These four features make the Redmagic 11 Air a beast of a gaming phone
Since ASUS no longer makes phones, the Redmagic is the only phone brand left, and to its credit, it does all the right things. I used the Redmagic 11 Pro when it launched, and the addition of liquid cooling gave the device that little extra that gaming phones always need, and it was a gaming powerhouse.
Now there is Redmagic 11 Air; I still think it’s interesting that the brand chose the Air moniker for a phone that weighs 207g and has a 6.85-inch panel and a large 7,000mAh battery, but hey, at least it’s lighter than the 230g 11 Pro. As you can imagine from Redmagic, the 11 Air has top-notch internals and a whole load of extras designed to make the most of mobile gaming. After using the phone for two weeks, I am convinced that this is a good gaming phone, and if anything, I prefer it to the 11 Pro – I focus on four areas where the Redmagic 11 Air stands out.
Large AMOLED panel with no visible cutout
Redmagic went with the same 6.85-inch OLED panel as the 11 Pro, and this is definitely a good phone. Although it’s bigger than most screens you see today, Redmagic has done a great job making sure the bezels are small, so the device itself isn’t as big or wide as other flagships. If anything, it matches the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and while it still looks like a brick, the simple design makes a difference in everyday use.
What I like most about the OLED panel is that there are no cutouts, so you get a screen that won’t be marred by the front camera or any other distractions. This makes playing games or watching multimedia on the 11 Air very enjoyable, and I don’t see why other brands don’t follow suit.
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The color vibrancy of the OLED panel is in line with the best Android phones, and you don’t miss out on any extras – you even get a decent amount of customization when it comes to adjusting the colors to your preferences. The Redmagic has an eye-comfort mode too, and there’s also a dedicated reading mode that turns the panel into monochrome, making it a great choice for reading books.
But while playing that the panel on the 11 Air really shines; thanks to 144fps in selected games coupled with the lack of a visual shortcut, the phone is much better for gaming than other devices.
An interior you can count on — and a battery that won’t die
I get that Redmagic went with the Snapdragon 8 Elite instead of the 8 Elite Gen 5, and you know what? I didn’t notice any difference. Last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is still a great chipset, and it holds up well in demanding games – I didn’t experience any stuttering or lag in the dozen or so games I tested on the Redmagic 11 Air.
If anything, going with last year’s platform means that Redmagic has managed to avoid the hottest issues to some extent. The phone is still hot, but not quite like the devices powered by the 8 Elite Gen 5. Also, there is friction and extended play, and again, it is consistent with what I see in other phones using the same silicon.
Some hardware components are large in their own right; the device gets 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM as standard, and comes with 256GB of UFS 4.1 storage. Snapdragon Sound is unchanged, and you get a 7,000mAh battery that lasts a day even with heavy use.
All the game extras you want
Like all its other gaming phones, the Redmagic 11 Air gets a dedicated Game Space that lets you customize the hardware and settings for individual games. It certainly makes a difference, and the ability to tune the settings on a per-game basis is great.
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Also, while the list of titles that allow 144fps games is still very limited, it’s good to see that there are a few games that allow you to take full advantage of the OLED panel, and there are plenty of titles available at 120fps. While it doesn’t technically make a difference to gaming in general, it’s great to see the RGB lighting on the back of the device.
Although Redmagic makes a big deal on the built-in cooling fan, I don’t see it making a noticeable difference while gaming. Look, it’s quite novel to have active cooling, but it doesn’t do much to prevent leaks.
A gaming phone that doesn’t break the bank
Coming in at $499, the Redmagic 11 Air costs $200 less than its sibling, and I really see no reason why you should buy any other gaming phone in 2026. The low cost makes it a better choice than anything else in this category, and even if you’re not a gamer, the quality of hardware you’re getting makes this a great deal.
Sure, the phone has mediocre cameras, and while you’ll get great photos most of the time, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Pixel 10a or any other mid-range monitor in this area. Other than that though, there isn’t much missing from the phone; you get powerful internals, a beautiful AMOLED panel, and a few extra gaming extras that make the difference.
Honestly, this is what I wanted ASUS to do with its gaming phones, and I’m glad Redmagic is carrying that baton forward.
It may not have the latest silicon, but that doesn’t really matter – the Redmagic 11 Air hits the mark, and it’s my recommendation if you need a gaming phone in 2026.
