In a surprise move Nubia has confirmed its Red Magic Mars smartphone is coming to North America. The company made the announcement as part of the ongoing CES 2019 proceedings stating the device will go on sale in North America, as well as in Europe, during the first quarter of 2019.
The Nubia Red Magic Mars was first announced in November, 2018 although at the time it was only confirmed as a device available in China. Since then it has become available in select other markets with North America now confirmed as the latest.
The Red Magic Mars is an interesting proposition for US buyers as it is one of the new wave of ‘gaming phones’ that have come through. What’s more, it is a highly affordable one.
When the Red Magic Mars becomes available in the US, it will be priced at $399.
In spite of its comparably low price, with this being a gaming phone, it is one designed with high specs in mind. For example, the Red Magic Mars can be purchased in a number of versions which differ in terms of the RAM and storage with the top tier model featuring no less than 10GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Nubia only says the price in North America starts from $399, and therefore it should not be expected that the 10GB RAM model will be available at that price point. Instead, it is likely Nubia will be offering up the 6GB RAM version along with 64GB storage.
An additional middle-ground version is also available which comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
All versions of the Red Magic Mars come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC.
Some of the other features on offer include a 6-inch FHD display, a 3,800 mAh capacity battery, an RGB LED strip, touch-sensitive shoulder buttons and a motor-based rumble system, as well as Android 9 Pie and a “multi-dimensional cooling system” that couples air cooling and liquid cooling. All of which are specifically designed with mobile gaming in mind.
Less gaming-tweaked features include a 16-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing, and a variety of color options including Meteorite Black, Camo, and Flame Red.
Gaming has become somewhat of a trend of late in the mobile world with a number of high profile games coming to mobile and making a big impact.
This emphasis on high quality gaming has had a knock-on effect at the maker level with a number of companies looking to capitalize on the interest, resulting in new gamer-focused phones emerging from the likes of ASUS, Razer and Xiaomi.
Even Samsung has gotten in on the gaming action recently. Although it did not release a dedicated gaming phone, it has positioned its latest flagship smartphones as phones designed for gaming – even launching the Galaxy Note9 with a temporary Fortnite Android app period of exclusivity.
Along with the Red Magic Mars, Nubia has also made the point that it is showcasing its new Nubia X smartphone at CES 2019.
At present, there’s no suggestion that the Nubia X will become available in North America, although if it does, then like the Red Magic Mars, it may prove to be an interesting option for US buyers.
The Nubia X not only features two displays (one on either side of the phone), but also two fingerprint sensors – again, with one on either side of the phone.