The RedMagic 10 Air runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which isn’t Qualcomm’s latest chip, but it offers tremendous power nonetheless. The 10 Air is available in two configurations: 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage ($549) or 16GB/512GB ($699). Redmagic sent me the latter for review. The black and white models are offered in both memory and storage configurations, while the Flame variant is available only with 16GB/512GB.

The phone employs RedMagic’s ICE-X cooling system, which includes nine layers of thermal materials and “liquid metal” to aid heat dissipation. In testing, it never got hot, even under the heaviest gaming loads.

( Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)

In Geekbench 6, which measures raw CPU power, the 10 Air scored 2,242 in the single-core test and 7,159 in the multi-core test. That puts it notably behind the 10 Pro (3,029 and 9,361), but ahead of the Pixel 9a (1,704 and 4,425).

On the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which gauges general mobile performance, the 10 Air earned 18,228, again trailing the 10 Pro (24,778) but placing well ahead of the Pixel 9a (12,857).

To assess graphics performance, we use the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test. The 10 Air reached 60fps, matching the 10 Pro while falling just behind the Pixel 9a’s 68fps.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

To measure real-world gaming performance, we test with the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. The 10 Air ran the game beautifully with fluid animations and detailed images, even at the highest graphics settings at 60fps. After a 20-minute gaming session, the back of the phone maintained a comfortable temperature.

The Air’s two capacitive shoulder triggers are especially handy for fast-paced games. Each trigger supports a 520Hz touch sampling rate, so presses register quickly. You can configure them individually per game or choose not to use them at all.