Tech Blog #287 | RedMagic 12 Pro+: This Gaming Phone Is Taking Cooling to Another Level

The RedMagic 12 Pro+ shows that RedMagic is still not interested in making ordinary flagship phones. While most #smartphone brands are busy improving their cameras, adding AI features and making their phones thinner, #RedMagic is focusing on gaming performance, cooling and battery life. The new model brings a 185Hz display, a powerful Snapdragon chipset and an RGB liquid-cooling system that looks like something taken from a gaming PC.

The interesting thing is that RedMagic has not focused on just one feature. Almost everything about this phone is designed for gaming. You get dedicated shoulder triggers, an internal cooling fan, a huge battery, bypass charging and a headphone jack. It may not be the best phone for everyone, but for serious mobile gamers, this could be one of the most interesting releases of 2026.

The design is still very much a gaming phone design. The transparent-style back, circular RGB cooling module and gaming-focused appearance make it look different from regular flagships. The RGB lighting can also react to what is happening in supported games, giving the phone a more personalised gaming look. Despite all this hardware, it is only 8.55mm thick and weighs around 223g. That is quite impressive for a phone with an 8,400mAh battery and an active cooling system. It also has IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance.

The display is one of its biggest selling points. The RedMagic 12 Pro+ comes with a 6.85-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of #185Hz. The extremely thin 0.96mm bezels make the screen look almost edge-to-edge, while the under-display selfie camera means there is no punch-hole disturbing the viewing experience. This is especially nice for gaming and watching movies. The display can reach 1,900 nits in high-brightness mode, with a claimed peak of 5,000 nits under specific conditions. However, the 185Hz refresh rate will be most useful in supported games, rather than making every game run at that speed.

Performance should be another major strength. The phone uses Qualcomm's #Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, paired with RedCore R5, a dedicated gaming chip. It comes with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 Pro storage in the standard configurations. This hardware should be more than powerful enough for demanding games, high graphics settings and heavy multitasking. The RedCore R5 also helps with features such as ray tracing, 2K upscaling and frame interpolation in supported games. RedMagic is even improving its PC emulator, allowing users to access Steam and run compatible games from their PC library. Compatibility will vary, though, so it should not be treated as a replacement for a gaming PC.

But the biggest talking point is the cooling system. RedMagic has introduced a dual-loop liquid-cooling setup with RGB lighting built into the circular module on the back. The liquid-cooling micro-pump is claimed to be 85% more powerful than the one in the previous generation, while using as little as 20mW of power. This works together with a fan spinning at up to 25,500 RPM, a vapor chamber, graphene materials and liquid metal. The goal is to move heat away from the processor and battery more effectively, helping the phone maintain high performance during long gaming sessions. Of course, the real benefit will depend on independent thermal testing, but this is certainly more ambitious than the cooling systems found in most smartphones.

Gaming controls are another reason to consider this phone. The capacitive shoulder triggers have a 700Hz touch response, giving players additional controls without covering the display with their fingers. They can be especially useful in shooting games and racing titles. Bypass charging is also available, allowing the phone to draw power directly during supported gaming sessions instead of charging the battery continuously. This can help reduce battery heating while playing. Add the stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, X-axis linear motor and 3.5mm headphone jack, and the RedMagic 12 Pro+ looks like a device designed by people who understand what mobile gamers want.

Battery life should be excellent thanks to the massive 8,400mAh battery. This is a very large capacity for a high-performance smartphone, especially considering the phone is still relatively slim. It supports 120W wired charging and 80W wireless charging, along with 22.5W reverse wired charging. The large battery should provide plenty of gaming time, although the 185Hz screen, powerful processor and cooling fan can consume more power when everything is running at full speed. We will need proper battery testing to know how much endurance users can expect during demanding games. 

The cameras are not the main focus, but the setup is more respectable than you might expect from a gaming phone. The rear system includes a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The main camera should be useful for everyday photos, while the ultrawide gives more flexibility for landscapes and group shots. There is also a 16MP under-display selfie camera. The advantage is a completely uninterrupted screen, but under-display cameras usually have to make some image-quality compromises. So, I would not expect this phone to compete with the best camera flagships, especially for selfies and low-light photography.

The phone runs Android 17 with RedMagic OS 12. It includes gaming tools for managing performance, controls, lighting and other settings. Connectivity is also strong, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, an infrared blaster and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with DisplayPort output. However, gaming-focused software can sometimes feel less polished than the interfaces from Samsung or Google. RedMagic will need to provide good software updates and keep unnecessary apps under control if it wants this phone to work well as an everyday device, not just a gaming machine.

There are still a few drawbacks:

• The camera system is not as versatile as those on premium camera-focused flagships.
• The 185Hz refresh rate will not be fully useful in every game.
• The built-in fan can produce noise when running at high speed.
• The under-display selfie camera may deliver weaker image quality than a conventional front camera.
• RedMagic OS may not feel as polished as Samsung's One UI or Google's Pixel software.
• The large battery and gaming hardware still make this a relatively heavy phone.
• Long-term software support and sustained gaming performance need proper testing.
• The announced Chinese price may not reflect the final global price.

The RedMagic 12 Pro+ starts at CNY 6,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage version. The 16GB/512GB model costs CNY 7,999, while the 16GB/1TB version costs CNY 8,999. There is also a special Golden Saga edition with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage, although its full details are still to be announced. These are Chinese prices, so international buyers should wait for the official global pricing before judging its value. RedMagic has confirmed that the international version will launch as the RedMagic 12 Pro, with global specifications, pricing and availability expected to be announced on November 3, 2026.

Overall, the RedMagic 12 Pro+ looks like a serious upgrade for people who want the best possible gaming experience from a smartphone. The 185Hz AMOLED screen, powerful processor, advanced cooling system, shoulder triggers and massive battery make it stand out from ordinary flagship phones. The fact that it still includes a headphone jack and proper bypass charging is also good to see.

However, I would not recommend buying it just because it has the highest refresh rate or the most impressive cooling specifications. Most casual gamers do not need this level of hardware, and people who care more about photography, software polish or long-term updates may find better options elsewhere. The real test will be whether the cooling system can maintain high performance without excessive fan noise and whether the software remains smooth in daily use.

For serious mobile gamers, the RedMagic 12 Pro+ could be one of the most exciting phones of 2026. It is not trying to be the best phone at everything. Instead, it is trying to give gamers a more complete experience, with fewer compromises in performance, cooling and battery life. And that is exactly what makes it interesting.