Gaming

ZTE Nubia Red Magic hands-on: A stylish gaming phone

One look and you know it’s a gaming phone

Published

August 10, 2018

Daniel Morial

Not all smartphone manufacturers create a gaming phone. Technically, flagship smartphones with top specs are ideal for gaming but they lack the appeal and design. When Razer announced their own phone, it was true to its Razer branding but lacked the RGB lighting we’ve known from PC gaming peripherals.

Good thing there’s the Red Magic from Nubia (a ZTE sub-brand in China) and it’s built for gaming, without the exaggerated looks of the ROG Phone from ASUS.

I spent a few days with the Red Magic and here’s my hands-on.

It looks like a true gaming smartphone

The Red Magic practically screams “extreme gamer” due to its sharp, hexagonal cutouts, red vents and details, and the glowing LED strip on the back.

However, it’s still your usual premium Android device with a 6-inch Full HD+ display. It’s got an 18:9 aspect ratio and, thankfully, there’s no notch that’ll get in the way when playing games.

The top and bottom bezels are not as thin as the Galaxy S9’s, so there’s still some room for your thumb on the side when holding the phone in landscape with two hands.

Overall, the phone feels really solid thanks to its aluminum unibody, but to make things a bit special and more gaming-focused, the back of Red Magic is a bit curved making it comfortable in my hands.

On the side, it has what they call the “Compete Button” which reminds me of the alert slider on OnePlus’ phones. Instead of shushing notification sounds though, Red Magic’s slider puts the phone in tip-top performance. This is useful when you’re about to play a game.

The Compete Button not only improves the phone’s performance, but it also triggers some settings like blocking app notifications to avoid unnecessary pop-ups while playing. You can also set it to block the virtual navigation button from showing up accidentally.

Most importantly, the Compete Button activates the RGB LED strip at the back. It’s a visual cue showing that the Red Magic is ready to take on the challenge. The LED strip has four preset effects: Skyline, Rainbow Ribbon, Laserwave, and Voice Controlled.

It’s fun to play around with the effects, but my personal favorite is the Voice Controlled option. Well, it’s not exactly based on your own voice but rather with the audio of the game you’re playing.

The light strip also acts as notification light if you wish. Just be sure to lay the phone flat on a table so you won’t miss it.

The rear of the phone is quite intriguing but also distinct. There are four red lines on the corners which I first thought are all speakers. But, only one of them is the actual loudspeaker and it’s the one at the lower left. Even though it’s a mono back-firing speaker, it’s loud and has good bass.

When it comes to power, the Red Magic is not lacking but it could have had a better processor. The phone sports last year’s Snapdragon 835 processor which is a step down compared to this year’s flagship phones. At least it’s paired with 8GB of memory and 128GB of internal storage.

The Snapdragon 835 is still a capable processor with the Adreno 540 GPU. I managed to play a number of games on the Red Magic, and the device was able to handle them like magic. PUBG ran smoothly with the highest settings and the new Asphalt 9: Legends was flawless and stunning on the screen.

The Red Magic was even the best-performing Snapdragon 835-powered phone on AnTuTu’s list. It managed to be in the top ten of the most powerful Android phones last June which is dominated by phones with Snapdragon 845 processor.

Does it have good cameras?

A gaming phone still needs cameras. There’s a 24-megapixel f/1.7 rear shooter which takes good-looking photos. Thanks to the large aperture of the camera’s lens, it can take great photos even in low-light.

Here are some samples:

It might not be the best camera phone around, but that’s not the focus of the Red Magic. It lacks a secondary sensor for bokeh or other effects, but the camera launcher has a couple of modes you can play with including manual shooting. For selfies, there’s an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Is this you GadgetMatch?

Hard to tell if the phone will impress mobile gaming enthusiasts out there, but the design of Nubia Red Magic is certainly a head-turner. The red accents might be too common in the world of gaming, but the unique RGB LED strip at the back sure gives its own persona.

The Nubia Red Magic is available in China starting at CNY 2,499 for the base variant with 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage. The high-end version I have here with 8GB of memory and 128GB storage is priced at CNY 2,999. In the US, it’s priced at US$ 399 through Indigogo but the funding project is already closed.

Gaming

How to change your Nintendo eShop region

Hint: You can’t find it on your Switch.

Published

November 11, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

With Nintendo finally opening the eShop and Nintendo Switch Online in the Philippines, you might be wondering how you can switch your account’s region to the right country. After all, before today, you might have set your shop to the neighboring Singapore or other countries that aren’t named the Philippines. If you’re in the same boat, here’s a quick how-to, so you can enjoy paying for services in Philippine peso.

First, you need to log into your Nintendo Account. Take note: you can do this only through their website via a browser, so don’t fiddle around with your Switch or Switch 2 just yet.

Upon logging in, you’ll be redirected immediately to your profile’s information, including your country or region of residence. Just click Edit and select your desired country in the drop-down menu.

Nintendo will then present you a few notices regarding changing your region. The important bit is that you can’t carry over your account balance to the next region. So, if you have a hefty sum tucked away in your current region, it might be wise to spend it before switching. Likewise, your credit card might not work if it was issued from the current region.

Once you agree to the terms, everything’s set!

All you need to do is access the eShop on your console and sign in again. Afterwards, the corresponding services should be in your currency of choice.

For a list of detailed changes and prices, check out our coverage here.

Gaming

ICYMI: PKL 2026 belongs to BOOM Esports

Crowning the present and the future

Published

November 11, 2026

Gab Orlina

Another Esports calendar in the Philippines wrapped up nicely this past weekend, only from the other side of the MMORPGs. At the Samsung Hall in SM Aura last November 9, the fourth installment of the Honor of Kings official Philippine league came to its exciting conclusion as four teams entered with rich prizes up for grabs. Here’s what went down on the final day of the Philippines Kings League Fall 2026:

Early in the afternoon, the third split of the Kings Campus Series crowned a new champion hailing all the way down from Cebu. In a thriller of a five-game series, the University of Cebu Webmasters took down the University of Sto. Tomas Teletigers Helios, 3-2, and took home the grand prize of Php 140,000. From start to finish, both teams exchanged heart-stopping plays and showed excellent flashes of teamwork that brought the series to a decider.

In the evening, the culmination of the PKL for 2026 took place with the Fall 2026 Grand Finals between the reigning champions in BOOM Esports against JGames Esports. Last November 8, JGames earned a place in their first ever Grand Finals after besting TNT Tropang Alab in a full best-of-seven series. However, even with all the momentum coming from their run in the Lower Bracket, JGames would only settle for 2nd as Boom Esports dominated the matchup, 4-1 and became the first back-to-back champions of the PKL.

The night capped off with a showcase of the three Philippine representatives to the Honor of Kings International Championships in Jakarta this December.

Gaming

GTA VI pre-loading now available on PS5, Xbox

Get ready for Leonida

Published

November 10, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Players who digitally pre-ordered Grand Theft Auto VI can now pre-load the game ahead of its launch.

Rockstar Games confirmed that pre-loading is available to all digital pre-order customers. Those who purchased the code-in-box version can also begin downloading once they receive and activate their codes.

The announcement also reveals new performance details for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

GTA VI targets 30fps on consoles

Rockstar says Grand Theft Auto VI was built from the ground up for the current generation of consoles.

The game targets 30 frames per second on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

According to Rockstar, this approach allows the game to maintain the visual fidelity and density of Leonida’s environments.

The developer says it is pushing both platforms to their limits to bring the game’s expansive world to life.

PS5 Pro gets exclusive visual enhancements

PlayStation 5 Pro players can expect additional graphical improvements.

These include enhanced image clarity through PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and ray-traced shadows exclusive to the PS5 Pro.

The PS5 version also features integrated DualSense haptic feedback, with adjustable settings for accessibility.

Rockstar is also highlighting improved spatial audio through Tempest 3D Audio and faster loading times on PlayStation consoles.

Cloud gaming and Remote Play support

Grand Theft Auto VI will also be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

The cloud version will use Xbox Series S graphics settings. However, performance may vary depending on internet speeds and other streaming conditions.

The game will also support Remote Play on both PlayStation and Xbox.

Alongside the announcement, Rockstar released a new video featuring “Blood in Your Eyes” by Tove Lo, taken from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.

Players can visit the official GTA VI website for more information.