Redmagic Astra is the OLED gaming tablet I’ve always wanted

Redmagic is clearly intent on building out its portfolio this year; the 10S Pro proved to be a terrific gaming phone, and the brand is now venturing into Android tablets. The Astra is a mid-range tablet with a stylish design that’s in line with the brand’s phones, and it runs the latest Qualcomm silicon alongside an 8,200mAh battery.

But what I like the most is that the Astra comes with an OLED panel. Most Android tablets continue to use an LCD panel, and you just don’t get the rich contrast levels and vibrancy that an OLED delivers, so the fact that Redmagic went with OLED is enough to distinguish the Astra from its rivals.

Then there’s the value; the Astra starts at just $499 on Redmagic’s site, and that’s ridiculous when you consider the hardware it’s packing. The same tablet is listed on Amazon for $699, so it’s clear that Redmagic is incentivizing the launch with a decent discount on its site. The base model comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and there’s also a 16GB/512GB edition that costs $649, and a 24GB/1TB model that retails at $849.

A design that’s meant to stand out

There’s no mistaking the fact that the Astra is a gaming tablet; it has a bold design that’s similar to Redmagic’s gaming phones, and it looks pretty distinctive. There’s RGB lighting at the back (obviously) around the Redmagic logo and the built-in fan next to the camera housing, and it is customizable.

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The back of the tablet is made out of aluminum, but there’s a glass insert that breaks up the design quite well, while giving it a bit of flair. The Astra has excellent in-hand feel; the sizing is just right, and it isn’t uncomfortable in the least. It isn’t too heavy at 370g either, and I didn’t have any issues using the tablet for hours on end.

What’s particularly great is that the tablet has a flat back with no camera protrusion whatsoever — just like the 10S Pro — and that alone makes it much better to use. There’s no wobble when using the Astra on a table, and the 6.9mm width along the sides along with rounded edges make it easy to hold and use.

The build quality is excellent; the mid-frame is made out of aluminum as well, and I didn’t see any problems whatsoever in the month I used the tablet. It gets IP54 ingress protection as well, and there are identical stereo channels, delivering great onboard sound.

The bezels are thinner than most Android tablets I used in recent months, and they’re symmetrical on all sides, which is an achievement in and of itself. I like that Redmagic went with a 9.06-inch OLED panel instead of the usual 11 or 12-inch tablets that are standard; the smaller size makes the Astra that much more portable, but you still get adequate screen real estate.

This is a gaming powerhouse

The panel itself is fantastic; it has a resolution of 2400 x 1504, and it goes up to 165Hz refresh in select games. The OLED panel has outstanding color vibrancy and contrast, and it’s a definite point of differentiation. You also get LTPO tech and 5,280Hz PWM dimming, and it gets bright enough that I didn’t notice any issues even under sunlight. It’s not a tandem OLED panel like my iPad Pro M4, but it is better than any other Android tablet I used.

Gaming on the Astra is a real delight, and the tablet handles demanding titles without breaking a sweat. It uses an active cooling solution (a small fan that’s located at the back) alongside an innovative thermal management system, and the result is that it doesn’t throttle even under load. It tends to overheat at times, but it isn’t anywhere as uncomfortable as a gaming phone thanks to the larger surface area, and this was only an issue while running 3DMark’s stress tests.

Basically, this is the most affordable way to get your hands on the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the U.S., and the gaming tablet lives up to its potential. I got the 16GB/512GB model, and I believe this is the sweet spot; all models come with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage.

Just like Redmagic’s gaming phones, the Astra delivers high refresh rate gaming in select titles, and that makes it highly enjoyable. The onboard sound gets loud and detailed, and there’s a Magic Key on the side that’s customizable. The tablet gets a fingerprint reader along with face unlock, and it’s fast to authenticate. The vibration motor is pretty good too, and it has decent feedback.

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