Three flagship gaming phones made their debut in the same month. And two of them went official on the same day: Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel (the latter is the very first gaming phone by Lenovo). A few days after, Nubia unveiled its new gaming device: the Red Magic 5S, which is an upgraded version of the Red Magic 5G released earlier this year in the global market. Is the Red Magic 5S at the same level as the most awaited gaming phones of the month or you would better consider the Asus and Lenovo solutions? This comparison between their specifications will clear your ideas in regards.
Nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel
| Asus ROG Phone 3 | Lenovo Legion Duel | Red Magic 5S | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 171 x 78 x 9.9 mm,
240 grams |
169.2 x 78.5 x 9.9 mm,
239 grams |
168.6 x 78 x 9.8 mm,
218 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.59 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 391 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.65 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 388 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.65 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 388 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, octa-core 3.1 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, octa-core 3.1 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB – 16 GB RAM, 512 GB | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 16 GB RAM, 512 GB | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 16 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, ROG UI | Android 10, Legion OS | Android 10, Redmagic OS |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 64 + 13 MP + 5 MP f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.0 24 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 64 + 16 MP f/1.9 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.2 front camera |
Triple 64 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8 and f/2.0 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 6000 mAh Fast charging 30W |
5000 mAh, Fast Charging 90W or fast charging 65W or fast charging 45W | 4500 mAh, Fast Charging 55W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, RGB lights, dual USB-C port, 5G, triggers | Dual SIM slot, RGB lights, dual USB-C port, 5G, triggers, water-repellent | Dual SIM slot, RGB lights, 5G, triggers, cooling fan |
Design
Nubia Red Magic 5S, Asus ROG Phone 3, and Lenovo Legion Duel are real gaming phone, so they come with a gaming-centric design. But you still get premium materials, including a glass back and an aluminum frame. The most interesting is the Lenovo Legion Duel because it was designed with landscape usage in mind. It sports a side-mounted pop-up camera for live streams and you can hold it while playing games without touching the rear cameras as they are placed at the center of the phone. Thanks to a secondary USB-C port placed at the side, you can even charge the phone while playing without touching the cable.
Display
These three phones offer the best displays you can get for gaming since they have the highest refresh rate even seen on a phone: 144 Hz. Among these devices, Asus ROG Phone 3 is the one which stands out due to its full DCI-P3 coverage, HDR10+ certification and a very high brightness. Its AMOLED panel should offer a better overall quality compared to its two rivals. Right after, there should be Lenovo Legion Duel with its 144 Hz and HDR10+ AMOLED panel. In each case, you also get stereo speakers and capacitive triggers.
Specs & Software
Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel come with a stronger hardware since they are equipped with a better processor: the Snapdragon 865+ found on these two devices offers up to 10% performance boost compared to the Snapdragon 865 found on the Red Magic 5S. On the other hand, Nubia Red Magic 5S has a more advanced cooling system including silver cooling and a physical cooling fan running at 15,000 rpm. This should be enough to guarantee great results in long gaming sessions. Naturally, Android 10 is installed out of the box.
Camera
None of these devices is a real camera phone, but the most advanced camera setup belongs to the Asus ROG Phone 3 which sports a main 64 MP sensor, a 13 MP ultrawide camera and a 5 MP macro lens, as well as a good 24 MP selfie camera. Lenovo Legion Duel lacks the macro camera, but we believe it will click better photos (especially better selfies) than Nubia Red Magic 5S.
Battery
With its amazing 6000 mAh battery, the Asus ROG Phone 3 naturally lasts more on a single charge. The silver medal goes to the Lenovo Legion Duel with its 5000 mAh battery, and it also gets the first place when it comes to charging, thanks to its 90W fast charging technology.
Price
Asus ROG Phone 3 has a starting price of €899 in the global market, while we still do not know the global prices of the Lenovo Legion Duel and the Nubia Red Magic 5S. We know that they start at €425/$500 and €460/$541 in China, respectively. Our verdict goes in favor of the ROG Phone 3 due to its big battery and the support for more external accessories. But if you are a live streamer and you want a more comfortable gaming experience, then Lenovo Legion Duel may be a better option for you.
Nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel: PRO and CONS
Asus ROG Phone 3
PRO
- More external accessories
- 8K video recording
- Bigger battery
- Switchable UI
CONS
- Slower charging
Lenovo Legion Duel
PRO
- Faster charging
- Water-repellent
- Front-facing LED flash
- FM radio
CONS
- Smaller battery
Nubia Red Magic 5S
PRO
- Affordable
- Great cooling system
- Great air triggers
CONS
- Inferior chipset
