The REDMAGIC Astra Gaming Tablet is a 9” gaming tablet. Featuring the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, up to 24GB LPDDR5T RAM, up to 1TB of UFS 4.1 Pro Storage, and an impressive 8,200mAh battery, the Astra provides all the power of its larger counterpart, the REDMAGIC Nova, in a compact form factor. Boasting the latest in game-focused hardware and software, the Astra looks to be carving out a spot for itself as the go-to gaming tablet.
While I’ve the opportunity to review both the excellent REDMAGIC 10S Pro and the solid 10 Air smartphones, this is the first tablet from the company I’ve had the chance to test drive. While I’ve been impressed with their phones, Gaming Tablets are a bit more of a niche piece of hardware, and I’ve to wonder if there’s a place in our current mobile landscape for such advice.
Examining the Astra, a couple of key observations can be made. First and foremost, the Astra’s look mirrors that of the Nova, with a thin frame, rounded corners, and a flat form factor. The back of the tablet features REDMAGIC’s signature bumpless camera housing, providing a unique look that stands out in a crowd. Weighing a mere 374g, the Astra is easy to hold in a single hand and fits in smaller pouches in your laptop bag.
“The REDMAGIC Astra Gaming Tablet brings flagship performance to a compact 9-inch form factor built specifically for mobile gamers.”
The rounded edges provide a comfortable resting spot in each palm when holding the tablet, with the 9.06-inch display being the perfect size for my hands. I find this size and weight tablet to be ideal for prolonged use. It’s light enough that hand and wrist fatigue don’t set in nearly as quickly as on larger 10-13 inch tablets, and its size is ideal for holding in one hand if you enjoy reading ebooks. While I do own and regularly use the stellar Kobo Libra Colour, since starting the review of the Astra, I find myself defaulting to it instead.
Examining the bezel reveals a single USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2) port, which supports high-speed data transfer. This translates to being able to output the tablet’s display to a full 4K monitor or provide input support for keyboards, controllers or docking stations if the need arises. In essence, the Astra is built to adapt to whatever gaming needs you might have.
This scalability is a key element of Astra’s design and one that helps justify its gaming focus. While mobile gaming has made significant strides in the past few years, thanks to advances in display and processor technology, the limitation of small screens typically afforded by phones has kept the genre firmly rooted in the casual gaming space.
REDMAGIC seems to be aiming to change this perception with the Astra. Its ability to essentially transition from a mobile handheld to a whole desktop experience (provided you have a dock or Bluetooth-enabled peripherals), while simultaneously outputting your display to a full 4K display, helps elevate mobile gaming to new heights.
Another observation of the design that has been a trend with all of the REDMAGIC products I’ve reviewed to date is the inclusion of the customizable Magic Key. This dedicated shortcut key is an excellent addition to all of REDMAGIC’s hardware and serves the Astra well as a shortcut key to software such as X-Gravity Gaming Center.
The Astra’s display is also an impressive design element, adding another aspect that helps elevate its value even further. Featuring a 9.06-inch 2.4K OLED display (2400×1504) and 165Hz refresh rate, the display is impressive to use. Image quality is incredibly sharp, crisp and bright, thanks in part to a peak brightness of 1,600 nits as well as its 16:10 aspect ratio. With an incredibly slim 4.9mm bezel all the way around, the Astra’s display provides the perfect screen for gaming and content streaming.
“From Diablo Immortal to Genshin Impact, every game I threw at the Astra ran at max settings without issue.”
The touch panel is also designed with gamers in mind. Rated for 2,000 Hz instant touch sampling, I’ve found the Astra to be instantaneous in its response time. This has been ideal for gaming titles such as Diablo Immortal and LOL Wild Rift, which require a precision touch interface. The Astra is genuinely a delight to play mobile titles on.
As for gaming, the Astra’s hardware is clearly ready to handle any title thrown its way. Speced with a Snapdragon Elite Octa-Core Max processor, 16GB of RAM (also available in 12 GB and 24GB models) with extended RAM capabilities, and 512GB (256GB and 1TB also available) of UFS 4.1 Pro Storage, the Astra is packing some impressive hardware. This is supplemented by REDMAGIC’s own RedCore R3 Pro chip, a dedicated processor that complements the Snapdragon for game-specific tasks and processing, freeing the main processor for other tasks.
In testing, the Astra performed exceptionally well. Synthetic scores were solid, placing the device in line with the Samsung Galaxy S25. Geekbench 6 results came in at 2,663 for single-core and 8,170 for multi-core performance. In real-world testing, titles such as Diablo Immortal, Genshin Impact and League of Legends: Wild Rift all ran at max settings without issue. Shooters like PUBG and Call of Duty also performed exceptionally well, with the Astra’s responsive touch controls standing out as a real treat during gameplay.
As for productivity tasks, once again, the Astra handles it all exceptionally well. Email, word processing and even light video editing are all managed easily. The 9-inch display is an excellent size for working on if you need to hold the tablet for any amount of time. Dual display, a staple of Android, works quite well on this compact tablet, providing a significantly better user experience than on a smartphone.
Battery life on the Astra is also decent, providing solid performance for gaming thanks to its 8,200 mAh battery. In testing, I was able to play Diablo Immortal for over 5 hours before needing to recharge. In everyday use cases, such as reading, checking emails, browsing the internet, and streaming YouTube, the Astra easily got through the day with battery to spare. As for charging time, thanks to fast charging support, using my 120W fast charger, I was able to bring the Astra from 0% to 100% in just over an hour, which is convenient for those times when gaming must continue uninterrupted.
Another design element that REDMAGIC has done an exceptional job at innovating on all of their hardware I’ve tested is cooling technology. Like the 10S Pro, the Astra leverages REDMAGIC’s 13-layer ICE-X cooling system. Designed to dissipate heat quickly once the tablet reaches 50℃, thanks to the inclusion of Liquid Metal 2.0 in the system, the Astra never gets noticeably warm when in use.
“The REDMAGIC Astra Gaming Tablet is compact and powerful.”
This cooling is supplemented by a 20,000 RPM shark-fin fan that helps actively push air through the system. While some might scoff at the idea of an internal fan, it works quite well and is incredibly quiet when in operation. It’s all managed automatically within the system, though manual management is possible through REDMAGIC’s Gaming overlay software. Though I’ve worked with other such software on other smartphones, I’ve been impressed with the sheer number of features and settings that can be customized from here. It allows for the most customization for individual games I’ve ever worked with.
In many ways, the Astra is similar to the specs and performance of the 10S Pro, providing premium-level processing in a slightly larger and gamer-centric form factor. While slightly less powerful than its Smartphone counterpart, the Astra nonetheless provides plenty of power for gaming and productivity. Overall, I’m impressed with what the Astra can accomplish as well as its form factor. However, is this enough to justify a tablet dedicated to gaming?
The short answer is a qualified yes. If you are someone who games primarily on smartphones and is looking for a more dedicated hardware solution, the Astra makes a lot of sense. Not just because of its hardware and form factor, though both are excellent, with the latter being quite comfortable for gaming.
What makes the Astra a worthwhile investment for mobile gamers who want a little more is its ability to output gameplay to a larger screen. While other devices can do it, the Astra is specifically designed to accommodate this feature from the ground up. When connected to a monitor and a wireless controller, the Astra becomes a compact console. Is it for everyone? Probably not, but for those seeking a more immersive mobile gaming experience, the Astra is a great solution.
The REDMAGIC Astra Gaming Tablet is compact and powerful. It features impressive hardware, and with its ability to output to a 4K monitor, it revolutionizes the mobile gaming landscape. While its price point reflects its premium specifications—and may deter some users—the Astra Gaming Tablet from REDMAGIC is nonetheless an impressive device that elevates mobile gaming to a new level.
