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A weaker economic outlook and ongoing inflation mean that global shipments of smartphones are expected to decline by 3.2% in 2023, according to a new forecast from International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. That prediction is even worse than the last — it’s been revised downward from the 1.1% decline that was forecast in February.
Smartphone shipments now are expected to total 1.17 billion units for the year.
It’s not all bad news, however. Despite the lower forecast for 2023, IDC reports that it expects a smartphone market recovery in 2024, with 6% year-over-year growth. But consumer demand is recovering much slower than expected in all regions, the report noted.
“If 2022 was a year of excess inventory, 2023 is a year of caution,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “While everyone wants to have inventory ready to ride the wave of the inevitable recovery, no one wants to be stuck holding it too long. This also means the brands that take the risk — at the right time — can potentially reap great rewards of share gain.”
One particular type of phone is continuing to develop more choices: the futuristic-looking foldable phones.
“We continue to see more foldable designs in the market, which is a great technological step forward for the industry, but the timing is unfortunate,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president, Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers at IDC.
As CNET reported in our rating of the best foldable phones, the market for folding phones is dominated by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. But Google recently took the wraps off its first foldable, the Pixel Fold, Motorola has launched a refreshed version of its folding Razr flip phone and both Honor and Oppo offer folding models.
You no longer have to use a web browser to access ChatGPT on your iPhone.
ChatGPT, the revolutionary and controversial artificial intelligence chatbot, is now available to use as a dedicated app on iOS. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released the official ChatGPT app last week — a smart move, considering all the fakes and copycats that have flooded the market since ChatGPT first released in late 2022.
The free ChatGPT app does everything you would expect from the web version, which is mostly providing comprehensive answers to your many prompts. Thanks to Bing Search, you can even get access to real-time information, something which ChatGPT had never been able to do (it could only provide data before 2021). There is one new feature exclusive to the iOS app — you can now ask ChatGPT questions using voice recognition.
If you’re interested in testing out ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad, we’ll show you how to download the application, sign up for the service, and use ChatGPT to get answers to your biggest and most complicated questions.
As previously mentioned, there are a ton of third-party applications pretending to be ChatGPT, so you have to be careful when downloading the correct one. If you don’t want to search for it in the App Store, use the link below to download ChatGPT for iOS. You’ll know it’s the correct one if the developer is OpenAI.
If you already have an account, hit the Log in button and sign in with your existing email and password.
If you don’t, you can easily create an account using your Apple ID, Google account or email. You’ll then be asked to enter your name and birthday (people age 13 and older can use ChatGPT, but minors may need a parent’s consent) and type in your phone number to verify that you’re a real person.
Finally, you’ll see a single welcome page, where ChatGPT will warn you that its responses may be inaccurate and that you shouldn’t share sensitive information because the chats may be reviewed by AI trainers. Hit Continue to use ChatGPT.
If you already have a ChatGPT account through OpenAI, you can log in with your existing credentials.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Using ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad
Now you can use ChatGPT just as you would in your web browser, although the user interface does have a slightly different look on mobile.
To ask ChatGPT a question, tap on the text field at the bottom of the screen that says Message. If you want to use the new voice-to-text feature, tap on the audio icon on the far right of the text field. ChatGPT will ask for access to your microphone. After providing access, you can then speak for as long as you like — tap to stop recording. Hit the enter button to send your prompt to ChatGPT.
The voice-to-text feature allows you to speak for minutes at a time while creating ChatGPT prompts.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
In the top right, you can access ChatGPT’s menu, which allows you to rename your chats, delete your chats, view your history, manage your settings and start a new chat.
In your settings, you can subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, which gives you access to OpenAI’s most current language model — GPT-4 — and provides access to ChatGPT, even when demand is high and free users may be locked out. You’ll also get early access to any new features. It’s $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus, but it’s not necessary to pay for ChatGPT on iOS unless you want these advanced features and guaranteed access.
ChatGPT Plus gives you access to GPT-4.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
ChatGPT on iOS is currently limited to the US, but will expand to other countries in the following weeks. And for Android users, don’t fret — OpenAI says that ChatGPT will be coming to Android devices soon.
UEFA’s second-tier club competition reaches its conclusion for the 2023 season today, as Jose Mourinho’s Roma take on José Luis Mendilibar’s Sevilla at the Puskás Arena in Budapest.
Sevilla have become something of a specialist team for this tournament, having lifted the Europa League trophy on six separate occasions.
Former Chelsea and Man United boss Mourinho will meanwhile be looking to guide his Roma side to European glory for the second year in succession, with the Italian side having won last year’s Europa Conference League.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Sevilla vs. Roma: When and where?
Sevilla take on Roma in the Europa League Final at the Puskás Arena in Budapest on Wednesday, May 31. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CEST local time in Hungary (8 p.m. BST in the UK;3 p.m. ET and 12 p.m. PT in the US; and 5 a.m. AEST on Thursday, June 1, in Australia).
How to watch the Sevilla vs. Roma game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Sevilla vs. Roma game in the US
Wednesday’s Europa League finale will be available to stream on Paramount Plus, which has live broadcast rights in the US for every UEFA Europa League and Champions League fixture for the 2022-23 season.
Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans in the US: Essential for $5 a month ($50 a year if you pay annually) and Premium for $10 a month ($100 a year).Both offer coverage of all Europa League and Champions League fixtures this season.
The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming and lacks live CBS feeds as well as the ability to download shows to watch offline later. Newcomers to the service can take advantage of a 30-day free trial, while students may qualify for a 25% discount.
Livestream the Sevilla vs. Roma game in the UK for Free
Live broadcast rights for the Europa League final in the UK are held by BT Sport. However, with this being the final, BT are allowing nonsubscribers to catch all the action for free on the BT Sport website, the BT Sport app and the BT Sport YouTube channel.
For current subscribers, this game is set to be broadcast on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate 4K channels in ultra HD. If you already have BT Sport as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via the BT Sport app, while cord-cutters can also stream via BT Sport Monthly Pass.
Livestream the Sevilla vs. Roma game in Canada
If you want to stream this game live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada, which has exclusive broadcast rights to the Europa League Final.
A DAZN subscription currently costs CA$25 a month or CA$200 a year and will also give you access to the Champions League and EFL Championship soccer, Six Nations rugby and WTA tennis.
As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there’s a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs.
Livestream the Sevilla vs. Roma game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch the UEFA Europa League Final on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive live broadcast rights to the tournament in Australia this season.
Stan Sport will set you back AU$10 per month (on top of a AU$10 Stan subscription), but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.
A subscription will also give you access to the UEFA Champions League and Europa Conference League action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.
Quick tips for streaming the Europa League using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Europa League matches may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Instacart is tapping into artificial intelligence with the launch of Ask Instacart, a new search tool powered by ChatGPT and its own in-house AI tech. Debuting Wednesday, the tool is designed to answer food-related questions, offer product recommendations, and information on ingredients, dietary factors and meal prep.
Customers will find the feature in the shopping app’s search bar where you can ask questions like, “What’s for dinner?,” “What fish is similar to salmon?” or “What are good sauces for grilling chicken?” Ask Instacart aims to help you track down ingredients and products while considering the specifics of your question. The tool can also show customers which foods pair well together and create shopping lists if you have recipe questions.
Instacart regulars may find the upgraded search experience to be more intuitive. The company says that the search function now integrates “personalized question prompts into the search bar that anticipate customer preferences, remind them of their needs based on their shopping history, and inspire them to discover new products.”
Based on their questions via Ask Instacart, customers will be connected to retailers and brand campaigns that highlight new products and old favorites. Currently, Instacart provides access to over one billion items and more than 80,000 retail partners.
The grocery delivery company/ is increasing its reach with AI tools, and recently dropped the Instacart plugin for ChatGPT users. There are plans to introduce additional AI features next year and in the future.
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.
Google will no longer be supporting the first generation of Chromecast, which debuted all the way back in 2013.
In a notice on the Chromecast support page from April 27, Google indicated support for first-gen Chromecast has ended, “which means these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them.” End of support for the device was earlier reported by 9to5Google.
The last firmware version for this edition of Chromecast was released in November 2022. Prior to that, it had been more than three years since the last update.
When it was introduced, the key-shaped Chromecast was priced at $35. It interfaced with users’ smartphones and included access to Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora, HBO Go, Google Music, Vevo, and Google Movies & TV.
Later iterations were introduced in 2015 and 2018. In 2020, Google launched the $50 Chromecast with Google TV, with a remote and revamped interface, intended to compete with Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Apple’s WWDC is less than a week away. The big developer-focused event is set to kick off on Monday, June 5. Traditionally, this event has been where Apple gives us a first look at new software for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. But occasionally we get some new hardware, too.
This year seems set to be the latter. With plenty of rumors circulating around the tech giant’s mysterious augmented reality headset, a new 15-inch MacBook Air and the long-teased Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro, it’s certainly possible there could be some physical products on stage alongside all the software improvements.
Though there’s still some time until Tim Cook pops up on stage and makes things official, here’s what we expect at the keynote address on June 5.
When is WWDC?
Apple’s icon for SwiftUI.
Apple
This year’s WWDC runs June 5 to 9. The opening keynote speech is set for 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on June 5.
The biggest rumor heading into this year’s WWDC is of course the Apple headset. Rumored to be running on a new “XROS,” the device could utilize mixed reality, a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality. There may be eye and hand tracking, high-resolution displays and… a potential $3,000 price tag.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently detailed how Apple plans to incorporate sports, gaming, workouts and iPad apps into the headset to show off what the new platform can do. Whether that’s enough to excite consumers and persuade them to drop three grand or for developers to commit to building apps for it remains to be seen.
MacBook Air 15
The MacBook Air has long been one of Apple’s most popular laptops. Frequently sold with a 13-inch screen, Apple has experimented with different sizes of Airs in the past, including offering an 11-inch model for years. Rumors these days, however, suggest that the company has a larger, 15-inch M2-powered Air raring to go. That once again comes from Bloomberg’s Gurman, who expects the new laptop to be announced at this year’s event. It’s about time.
While rumors point to an imminent announcement, it’s unclear how much Apple might charge for the new Air or how it might fit into the company’s existing MacBook lineup. The 2020 M1-powered 13.3-inch MacBook Air is still sold for $999, while the updated M2-powered 2022 13.6-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. A 16-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, starts at $2,499. Might the 15-inch Air fit somewhere in the middle?
Apple M-Series Mac Pro
The 2019 Mac Pro.
James Martin/CNET
Oh, the Mac Pro. Apple last updated the Mac Pro at WWDC in 2019. Despite some teases that confirmed it’s working on a new one powered by its Apple Silicon chips, the company has largely been quiet about the super powerful computer. Might the “another day” be June 5? It’s possible and Mac Pro fans may want to tune in, but with tempered expectations.
In an April appearance on The MacRumors Show, Gurman, the Apple savant, suggests that it still may arrive this year but not at WWDC.
New software: iOS 17, WatchOS 10 and more
In addition to all the hardware rumors, we can expect Apple to detail the latest updates coming this year to its iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and TVOS platforms.
Apple’s expected unveiling of its mixed reality headset is in just a matter of days, but Qualcomm has announced more of its own AR/VR moves ahead of Apple’s WWDC event. At AWE, an AR-focused developer conference taking place May 31 to June 2 in San Jose, California, chipmaker Qualcomm laid out new steps for how headsets and glasses could work better with phones. That’s exactly where brands like Apple and Google need to go next.
Qualcomm has been working on software bridging AR glasses and Android phones with certain Qualcomm chips for years now, under an infrastructure called Snapdragon Spaces. The company’s latest feature, Dual Render Fusion, aims to make it easier for Android apps already on phones to add AR features that could leap over to connected glasses.
Qualcomm’s chips are already in most of the XR (AR/VR) devices on the market, and a few more that are coming soon: Oppo’s MR Glasses, a mixed reality headset, use cameras to have passthrough video on their display, much like the Quest Pro and Apple’s expected headset. Qualcomm is also working with Google and Samsung on a future mixed reality platform and device expected to be further detailed sometime in the next year.
Both Apple’s headset, and Google’s Samsung-Qualcomm partnership, should and probably will involve letting apps on the devices we already use – phones, and tablets and maybe laptops – work with future headsets. Microsoft’s XR partnership with Qualcomm on chips could also be laying out similar plans for Windows.
Snapdragon Spaces isn’t at all the ideal way for all these apps to work across AR glasses, but it’s a start. And it’s also a hint, once again, that hardware plans are already leaning into the idea of these headsets existing more as interconnected peripherals than standalone devices. That’s fine by me: While the Quest 2 has been impressive, the only way for these goggles and glasses to be more useful is to work seamlessly with the stuff already in our pockets.
Let’s face it, most of us fall into one of two camps when it comes to our files and data. There are those who save everything with little to no organization, and those who don’t think about backing up work until something catastrophic happens and we lose some of our most important data. While this issue was both understandable and sometimes unavoidable in the past if we didn’t have a flash drive on hand, cloud storage now makes it easy to back up our data and access our files from anywhere.
Right now at StackSocial, you can get lifetime access to a whopping 10TB of cloud storage for just $90, saving you hundreds compared to the usual price. This deal on a lifetime subscription expires tonight, May 31, so be sure to get signed up soon if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.
Clearing space on your drive after every big project can be a hassle, and getting to the office only to find you’ve left your external storage or USB drive at home can be a nightmare if you have an important meeting or presentation. That’s why investing in a cloud storage service is so convenient. Degoo lets you upload everything from images, videos and music to software, files and other data, keeping your information safe and secure with 256-bit AES encryption.
With Degoo, you can access your data via your phone, tablet or web browser. And secure file sharing with friends or colleagues is easy, too. Now, one thing to note is that this base plan does have a 1GB file size limit, but there are additional features available through in-app purchases, including a 50GB file size limit upgrade — which might be worth it if you have large files to keep up. Just keep in mind that those add-ons are at additional cost. Still, whether you’re working from home, the office or on the go, you won’t have to worry about losing files just because your hardware fails, and that peace of mind is well worth the investment.
On the surface, the RedMagic Pro 8 has a lot to offer for its $649 ( 579, roughly AU$1,100) price. It runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, comes with plenty of storage and memory, and has a bright 6.8-inch display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The RedMagic’s new processor and other media-friendly specs come at a price that undercuts phones like the $800 Galaxy S23 and $699 OnePlus 11 5G.
But look a little deeper, and you begin to realize why the RedMagic 8 Pro is cheaper than the competition. It only gets one Android version upgrade and two years of security updates, making it hard to recommend. The software skin RedMagic provides on top of Android 13 makes a number of choices that you’ll definitely want to tweak, like changing your default browser and removing a watermark added to every photo by default. The front-facing camera — despite being placed underneath the screen — leaves a lot to be desired.
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Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.
Watch this: RedMagic 8 Pro Review: What to Know About This Lower-Priced Gaming Phone
05:28
While the RedMagic 8 Pro has a stunning screen, an eye-catching design and other perks that gamers will appreciate, its shortcomings could make everyday usability difficult. These issues become especially glaring compared with gaming phone rival Asus, whose ROG Phone 7 line includes beefy specs along with double the length of software and security update support.
The Titanium version of the RedMagic 8 Pro has a transparent back.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
RedMagic 8 Pro design, display, specs
The RedMagic 8 Pro comes in three models: a traditional matte black along with transparent models that show off the inside of the phone. That includes being able to see the phone’s internal cooling fan and the Snapdragon chip.
I tested both the Matte model, which includes 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage, and the step-up $799 Titanium model with a huge 16GB of memory and 512GB of space. That’s a lot of storage and memory for the price, especially when compared to a phone like the OnePlus 11 5G which has 256GB of storage and 16GB of memory for $799. When used in conjunction with the Snapdragon chip, I am able to load multiple games and apps easily.
The RedMagic 8 Pro in Matte black.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The 6.8-inch display can be set to a very bright 1,300-nit max brightness, which made the screen easy to see outside. Like other gaming phones, the RedMagic 8 Pro has a responsive display with this screen including a 960Hz touch sampling rate. This means it responds very quickly to taps and swipes, which I find are helpful for shooting and fighting games.
You can also program two sensors on the corners of the phone to act like shoulder buttons when playing a game horizontally — for instance when I play Fortnite I use the left for aiming and the right for shooting.
The phone’s included 65-watt fast charger can quickly recharge its 6,000mAh battery, which in my testing took the phone from 3% to 97% in 38 minutes. A headphone jack is also included.
When launching a game, the RedMagic 8 Pro turns on a number of performance options while disabling notifications to help focus the phone on gaming.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
RedMagic 8 Pro gaming performance
The RedMagic 8 Pro, like with prior models, includes a dedicated hardware switch that boots the phone into a gaming-focused launcher. It uses a number of settings to help you stay focused on games, including tweaks to the phone’s performance and turning off notifications. Many of these features will also turn on should you decide to launch a game from the standard Android launcher.
I typically select the balanced performance option, which still allows me to set most Android games to their highest graphics settings. You can choose performance settings that prioritize using more power, or prioritize battery life. It’s always fun to load up Fortnite and select the highest frames per second option, the highest graphics option and know that the game will run smoothly.
The RedMagic 8 Pro can boot into a gaming-focused menu.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
While the RedMagic 8 Pro offers smooth gameplay, it does get warm when playing for 20 minutes or longer. The phone has a cooling system that includes a physical cooling fan to help keep the temperature down, but I recommend putting the RedMagic 8 Pro into a case when using it for longer play sessions. By comparison, I find the $1,000 Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate to be more comfortable during a longer gameplay session, even though it lacks a fan. I should note that an earlier RedMagic 8 Pro review unit did overheat on me several times during my testing, leading to the phone powering itself off. That issue didn’t repeat itself on the replacement unit RedMagic lent me.
During game play, you can swipe in a menu overlay for other tweaks without having to boot back to the phone’s menu, like performance settings and recording tools. You can also use the charger just to power the phone rather than replenishing its battery during gameplay, helping you save battery when you’re away from an outlet.
A menu overlay can be activated during games, allowing for quick access to settings.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Our benchmark tests put the RedMagic 8 Pro and the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate roughly on par with each other using the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme tool for comparing graphics on mobile devices.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark
3DMark – Wild Life Extreme score3,6923,7483DMark – Wild Life Extreme frames per second22.122.4
RedMagic 8 Pro
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Note: Higher scores are better
Shifting over to Geekbench 6 testing, which focuses on general processing power, the RedMagic pulls ahead of the Asus but both remain in close range of each other.
Geekbench 6 benchmark testing
Geekbench 6 Single Core1,9161,876Geekbench 6 Multicore5,3585,117
RedMagic 8 Pro
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Note: Higher scores are better
The RedMagic 8 Pro’s cameras can take decent photos, but aren’t great with moving subjects.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
RedMagic 8 Pro cameras
The RedMagic 8 Pro has a main 50-megapixel camera, an 8-megapixel wide angle lens and a 2-megapixel macro lens. However — like with other gaming phones — the cameras on their own aren’t a reason to buy this phone. The rear camera setup is decent enough to provide OK photos in most situations. But its images aren’t as good as those taken on phones like the Pixel 7A or Galaxy S23.
The lobby of the Public Theater, taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The camera app includes a Night mode, which did a decent job of capturing CNET’s very dark TV testing lab, and a Portrait mode that only works on this rear camera setup.
CNET’s TV lab is nearly pitch black, and the Night mode on the RedMagic 8 Pro was able to fill in some of the details.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
I took the phone on my first journey into Grand Central Station’s Long Island Rail Road terminal, documenting the new indoor corridors, a very long escalator and eventually the main terminal floor. There were definitely moments where the cameras blurred moving subjects, such as people walking by. There was also some blur from shaky hands as I was taking quick shots while exploring the terminal.
The Long Island Rail Road platform, taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The entrance to the escalators at Grand Central Station, taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Photography on the RedMagic 8 Pro gets blurry when there’s movement in the background, such as in this photo of the Starbucks in Grand Central Station.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
But for still subjects, such as the architecture of the Grand Central Station’s main concourse, the cameras handle the details quite well.
Grand Central Station’s main concourse, taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
My low-light dinner photography also varied. With the right lighting, the cameras got a clear shot of my beef curry and chicken dishes.
Chicken with vegetables dish taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
Beef curry dish taken on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
A photo of my friend Mark, whom I was eating with, makes him look OK but you can also see that the camera struggled with smoothing out people moving behind him, leading to blurriness.
My friend Mark is in focus, but moving people in the background are blurry.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The RedMagic 8 Pro also lost out in my photo test against the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. In my comparison photos below using a grass wall in CNET’s office, I found the RedMagic 8 Pro made the entire wall look like a similar shade of green, while the Asus did a better job at differentiating between different shades while showing the white flowers more clearly.
The grass wall in CNET’s office take on the RedMagic 8 Pro.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The grass wall at CNET’s office taken on the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
The rear cameras can also shoot video at 8K resolution and 30 frames per second, or 4K resolution and 60 frames per second.
While the rear camera is a mixed bag, the 16-megapixel front-facing camera’s best feature is its ability to stay hidden behind the phone’s screen. The photo quality is so bad, it’s like RedMagic wants you to forget it’s even there.
The front-facing camera of the RedMagic 8 Pro does not take great photos, with images that lack detail.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
In a darker environment, the front-facing camera can’t seem to perceive me.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
But the ability for the camera to function at all from behind a display is still very cool. Even though the image quality is scratchy and reminiscent of flip phone cameras from 10 years ago, this is an area that I absolutely expect will improve in the coming years. If phone makers can find a way to include a decent selfie camera underneath the display, that would rid us of the various display notches and cutouts currently required to squeeze a camera inside of a screen.
One important note about the camera, which I learned when reviewing last year’s RedMagic 7: Go into the settings and turn off the watermark that is set by default. Otherwise every photo you take will feature an advertisement for the phone.
RedMagic 8 Pro software
That photo watermark issue leads me into my biggest qualms about the RedMagic 8 Pro. Even though RedMagic runs on Android 13, the UI that the company makes has an unintuitive settings menu and makes strange default app choices, such as using the NextWord browser, which I immediately swapped out for Firefox. Fortunately, all default apps can be swapped out for your preferred options.
By default, the phone doesn’t have the app drawer turned on, instead placing all apps across various homescreen panels. I toggled that on so I can keep the majority of my apps hidden from the homescreen to make it appear less cluttered. This might not be an issue for a mobile phone gamer who already prefers to set up their own launchers and customize an Android phone toward their exact needs. But it’s worth calling out that this isn’t a great phone for Android novices or someone that prefers to use a device straight out of the box.
My biggest problem with the RedMagic 8 Pro is its short commitment to software and security updates compared to rival phones. Currently, the phone is only set to get one major software update to Android 14 and its security update commitment is only for about one and a half to two years. Asus on the other hand is now committing to two years of software updates and four years of security updates for its ROG Phone 7 line. Even cheaper phones like the $499 Pixel 7A are getting three years of software updates and five years of security updates.
This means that someone who buys the RedMagic 8 Pro should do so with the understanding that they should upgrade their device within two years. Perhaps the phone is meant for a gamer who knows that they will want the latest and greatest chip in two years anyway, but it’s a shortcoming that’s important to understand when other comparable phones are getting four or more years of security updates.
The RedMagic 8 Pro is let down by its frustrating software experience and short support commitment.
Mike Sorrentino/CNET
RedMagic 8 Pro bottom line
The RedMagic 8 Pro gets a lot right with its design, display and specs for gaming, but its performance as a phone is where things start to fall apart. Even though games look and play great on the RedMagic, its confusing customization of Android 13 combined with its short software and security update commitment make the phone hard to recommend.
If you buy the RedMagic 8 Pro to use as a phone, you will need to make adjustments to its settings in order to turn off or remove junk, and the less you use the front-facing camera the better.
Because of these software issues and the short support commitment, I generally recommend the $1,000 Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate instead, even with its higher price. Its Android UI has a much lighter touch than what RedMagic provides, its gaming modes are stacked with options, it has comparable specs, photography is better and the phone offers a longer support cycle.
How we test phones
Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using both standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.
All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.
We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds, foldable displays among others that can be useful. And we balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value.
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