RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) : 185Hz OLED Gaming Tablet with Liquid Cooling

A while back, a hardcore mobile gaming buddy complained to the author that when playing Genshin Impact on his phone, the screen was too small, the skill buttons and map were crowded together, and there was seriously insufficient operating space; after switching to a large tablet, the 13-inch body was so heavy that his wrist ached, and holding it horizontally for less than half an hour meant he had to put it down and rest. This is actually a common pain point for many mobile gamers—phones are too small in size, large tablets are too heavy, and that "just right" size in between has always lacked a truly capable product.

It wasn't until the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) arrived that this gap was filled. A 9.06-inch OLED screen, 185Hz refresh rate, the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and it also has a built-in pulsating liquid cooling system. This article will analyze in detail for everyone whether this machine is truly worth buying.

Let's start with the appearance: transparent mecha style, with a flat back panel being a major highlight

A colleague on this device got their hands on the actual unit first, and their first reaction after unboxing was, "This back is so cool." The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) continues the family's transparent mecha style, with a horizontal decorative area at the top of the back, showing the REDMAGIC logo and the Snapdragon logo, paired with RGB liquid cooling lighting effects. This "ocean-view" design turns the internal cooling structure and lighting effects into visible elements, making it highly recognizable.

The more practical design lies in the flat back panel. Many tablets have a raised camera bump on the back, which wobbles when pressed while placed on a desk, significantly affecting players who need multi-finger operation such as in rhythm games, MOBAs, and FPS games. The entire back of the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) remains flat, so it sits stably in place—a detail that seems minor but noticeably improves the actual experience.

The body dimensions are 207.1mm×134.2mm×6.9mm, weighing 363g. Although this weight is considerably heavier than a phone, it's not exaggerated for a gaming tablet, and the pressure is evenly distributed when held with both hands in landscape orientation. A thickness of 6.9mm is thin for a gaming tablet, and it's no small feat that it still houses the liquid cooling system and an 8300mAh battery inside.

Screen: 185Hz OLED, a boon for FPS players

This screen is the most notable upgrade in specifications for the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2). It's a 9.06-inch OLED Ultra-Competitive Screen, with a resolution of 2400×1504, bezels of about 4.9mm on all four sides, and a screen-to-body ratio of 90.1%. The 185Hz refresh rate is currently the ceiling for Android tablets, and it's basically hard to find a rival at the same price point.

That gaming buddy is a heavy FPS player, mainly playing Crossfire: Warzone Royale and PUBG Mobile. He reported that the difference between 185Hz and ordinary 120Hz is noticeable in FPS games—motion blur is reduced, and the screen feels more responsive during quick turns and scope pulls, with no drag or tearing sensation. Currently, 185Hz has been adapted for games such as Crossfire: Warzone Royale and Dawn Awakens Heroes, while 165Hz has broader adaptation, covering Delta Force, Tarkov: Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Valorant Mobile, and even Teamfight Tactics.

Touch control is likewise packed with features. It's equipped with the Synaptics S3930 touch chip, with a multi-finger native touch sampling rate of 300Hz and a peak instantaneous rate of up to 2000Hz. This means that for continuous operations such as scoping in, turning, spraying, sliding, and switching weapons, the touch response latency is compressed to an extremely low level, significantly improving responsiveness. Red Magic had previously been criticized quite a bit on touch control, and this can be considered a direct response to that.

With 1600 nits of local peak brightness, it's more than enough for indoor gaming, and even under direct sunlight by a window, the light and dark layers of the image remain clearly discernible.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite + Red Core R4 dual-chip, AnTuTu score of 4.29 million

The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) is equipped with the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform, with the device identified as the QTI SM8850P, a tablet-specific version without a baseband, and the GPU is the Adreno 840. In addition to the main chip, it also comes with the Red Core R4 gaming chip and the CUBE Sky-Reaching Gaming Engine 3.0, responsible for super-resolution frame boosting and touch optimization, effectively reducing the SoC load.

The AnTuTu V11.1.3 benchmark score reached 4.29 million points, with the GPU score exceeding 1.56 million, which is a direct reflection of this device's gaming attributes. For a gaming tablet, while peak CPU performance is certainly important, what truly determines the high-quality gaming experience is the coordinated interplay of GPU performance, thermal dissipation, and system scheduling.

In terms of storage, sequential read speed is 4268MB/s and sequential write speed is 4109MB/s, placing it firmly in the first tier of Android devices. The test unit was the 16GB+1TB version, and running WeChat in the background, live streaming, and running games simultaneously, switching between them presented no strain at all.

Cooling: From fan to liquid cooling, achieving both noise reduction and performance

This is the biggest upgrade for the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2), and also the aspect the tester most appreciated.

The previous generation Red Magic Gaming Tablet 3 Pro used an active cooling fan, and although it could actively draw in and expel air, the noise could never be avoided. It was tolerable when wearing headphones for gaming at night, but without headphones, the fan buzzed noticeably, and even people nearby could notice it.

The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) replaces the fan with a Pulsating Liquid Cooling Engine, paired with Liquid Metal 3.0 and an oversized vapor chamber. The most direct change is—the noise is gone. The cooling capability is enhanced, while at the same time making the cooling experience more "imperceptible," and the visual impact is retained through RGB lighting effects. This approach is quite clever, solving the noise problem without sacrificing the gaming atmosphere.

In actual gaming tests, Honkai: Star Rail averaged 61fps over 30 minutes, with a 1% Low frame rate of 58.2fps, and this was at native 1080p rendering, more than 30% more demanding than standard 864p rendering. As for temperature, the front peaked at 45.3°C and the back peaked at 42.2°C, with no widespread hot-to-the-touch phenomenon.

Genshin Impact likewise maintained an average frame rate of 61fps over 30 minutes, with a 1% Low frame rate of 56.6fps, and a front-side peak temperature of 42.3°C. Honor of Kings in 145-frame mode averaged 145.4fps, essentially running right up against the cap.

What do these figures show? The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2)'s advantage lies not only in peak performance, but even more so in stability under high load. Many devices score impressively in benchmarks, but after ten minutes of gaming they begin to throttle and drop frames; the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2), thanks to its liquid cooling, holds steady on performance output—and this is what players need most at their core.

Peripheral Configuration: Solidly packed with features, practically luxurious

The peripheral configuration of the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) is rare within its category.

In terms of audio, it's equipped with 1227 stereo dual speakers, incorporating N'Bass acoustic enhancement material, making the external sound more powerful than most Android tablets. In terms of haptics, dual X-axis linear motors paired with 4D stereo vibration deliver precise in-game feedback, with clearly distinguishable haptic layers for gunfire, explosions, and collisions.

The ports are the most pleasant surprise—dual USB-C ports, one on the long edge and one on the short edge, both supporting 80W charging, both using the USB 3.2 Gen2 protocol. This means that when charging in landscape mode, the cable won't get in the way, and both ports support high-speed data transfer, allowing connection to monitors, controllers, and keyboard/mouse.

Speaking of monitors, the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) also supports PC Emulator Mode and Steam Direct Connect Mode. It can directly run adapted games from a Steam game library on the tablet, and can load Steam Cloud saves. Connect a controller to use it as a handheld console, connect a monitor and keyboard/mouse to turn it into a desktop gaming device, and cast to a TV to extend into a living-room scenario. One device covers three usage scenarios—handheld, desktop, and living room—offering far more versatility than an ordinary gaming tablet.

Battery capacity is 8300mAh, charging power is 80W, and it takes 80 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%. Frankly speaking, this charging speed is somewhat conservative, as 100W+ fast charging that fully charges a phone in half an hour has already become common. However, an 8300mAh capacity is already among the top tier for small-sized tablets, and daily battery life performance is reasonably good.

Having written this far, quite a few strengths have been listed, but the shortcomings must also be honestly addressed.

First, the charging speed is indeed on the slow side. The 8300mAh battery paired with 80W charging takes 80 minutes to fully charge, reaching only 5% in 5 minutes and 11% in 10 minutes. If you're used to briefly plugging in for a short top-up before heading out, this rate of recovery may be frustrating.

Second, it does not support cellular network. The SM8850P is a version without a baseband, so it can only rely on Wi-Fi for internet access. If you often want to squeeze in a game while outdoors or on a high-speed train, the lack of 5G support is indeed a regret. Of course, this also means there's no need to pay for a baseband module, which lowers the cost somewhat.

Third, the price positioning is on the high side. This product's target users are extremely clear—namely, gamers. If you only need a tablet for watching dramas, taking online classes, or occasionally playing simple puzzle games, then buying this device at this price point would truly be overkill.

So, which groups of people is this machine suitable for?

If you're a heavy mobile gamer, especially an FPS or MOBA enthusiast, with a strong need for high refresh rate, touch responsiveness, and cooling stability, then the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) is almost the only choice among current small-sized gaming tablets. The combination of 185Hz OLED + liquid cooling + Snapdragon 8 Elite has no equal within its category.

If you have a need to connect an external monitor and controller, and want to experience Steam games on a tablet, then the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2)'s PC Emulator and Steam Direct Connect modes will expand the usage scenarios, with far more versatility than a regular tablet.

But if your main needs are audiovisual entertainment, light office work, and online classes, without an extreme pursuit of gaming performance, then a large-sized all-around tablet may be more suitable, so you won't need to pay for a dedicated gaming configuration.

After using it for a period of time, this colleague commented: "It's not perfect—slow charging, no cellular, and a hefty price. But if, like me, you're just looking for a gaming device that's bigger than a phone screen, easier to hold than a large tablet, with maxed-out performance and the ability to output stably for a long time, then the RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro (REDMAGIC Astra 2) is indeed the best solution currently available."