Forget the iPad mini — this 9-inch OLED Android tablet is way better for gaming

There's been a hole in my life ever since I finally said goodbye to my aging iPad mini several years ago. In my mind, Apple's smallest iPad is one of the best tablets out there, but the arrival of the RedMagic Astra this month has given me pause. What's on offer is pretty simple: a compact Android tablet running the latest and greatest chipset designed for a supreme gaming experience.

While I'm not a massive mobile gamer, I've always appreciated that the iPad mini 7 didn't compromise on power even though it was smaller than its bigger brethren. The same is true here. RedMagic has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into this device thanks to a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a stunning OLED screen, active cooling, fast charging and a slick design.

Space is at a premium in my everyday carry, and I'm not quite willing to pony up for one of the best foldable phones, no matter how slim the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is. That leaves me looking for that Goldilocks device; a tablet larger than a phone but not as big as a hybrid, that doesn't compromise on power and has a few unique tricks up its sleeve. And after having used it for a couple of weeks, I think the RedMagic Astra delivers on all fronts. Let me tell you how...

RedMagic Astra: Specs

Redmagic Astra: Price and availability

The Redmagic Astra comes in three different configurations with pricing to match. The entry-level price for both the Eclipse (black) and Starfrost (silver) versions gets you 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage for $699 / £499.

If you opt for 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, that pricing increases to $799 / £699.

And if you push up to 24GB RAM and 1TB storage, the cost goes up to $949 / £879. Just note: only the Eclipse colorway is available in this configuration.

Those prices are a little on the high side and put this above the level of a casual purchase. For example, the entry-level price is actually higher than the $499 starting price for the iPad mini 7. It's true that Apple's tablet has half the storage for that price, but still — if you want a small tablet on a budget, then Apple actually has the edge here.

However, Apple's pricing increases to $799 if you want 512GB of storage on the iPad mini 7, so once you start getting into the higher configurations, you're getting better value from Redmagic.

Perhaps a more realistic comparison is Lenovo's Legion Tab, another 8-inch tablet with a gaming focus that also starts at $549, albeit with an older chipset and an LCD screen rather than an OLED one.

Another recent Android tablet to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is the OnePlus Pad 3, which commands a £599 / $699 price for its 16GB RAM and 512GB configuration — but that's also got a larger 13.2-inch screen.

RedMagic Astra: Design

Gaming devices can be somewhat divisive when it comes to design, but I think most people would be hard-pressed to find fault with the RedMagic Astra. Bezels around the front of the device are kept to a minimum, thanks to the 90.1% screen-to-body ratio, while the back is pretty understated.

First up, I'm not sure I can remember the last time I used a tablet (or phone) without a camera bump. Seriously, it's been that long. The Astra is completely flush across the back, which means you can slide it in and out of a backpack, prop it up on a stand or even attach it to a telescopic controller without any resistance.

The aluminum frame has rounded corners and measures a pitch-perfect 7.3mm thick — enough to give you something to grip onto without being too chunky. The power button sits on the left edge naturally, where your index finger rests while holding it in landscape mode, and doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. The Astra's USB-C port is across from it on the right edge. Up top is the volume rocker and RedMagic's metallic red slider that toggles on its Game Space launcher — more on that later.

I'm not quite sure why RedMagic decided to put the USB-C on the right-hand side — it's too far up to use in a telescopic controller, and because it's not on the bottom, you can't easily attach it to a dock or charging station.

Whether you opt for the Starfrost or Eclipse color, you get a soft matte finish on the back that looks awesome. It dulls those pesky reflections you get with a glossy finish, although this slate still isn't immune to fingerprint smudges.

Aside from the single RedMagic logo in the middle of the chassis, there's a rectangular glass window running along the top that gives you a glimpse of a PCB-stylised graphic with gold stamps for the Snapdragon 8 Elite logo, as well as highlighting the vapor chamber and "composite liquid metal" build.

There's also the RedMagic logo written out in font, which you can set to pulse with light in the tablet's settings. You can also illuminate the ring around the camera lens.

These small bits of RGB lighting let you subtly know it's a gaming machine and they can be set for additional functionality, like working with an alarm or indicating a charging process.

The RedMagic Astra is rated IP54 waterproof, which means it'll survive the odd splash if you want to take your gaming session outside in the rain or into the shower — but it's not going to survive being fully submerged.

One small gripe I have about the design is that the speaker vents are placed on the left and right below the power button and USB-C port. This means that when you're gripping the tablet in landscape mode, your palms can muffle the output and spoil the audio quality. Given the relative size of the device, I'm not sure where else you would locate the speakers, but if the power button and USB-C port had been shifted to the top and bottom, respectively, RedMagic may have been able to shift the speaker grilles further up and alleviate the problem.

All told, though, I'm a real fan of the RedMagic Astra design. It leans just enough into a premium, gamer sci-fi vibe to be recognized as a premium tablet without being garish. Meanwhile, the heft (370g) and proportions — about the same as a Moleskine notebook at 134.2mm (H) x 207mm (W) x 6.9mm (D) — are just right to slip into my rucksack without making a nuisance.

RedMagic Astra: Display

If the design around back is cool, then the RedMagic Astra's display is ice cold — and probably one of the best reasons I have to recommend this device. Not just to anyone wanting a gaming machine, but anyone wanting a small, powerful tablet, period.

You get a full-on OLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits of peak brightness. It's absolutely popping with vibrancy and contrast in games like Call of Duty: Mobile or Genshin Impact, and it's really impressive.

The 2,400 x 1,504 pixel resolution is more than enough on the Astra's 9.06-inch screen (with a 16:10 aspect ratio), and if you want to switch off the games and enjoy one of the best streaming shows, it's just as good. It doesn't support HDR on services like Netflix, but to my eye, the contrast on those deep blacks still looked fantastic.

RedMagic Astra: Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset has made itself at home in a number of the best Android phones, but is still relatively rare in tablets. The RedMagic Astra has the regular version of the chip without an overclocked CPU. I was able to comfortably run Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, FC Mobile, Command & Conquer: Rivals and Horizon Chase with the Astra set to 165Hz, and it was the best gaming experience I've ever had on a tablet.

From loading up and navigating through menus to actual gameplay, the experience was fluid and responsive without a hint of stutter or lag. I'm no fan of touchscreen gaming, but the response rate — to my untrained fingers — was sublime.

There's an active cooling system and the vapor chamber inside the RedMagic Astra, and the fan will start up under aggressive conditions to try and keep the thing cool. You can hear it whirring away if you put your ear to the back of the device, but otherwise it won't spoil your gaming session, and it succeeds in keeping the tablet cool throughout even the most demanding games.

Running the Astra through a series of benchmarks just confirms the inevitable; this device blows its competition away when it comes to sheer grunt. It scored higher than the OnePlus Pad 3 on single-core Geekbench score and narrowly lost out on multi-core. Meanwhile, it swatted away Apple's M3 iPad Air without breaking a sweat. You can see the full results in the table below.

The basic RedMagic Astra comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, while the higher-spec model I've been using has 16GB RAM with 512GB onboard memory. If you really want to go overboard, you can pick this tablet up with 24GB of RAM and a massive 1TB of storage.

Most people won't need that, but if you've got deep pockets (read: $899) and want a device for the long haul, you may be interested.

RedMagic Astra: Battery and charging

Battery life is something you usually have to sacrifice with smaller devices, but the Astra does a commendable job when it comes to staying power. Tucked inside that stylized matte casing is an 8,200mAh battery that RedMagic quotes will give you around 5.5 hours of gameplay at full frame rate or 5.3 hours of gameplay whilst livestreaming.

If you want to use it for movies, RedMagic claims you'll get 33 hours of continuous playback before it dies.

In more day-to-day usage, you're going to get somewhere in between those two extremes. I fired the RedMagic Astra up at 9am and used it continuously until 6pm for streaming video, playing music, browsing the web and playing some games. All of which with the screen at full brightness and locked to 165Hz.

I took a break for a few hours at 6pm, but came back to it for another two hours later in the evening for a little more YouTube and gaming with a Bluetooth controller attached. Even after nearly 12 hours, I still had a quarter of its available charge left. That's pretty good considering my colleague Tony took a similar approach with the iPad mini 7 and landed on 10 hours and 34 minutes before that device died.

As you'd expect, the Astra supports 80W charging and will charge to full in 71 minutes when connected to a compatible charging brick. You just need to be aware that RedMagic doesn't ship the device with its own charger.

Part of the reason RedMagic says the Astra can last this long is due to its "Liquid Metal" technology. The company says it used an indium-based alloy formed mostly from potassium to create a solid piece of metal with strong thermal conductivity. Placing this directly over the CPU lowers the chip's temperature by up to 5°C and improves the overall thermal performance and, by extension, efficiency.

RedMagic Astra: Software

There's some good and some bad when it comes to the software side of things here. Bad stuff first; this tablet comes pre-loaded with the kind of bloat I assumed was a thing of the past, but is sadly all too common with Chinese manufacturers. Thankfully, much of it can be uninstalled swiftly, but it's still a laborious process that takes some of the sheen off firing up a brand-new tablet.

Similarly, I noticed a particular quirk when I was scrolling through my email inbox, and the messages were all layered on top of each other into a blurry mess. I fixed the issue by forcibly locking the screen to 65Hz and reloading the app. It hasn't happened before, but I wouldn't be surprised if I run into a few other glitches here and there.

Thankfully, the RedMagic Astra keeps things mostly to stock Android 15 with a few tweaks added by the company's RedMagic OS 10.5 skin. You get some extra options like the aforementioned RGB lighting on the back of the device, around the camera lens and the company's logo. Alongside the aforementioned bloatware, there's also some AI gimmicks like "RedMagic Translation" that offers you real-time voice translation on voice content. Finally, there's an app sidebar you can call up at any time by swiping in from the side of the screen and holding for a few seconds. This displays your recently or most-used apps and can be handy.

One thing I would have liked to see is a real multitasking solution akin to OnePlus' Canvas feature. The RedMagic Astra is more than powerful enough to run a bunch of apps simultaneously, so (even on a small screen) not having software take advantage of this seems like a missed opportunity.

But when the rubber meets the road, this is a gaming device, so the star of the show is RedMagic's Game Space — activated via a slide of the metallic red toggle on top.

This transports you (through a fancy, lightspeed-esque graphic) into a game launcher where you can find all your games as well as quick settings for CPU and GPU performance.

And you can tweak the settings for each individual game. It's a simple procedure to toggle superior performance for a demanding game like Genshin Impact while easing back on the throttle for something simple like your next round at Solitaire.

RedMagic Astra review: Verdict

The RedMagic Astra is a certified contender for the best gaming tablet you can buy, thanks to the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and a jaw-dropping OLED 165Hz screen. It doesn't come cheap, but then considering the hardware and specs you're getting for the price, there's a whole lot of value on offer here.

Are there some drawbacks? Of course. There's no 5G cellular option for a start, and whilst the hardware and battery will last you a good few years, the same can't be said for the software. RedMagic has committed to three years of software updates (including one major Android update), which isn't good enough in an age where Samsung is supporting its phones for seven years.

Looking past those points, the RedMagic Astra is a fantastic device even if you're not a huge gamer. It'll handle any pro-grade app you throw at it, and you could just as easily use this for a bit of on-the-go video editing or hook it up to a monitor and a Bluetooth keyboard and use it as a work machine. You can get a range of dedicated accessories, like a stylus, case or gamepad, directly from RedMagic, too.

Smaller tablets generally don't have the allure of their larger siblings, but I'm a big fan because I rate portability highly. And while I feel like I've always had to compromise on power or battery life to achieve that, the RedMagic Astra shows I can have my small cake and eat it.

If you want a small, powerful tablet that's not the iPad Mini 7, then this is the device for you. It helps a bit if you like to play games, too.