RedMagic Astra Gaming Tablet Review: Active Cooling Changes Everything

The RedMagic Astra is a compact 9.06-inch gaming tablet built around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite and a cooling system that includes a built-in 20,000RPM fan, something most tablets do without. It drew strong reviews when it arrived in 2025: GamesRadar+ concluded that “for Android power-users looking for a compact screen it’s the best option out there,” and Tech Advisor called it “the best small Android tablet around.”

This review is based on RedMagic’s published specifications and on the published reviews from GamesRadar+ and Tech Advisor. One update for 2026 shoppers: RedMagic’s own store now promotes a successor, the Astra 2, so the original Astra is no longer the company’s newest gaming tablet.

Design: Compact and Purpose-Built

The Astra is much smaller than most premium tablets. Tech Advisor lists its dimensions as 207 x 134.2 x 6.9mm and its weight as 370g, compared with 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3mm and 530g for RedMagic’s previous tablet, the 10.9-inch Nova. RedMagic quotes a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio for the 9.06-inch display. Tech Advisor’s reviewer found the smaller frame far more comfortable to hold through long gaming sessions than the Nova.

The metal body has a patterned band across the back that houses the camera and a circular, RGB-lit window onto the fan. Other details matter for gamers: a red switch on the top edge that opens RedMagic’s Game Space software (and can be reassigned to other commands), a fingerprint reader in the power button, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, according to Tech Advisor. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, and GamesRadar+ lists the lack of SD card storage as a drawback.

Display: 165Hz OLED Gaming Panel

The display is the Astra’s biggest upgrade over the Nova. According to RedMagic’s specifications, the 9.06-inch OLED panel has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,504 pixels, a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 165Hz maximum refresh rate and a claimed peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Tech Advisor measured around 810 nits in general use, which it judged bright enough for sunny days, and notes the 240Hz touch sampling rate (2,000Hz “instant” sampling). By comparison, the Nova used an LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and topped out at 550 nits.

GamesRadar+ points out that few compact tablets in this price range offer an OLED display at all, “and even fewer do so with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits of peak brightness.” Its reviewer praised the vibrant colors and the amount of detail visible in darker scenes. Because OLED pixels produce their own light, dark game environments avoid the backlight glow that LCD tablets can show.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite With Active Cooling

The Snapdragon 8 Elite was Qualcomm’s flagship chip for 2025’s premium Android phones. GamesRadar+ notes its 4.32GHz maximum clock speed and Adreno 830 GPU. RedMagic pairs it with what it calls a 13-layer ICE-X cooling system, which combines Liquid Metal 2.0, dual-layer vapor chambers and the 20,000RPM turbofan.

GamesRadar+ recorded 6,389 in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, 11,712 in Solar Bay and 2,504 in Steel Nomad Lite. Those scores trailed RedMagic’s 10S Pro phone, which uses an overclocked version of the chip, but the reviewer found gaming on the Astra more comfortable because it ran cooler. GamesRadar+ adds that the tablet kept up this performance when connected to an external dock, and that the USB-C port is fast enough to drive a 4K display with accessories attached.

Tech Advisor reported no great increase in temperature while gaming. The exception was downloading large files over Wi-Fi, which left the tablet very hot to the touch.

Memory and storage come in three configurations: 12GB with 256GB, 16GB with 512GB, and 24GB with 1TB, using LPDDR5T RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. Tech Advisor lists the 24GB/1TB model only in the black Eclipse finish.

Battery and Charging

The Astra’s 8,200mAh battery is smaller than the Nova’s 10,100mAh cell, though RedMagic says it is the largest battery for a tablet of this size. RedMagic’s own figures are 5.56 hours of Genshin Impact, 4.55 hours of PUBG and up to 33 hours of continuous movie playback.

The independent figures are more conservative. Tech Advisor found that an hour of gaming used around 15% to 20% of the battery, giving roughly four to five hours of play per charge, and the tablet lasted 6 hours and 27 minutes in Tech Advisor’s standard PCMark battery test.

The Astra supports 80W wired charging, but no charger comes in the box. RedMagic says its 80W charger refills the battery in 71 minutes. Tech Advisor, using a 67W charger, recorded 11% after 15 minutes, 22% after 30 minutes and a full charge after 2 hours and 20 minutes, so the charger you use makes a large difference.

Software: Gaming Features

The Astra ships with RedMagic OS 10.5 based on Android 15. Game Space is RedMagic’s gaming hub. You open it with the red switch or by swiping in from the top corners during a game, and Tech Advisor says it lets you manage your game library and add plug-ins such as high-sensitivity on-screen joysticks, higher in-game frame rates and screen casting.

GamesRadar+ is less impressed with the polish. It describes Game Space as looking a little dated, found the tablet loaded with removable preinstalled apps and games on first boot, and noticed the device being called a phone in several menus and notifications.

Software support depends on where you buy. Tech Advisor reports 5 years of support for UK and European buyers, which it attributes to regional regulations, and only 3 years in the US. At the time of its review, RedMagic had not said when the Astra would receive Android 16.

Who Should Buy It

The Astra makes the most sense for gamers who want a compact OLED tablet with flagship performance, and for those who want to connect a dock and a large display. It is small and light enough to hold for long sessions, its fast USB-C port can drive an external screen, and RedMagic sells a Gamepad case that adds controllers to either side (£109/$129 at the time of Tech Advisor’s review).

Media fans should know about the audio. GamesRadar+ lists “underwhelming speakers” among its drawbacks, noting that the Astra has two speakers where the larger Nova had four, and that the smaller size costs bass. With no headphone jack, plan on wireless or USB-C headphones.

At 9.06 inches, the screen is limiting for note-taking and document work. Larger tablets such as the OnePlus Pad 3 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra are better suited to productivity. For other options, see our guide to the best Android tablets for gaming.

On price, GamesRadar+ listed the Astra from $499 for 12GB/256GB up to $899 for 24GB/1TB in July 2025. Tech Advisor’s September 2025 review listed US prices of $549, $699 and $899 for the three configurations. With the Astra 2 now on sale, check current prices before buying.

The Verdict

The RedMagic Astra shows what a gaming-first compact tablet can look like: a bright 165Hz OLED screen, Snapdragon 8 Elite performance, and a fan-assisted cooling system that, according to both reviews, keeps temperatures comfortable during play. The trade-offs are just as clear: weak speakers, no headphone jack or SD card slot, software that is still phone-first in places, and only 3 years of updates in the US. If those don’t bother you, and especially if you can find it discounted now that the Astra 2 is out, the reviews make a strong case for it.

Sources

GamesRadar+ — RedMagic Astra review: “small form factor, big potential” (Tabitha Baker, July 1, 2025) — accessed October 19, 2026
Tech Advisor — Redmagic Astra review: Mini but mighty gaming tablet (Martyn Casserly, September 18, 2025) — accessed October 19, 2026
RedMagic (Europe) — REDMAGIC Astra Gaming Tablet product page — accessed October 19, 2026