How come this $649 phone has better hardware than the Galaxy S25 Ultra?
It seems that smartphones are getting more and more expensive nowadays. This is especially true about flagship models. Take the Galaxy S series, for example. Some years ago a Galaxy S flagship used to cost around $700 (the Galaxy S8 and S9), then the Plus and Ultra came along. The S23 Ultra launched at $1,199, and now we have the latest S25 Ultra model at $1,299.
Don't get me wrong, the S25 Ultra is a great device, but one recent event kind of changed my perspective and got me thinking. Dozens of phones from different brands and price points go through my hands constantly. And after the last one, I ended up asking myself, "How come this $649 phone has better hardware than the Galaxy S25 Ultra?"
Enter the RedMagic 10S Pro, a gaming phone from China that comes with some very exciting features, many of which people would call "innovative." And yet, this phone costs $649. How is this possible? Galaxy S25 Ultra vs RedMagic 10S Pro
Can't beat the camera system on the Galaxy S25 Ultra | Image by PhoneArena
Now, to be totally fair, not ALL of the hardware on the RedMagic 10S Pro is better than what the Galaxy S25 Ultra has on board. The camera system on the S25 Ultra and the S Pen as a built-in accessory both can't be overlooked in this comparison.
Even though the RedMagic 10S has a good main camera, it lacks the flexibility and also the quality of the two zoom cameras the S25 Ultra comes equipped with.
But with that out of the way, let's see where the RedMagic 10S Pro gets the Galaxy S25 Ultra . Let's first look at the chipset—the beating heart of any phone and the thing that pops up into our mind when we say "hardware." Chipset
Leading version versus for Galaxy - fight! | Image by PhoneArena
Both phones feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the latest and greatest silicon from Qualcomm. The S25 Ultra has it tuned "for Galaxy," while the RedMagic 10S Pro uses a version of the chip called Leading Version.
If we put those two head-to-head, we see that the clock frequencies for the CPU cores are identical. The benchmark scores paint the same picture; there's just a 2-point difference in the Geekbench single-core test (one of the smallest we've ever had between two different phones) and around 50 points in the multi-core test.
So far, so good—both phones are almost identical when it comes to CPU performance. Where things start to sway in RedMagic's favor is the GPU tests. The Adreno 830 inside the RedMagic 10S Pro is clocked 100 MHz higher than the one inside the S25 Ultra. And it shows.
We have a significant difference in the 3DMark score, both in the highest achieved result and also sustained performance under load. Which leads us to another very cool (pun intended) feature of the RedMagic 10S Pro. The cooling system. Cooling
The active cooling system does wonders to the phone temperatures, especially under load | Image by PhoneArena
Active cooling on smartphones isn't anything new; many "gaming" phones have such systems, but the one inside the RedMagic 10S Pro seems to work wonders. The 23,000 RPM silent fan works in tandem with liquid metal cooling material (indium alloy) and a pretty substantial vapor chamber (12,000 mm²).
The result? During the stress test, the RedMagic 10S Pro's GPU performance dropped around 20%, while this number for the Galaxy S25 Ultra was more than 50%. RAM and storage
The basic RAM and storage configurations are identical on both phones (12/256GB), but the RedMagic 10S Pro can be purchased with up to 24GB of RAM. The price goes up, of course, but the 24/1TB model is still cheaper ($999) than the 12/256GB model of the Galaxy S25 Ultra ($1,299). Display
1.25 mm bezels and an under-display selfie camera equal a futuristic look | Image by PhoneArena
Both phones come with similar display sizes—the S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED panel, while the RedMagic 10S Pro comes equipped with a 6.85-inch screen. On the one hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has an LTPO display covering 1-120 Hz and everything in between.
But on the other hand, the RedMagic 10S Pro screen can go up to 144 Hz, and the phone has thinner bezels coming in at 1.25 mm (1.32 mm for the S25 Ultra). Furthermore, the RedMagic 10S Pro features an under-display selfie camera. The result is an edge-to-edge display that looks very futuristic (the camera is almost invisible, and you can spot it only under a very bright light). Display Measurements:
Then again, the S25 Ultra has the amazing anti-glare coating that helps with reflections and, according to many of my colleagues, is one of the best display innovations of the past couple of years.
Last but not least, the S25 Ultra is brighter at 20% APL, while the RedMagic 10S Pro manages to light up 100% of the pixels more efficiently and make them output more nits.
It depends on what's more important to you, but what I can say from my personal experience is that both displays look amazing in person. So, this one looks like a bit of a tie. What's not a tie is the battery life and charging situation. Battery and Charging
The RedMagic 10S Pro has a 7,050 mAh battery. Let this number sink in. The battery life of this phone is second only to the Vivo X200 Ultra when we talk about Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped phones, and it ranks #3 overall among phones tested in the past two years.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ranks #23 on the same list with its 5,000 mAh cell. When it comes to charging, the difference is even bigger. The RedMagic 10S Pro is able to fill its huge 7,050 mAh battery from 0 to 100% in just 38 minutes thanks to the 80W wired charging support, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra does so in 1 hour and 9 minutes.
We should point out that the RedMagic 10S Pro doesn't have wireless charging support, so for people who use it often, this is a disadvantage. Design and aesthetics
The back of the RedMagic 10S Pro does look cool, though | Image by PhoneArena
Design is a largely subjective thing, but in a world where you can't tell the S23 Ultra from the S25 Ultra, we encourage and applaud original designs. The RedMagic 10S Pro has three color options, two of which feature a transparent back glass that looks awesome.
The RGB LED lighting around the phone might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you can switch it off, and the look instantly becomes much more restrained.
Another cool thing we welcome is the flat back. And we mean absolutely flat—the camera system is flush with the back and housed under the glass. How come the RedMagic 10S Pro is so much cheaper (half the price)?
Is Samsung robbing you blind with the prices of its smartphones? No, it's not that simple. First, there's the bill of materials cost (BoM), and for the past couple of Galaxy S Ultra generations, the number has been rising steadily.
The S23 Ultra BoM was $469, and Samsung subsequently raised the prices for the S24 Ultra by $100 to offset the increased cost (around $569). The latest reports on the BoM for the S25 Ultra stated that the cost is around $110 more compared to the previous generation, so we end up with around $679 just to manufacture the S25 Ultra.
Image by Counterpoint
The distribution network and the fact that you can get the S25 Ultra through almost every carrier in the US are also reflected in the price. Plus, there are physical Samsung stores with a lot of employees (salary costs) where you can go check out the devices in person.
RedMagic, on the other hand, doesn't have any physical stores outside China and no carrier contracts, so there are no additional costs for distribution other than shipping when you make an order on the online store.
You can try-before-you-buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in the Samsung Experience store | Image by Samsung
The software is another big cost-cutting point for RedMagic, both as pure development and also support. Samsung spent a lot of time and resources developing its Galaxy AI, and the company also supported all of its latest flagships and upper-midrange phones for seven years.
In contrast, the RedMagic 10S Pro is outsourcing most of the AI to Gemini, and the phone comes with only two years of software support.
We should also mention that Samsung has a great trade-in program in place, and you can upgrade to a new phone, saving some cash when you return your old device.
RedMagic doesn't hold its value as well, and there are no trade-in deals to help you get the newest model. This is even more important when you consider the short software support cycle.
Finally, RedMagic is a Chinese brand that sells huge volumes on the Chinese market. The company can operate at smaller margins to try and win market share, but this comes at all the aforementioned costs. What does all this mean, and should you rush to the (online) stores to buy the RedMagic 10S Pro?
It's a render in an online store, but the device offers a lot of bang for your buck | Image by RedMagic
Well, at the end of the day, the RedMagic 10S Pro is half the price of the Galaxy S25 Ultra . And if you just want a powerful device right now without troubling your head with update cycles, software support, resale value, and brand recognition, that phone is a great choice.
However, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra , you're getting peace of mind and a future-proof device. It will not only get the latest software for seven long years, but Samsung will gladly take it off your hands and give you the next one with a substantial discount.
Plus, you can just walk into a store and try before you buy, whereas getting a RedMagic 10S Pro online is a bit of a gamble.
If you had to choose, which one would you buy? The Galaxy S25 Ultra at $1,299 or the RedMagic 10S Pro for half of that?
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