you only get 16GB of storage (half that of the Boox Go 6) and it uses the older E Ink Carta 1200 screen. On the other hand, the Kobo Clara BW – which also only comes with 16GB of storage – will set you back $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$239.95 at full price, but it boasts the E Ink Carta 1300 display and is IPX8-certified waterproof, which the Go 6 isn't. It also happens to be repairable.

In fact, the Boox Go 6 is only marginally cheaper than the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024), which costs $179.99 / £159.99 / AU$299 for the version without ads and 16GB of storage, but you get waterproofing and a larger Carta 1300 screen that has no performance issues.

• Value score: 3 / 5

A cartoon drawing of a sleeping rabbit on the sleep screen of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: specs

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: Design & display

Very sharp and clear 6-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display
Robust build quality with microSD card tray
Lacks waterproofing

The one thing I’ve always been impressed by is the design of the Boox devices – they all look premium, and the Boox Go 6 is no exception. Despite being made from plastic, the black chassis appears metallic on the front – something Amazon and Kobo ought to learn to do – and, despite being the same thickness as the 2024 base Kindle, it feels a lot more solid in the hand… and much more secure too. That doesn’t imply the rear panel is textured – it’s a matte finish compared to the shiny front, but it attracts every single fingerprint, far more than any other ereader I've had the joy of using. Thankfully Onyx makes an optional sleepcover (identical to the one used with the Onyx Boox Poke 5) to keep the body smudge-free.

The only embellishment on the Go 6 is the Boox branding on the front and rear. The former is in grey printed on the large lower bezel, while the latter is embossed black on black. The power button is on the right corner of the top edge, and you’ll find the USB-C port, microphone and microSD card tray on the bottom edge. There are no speakers here, like you’ll find on some other Boox devices and that’s a good thing – I’ve never found the sound to be nice enough to use anyway.

While it looks very much like the Boox Poke 5, it’s lighter at 146g compared to 160g, which also makes it a touch lighter than the latest edition of the base Kindle (158g) and the Kobo Clara BW (174g).

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The USB-C port, mic and card tray on the lower edge of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The power button on the top of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

This lightweight body houses what is arguably the best e-paper screen that E Ink (the company that supplies the displays to ereader makers) has made. And it makes reading a lovely experience. Everything is displayed sharp and clear, with very good contrast. However, compared to the Kindles released in 2024, ghosting remains a major problem on Boox devices, which tells me optimization isn't...well, optimal.

Like all current Boox devices, the frontlight is adjustable for both brightness and temperature. This makes the display comfortable to use in any environment, whether indoors or out, and even at night when yellow light can reduce eye strain.

Also like the Boox Poke 5, the Go 6 also misses out on any kind of waterproofing, which is a shame as it’s more expensive than the Kobo Clara BW, which does get you some security from accidental dunks in the kitchen sink, bath or pool. That said, waterproofing doesn’t seem to be too important to Onyx as even the Go Color 7 is listed as being just “splashproof” (with no rating provided).

• Design & display score: 4 / 5

Rear panel with embossed Boox branding on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — The rear panel looks good but it's a smudge magnet (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: Software

Runs Android 11 – other Go series devices run on Android 12
Slightly more streamlined UI than older Boox devices
AI Assistant app is superfluous

I have to hand it to Onyx for trying to simplify the user interface on the Boox Go 6. There are fewer customization options in Settings as compared to older Boox ereaders, which makes it a little easier to use. Despite that, if you’ve never used a Boox device before, you’ll likely still need a little time to wrap your head around some of the settings. Other important ones, though, like for the library, are still hidden away.

The initial setup is also annoyingly complicated when it really doesn’t need to be. While you just have to follow the on-screen instructions, there are too many pop-ups, and being asked to set up Gestures even before you log in is unnecessary. You’ll also need to accept Onyx’s user agreement and privacy policy twice before you can connect to your Wi-Fi network – surely once would do. I was even presented with the keyboard audio recording pop-up before the full setup was complete, not when I needed to use the keyboard for the first time. These little bits and bobs are useful, I understand, but can be set up later rather than at the startup process.

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The gesture settings on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The System Display settings on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

One thing I’m really pleased about is Onyx fixing one of the software issues that has plagued Boox devices from the start – having to create a new fonts folder within Storage to make third-party sideloaded fonts work. The existing Fonts folder has now been linked correctly and that extra step is no longer needed.

However, I’m surprised the company chose to use Android 11 as the OS, rather than the newer Android 12 that’s running on the other two Go series devices. Admittedly it’s a perfectly acceptable choice for an ereader's operating system, but disappointing nonetheless.

As with all Onyx devices, you can choose any of the five tabs as your home screen via System Display in the Settings tab: Library, Store, Storage, Apps or Settings. These are accessible at the bottom of the screen. Personally, I prefer Apps or Settings as my home screen as I find the library can tend to look a little messy, but that’s just me.

Apps is where you will find all the native applications, including a browser, the Google Play Store and the AI Assistant. While I find most of the apps useful, the last one is rather superfluous. You can use the built-in AI to write a short story or start a simple conversation, but I really found no need to use it on a basic ereader. In fact, I thought it was gimmicky on the Boox Go Color 7 too and I didn't take any advantage of it on the Go 10.3 either.

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The folders within the Storage tab of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — Onyx has fixed the issue with the fonts folder in Storage... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The Bookerly font within the Fonts folder of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — ..which is now correctly linked for third-party fonts (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The bookstore isn’t going to be much use to most readers as all you can find are classics and titles available in the public domain. However, you can purchase content via the browser or by installing the Kindle or Kobo apps, but then you will need to use the respective apps to read or listen to the content you purchase. These will not be added to the device’s library.

You will need to sideload titles if you want to use the native library application. Transferring files to the Go 6, in theory, can be done both wirelessly and via a USB-C cable plugged into your computer, although I ran into trouble in both cases. I’ve previously linked my Google Drive account to transfer files to the other Boox devices I've tested but, this time, although I could access Drive, it only presented me with my existing Onyx folder that had notes and files from older devices, nothing else. Even after moving my ebooks folder to within my existing Onyx subfolder within Drive, I was still unable to see it. Multiple restarts of the device didn't help, neither did a full factory reset. Which meant I couldn’t download any ebooks I had stored on the cloud. As a MacBook user, I’ve found that no Boox ereader gets registered, so there’s no way for me to use a wired connection either.

Applications within the Apps tab of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

There is OTG support here, which allows you to plug an external storage device directly into the Go 6 to access files. In my case, I tried both the Samsung T5 portable SSD and the T7 – while they registered as USB-C connected devices on the Go 6 and I can view the files, I was unable to transfer any of them, as has been the case previously on all other Boox tablets I've used.

I had to rely on Onyx’s own BooxDrop application, which allows me to use a web-based platform to ‘push’ files onto the ereaders for a wireless transfer. It’s not a bad way to do things, but when there are easier options, I’m saddened that bugs and software glitches don’t allow them to work as expected.

• Software score: 3 / 5

Ebook tiles within the library tab of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: User experience

Easier to use but unnecessarily complicated setup process
Screen could be better optimized
Can have issues with wired and cloud transfers

With software bugs still plaguing Boox ereaders, the user experience, for me personally, is far from smooth, even though reading on it is wonderful. As I’ve already mentioned, the lackluster user experience begins right at the start, thanks to an unnecessarily complicated setup process that could throw off first-time users. Both Amazon and Kobo do a much smoother job of getting users set up on their new devices, so I don’t know why Onyx can’t adopt a similar approach.

File transfers also shouldn’t be as difficult as I found them to be. Sure, BooxDrop works a charm, but using a wired connection can be quick. And with no Windows machine at my disposal to use a cable to transfer files, or with OTG never having worked for me on any Boox device with support, I was hoping to use Google Drive. While that has worked for me previously, I'm not sure what happened this time round. It could be an isolated issue, but a full factory reset didn't help, so I can't be so sure.

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Book tiles displayed in the library tab of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Onyx's Floating Toolbar in the libary app of the Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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A page of an ebook displayed on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Fixing the fonts folder problem was fabulous, but then I had to restart the Go 6 three times to get the sideloaded Bookerly font to work. These are little things, but they do clock up for a user.

That said, I can't emphasize how good the display is for reading. I think it's better than the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024), which uses the same screen. I compared them both side by side, with the same Bookerly font for the same page on the same page – the smaller screen with a tighter pixel density definitely works in the Go 6's favor. I even compared it right beside the Amazon Kindle (2024 release), with both books covers and text looking darker and sharper. However, it doesn't offer as much joy reading as the overall user experience isn't as good.

While the user interface isn’t as complicated as it used to be on older Boox devices, a learning curve is still required if you’ve never used one of Onyx’s ereaders before. More so because many important settings, like those for the library (NeoReader) app, are hidden away. They’ll require a tap or two more on the top of the screen when the app is in use to bring them up, and it’s not particularly intuitive. What I really like about the Boox library app is the Floating Toolbar that can be customized for functions you use the most.

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The same book cover displayed on the Onyx Boox Go 6 (left) and the 2024 Amazon Kindle (right) — The Boox Go 6 (left) has a better, higher contrast display than the 2024 Amazon Kindle (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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The same page of a book displayed on the Onyx Boox Go 6 (left) and the 2024 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite — The Boox Go 6 (left) displays the same page of the same ebook just as well as the 2024 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (right) (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Onyx really has the makings of a good ereader in the Boox Go 6, but until its user experience is refined and simplified, plus the software issues ironed out, it will be hard to recommend over a Kindle or a Kobo ereader.

• User experience score: 3 / 5

Onyx Boox Go 6 review: Performance

Ghosting is still a problem
Sluggish page turns
Middling battery life

When it comes to overall performance, the other two Go series devices are better devices than the Boox Go 6. I was critical about the Go Color 7 and loved the Go 10.3, but sadly the Go 6 disappoints in comparison and I’m struggling to find anything positive to say here.

Settings options within the native library app of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — Some important library settings are hidden away behind 2 taps on the screen (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Where the other two Go series tablets use the 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, the Go 6 has an older 2GHz octa-core CPU. That shouldn’t have been an issue on an ereader, as it really doesn’t need too much processing power, but is seems to have had an effect here.

Page turns are sluggish even when only a single title is open in the library app (the library can have several tabs open). During my testing, I found that ebooks with images are particularly slow, sometimes taking up to a second to load the next page. Those with only text, though, are quicker, although at an average of 500ms per turn, they are a touch slower than what I’ve experienced on the 2024 Kindles and Kobos.

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Evidence of ghosting on an image displayed on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — Images on the Boox Go 6 invariably have a ghosting problem... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Pages with images also suffer from significant ghosting, where a dim overlay of the previous page is visible. In fact, I encountered ghosting even when trying to sign into Google Drive when setting up the device. In comparison, the Go Color 7 was more impressive with a lot less ghosting, although this has been a major issue with other Boox devices I’ve tried.

In use, I’ve found third-party apps can crash often. Both the Kindle and the Kobo apps, while quick to open, can crash immediately after, or while in the middle of loading a title. That said, other apps like CPU X, which I have used on all three Go series tablets to determine certain specs, have worked just fine.

A hand holding the Onyx Boox Go 6 showing a page with image displayed — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Another disappointment is the battery life. While it uses the same 1,500mAh capacity as the Boox Poke 5, the drain on the Go 6 is a lot more than the former. I found that the battery level drops 1% every couple of minutes when the display is on, but not being used (meaning, no titles are being read or any apps in use), which does seem excessive. And this is with the screen light set at low levels. When in use, the drain on the battery increases slightly, with about 3% to 4% dropping every couple of minutes.

That means I got no more than 2 weeks of use, reading for about 30 minutes per day with the brightness set to a low level and the system’s refresh rate set to per 5 taps. Wi-Fi, though, was always on, as was Bluetooth. Switching them off didn’t make too much of a difference during my testing. As a point of comparison, the Kobo Clara BW also uses a 1,500mAh battery and gave me about 4 weeks of use on a single charge, as did the Boox Poke 5.

Top-up time for the battery, however, is quick. Connected to a 67W wall charger via a good quality USB-C to C cable raised battery levels from 4% to 56% in 45 minutes. It was fully topped up in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course, charging time will be much longer if you use your computer or one of the best power banks to top up the Go 6, but if that isn’t much of an issue, I’d say the battery charging times of this ereader is the best I've encountered.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

The Boox branding on the lower bezel of the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go 6?

Buy it if...

You want a very portable ereader indeed
As one of the lightest ereaders I’ve tested, the 6-inch Boox Go 6 will pop into a jacket pocket easily enough or slip into any bag.

You want plenty of storage
If you’re an avid reader, the 32GB onboard storage will serve you well. And if even that is too little, you can always use a microSD card to expand it further. While Onyx hasn’t specified the maximum storage capacity for the card tray, previous Boox devices have been able to manage up to 1TB.

You have an existing library of ebooks and audiobooks
Given the built-in bookstore isn’t ideal, the best use case for Boox ereaders would be to sideload your own existing library you’ve purchased from elsewhere. Or you use the Kindle or Kobo apps on the device. And given the amount of storage you can get, you can carry around thousands of titles with you everywhere.

Don't buy it if...

You want an easy-to-use basic ereader
It’s not bad, but given the user interface isn’t the most intuitive there is, first-time users might have a hard time getting to grips with the Go 6, or any other Boox ereader. If it’s a simple reading device you want, consider a 6-inch Kindle or Kobo and they’ll be cheaper too.

You need top performance
There are too many little software issues and performance problems with the Go 6. If you want a smoother reading experience, you’d be better off looking at Amazon's ereaders or a Kobo.

You’re already part of the Amazon or Kobo ecosystems
If you’ve used either a Kindle or Kobo ereader before and are looking for an upgrade, you might be better off sticking to your already-chosen brand, particularly if you’ve got subscriptions to Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus.

Also consider

I’d be very surprised if you’d consider opting for the Boox Go 6 after reading my review, but if you are keen on a new ereader, the three options listed below would serve you better. I’ve also included another Boox device that I think is worth considering if you want don't want to get caught up within either Amazon's or Kobo's ecosystems.

Kobo Clara BW
Arguably the best 6-inch entry-level ereader on the market, the Kobo Clara BW not only takes full advantage of the E Ink Carta 1300 display, but has no performance issues at all. And, unlike other entry-level ereaders, it’s actually got IPX8 waterproofing.
Read my full Kobo Clara BW review to learn more

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
For a little extra cash, you'll get a much smoother user experience, the same screen but larger at 7 inches, and a bookstore that will keep you reading lifelong and still not let you finish scratching the surface.
Read my in-depth Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024) review

Onyx Boox Page
It might still have a relatively complicated user interface, but if you want a Boox ereader specifically, I'd recommend the Page. With physical page-turn buttons, it's ergonomic. It's also got far fewer software issues – at least it did when I tested it – than the Go 6. It's the older Carta 1200 screen but it's 7 inches, but these advantages will cost you more.
Learn more in my full Onyx Boox Page review

How I tested the Onyx Boox Go 6

Used as a daily ereader for about 6 weeks
Sideloaded books, music, image files and more via BooxDrop
Changed settings to test battery life for different scenarios
Downloaded different third-party apps via the Play Store

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The Onyx Boox Go 6 with its open sleep case — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

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Onyx branding on the startup screen on the Onyx Boox Go 6 — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

While I usually sign into my existing Onyx account to sync files across devices, I took a different tack with the Boox Go 6. I set it up as a new device first, then signed into my Google account to access Drive and the Play Store. While I could use both, the former only gave me access to my Onyx folder that had notes and PDF files from other Boox writing tablets, but wouldn’t allow me access to any other folder I had (like my ebooks), and that’s despite moving my book collection into the Onyx folder. Instead, I used BooxDrop to transfer ebooks, music files and some photos to the Go 6.

As for third-party apps, I downloaded CPU X to determine what hardware was under the hood of the Go 6, as well as the Kindle and Kobo apps to access my existing library on the respective platforms.

I used NeoLibrary to read the sideloaded ebooks, used the native music player to listen to the audio files and, out of curiosity, opened the photos I had transferred in the Gallery application to see what they looked like.

I read on the Go 6 for about 30 minutes to an hour each day during the trial period, although there were a few days when I exceeded 2 hours of reading. I kept an eye on the battery life as I use it, and also altered brightness settings to see how it affected battery drain.

While I didn’t use the AI Assistant app on the Go 6, my previous experience on the Go Color 7 wasn’t particularly good enough for me to want to try it again. Moreover, I found no need to use an AI for anything while I was reading, especially since the Go 6 is more an entry-level ereader rather than an advanced one like the Boox Note series.