Computers have been using air cooling solutions for ages now. Phones, however, have always been relying on passive cooling. Now the Nubia Red Magic 3 may be here to change that as it's the first Android gaming smartphone to use an internal cooling fan. Let's check it out!
Why Would We Need a Cooling Fan?
So, this is the Nubia Red Magic 3 and as we mentioned above, it comes with an internal fan for cooling and RGB lighting on the back. Now, we're not sure about the whole RGB thing, but this is most likely the first phone ever to actually come with a cooling fan installed.
But, why? After all, up till now, we've been completely fine without using any fans whatsoever. So, what's the big deal?
Well, as it turns out, overheating has been a legitimate issue with powerful smartphones for a while now. Especially when it comes to gaming which is one of the most demanding things that you can do on a phone.
Overheating introduces two big problems:
- Degradation of components
- Lag
Computers and smartphones do not like heat. When they get hotter than what is considered safe, thermal throttling comes into action. Basically, they'll turn down their CPU frequency/speed to save the phone from getting too hot.
Overall, phones that are running hotter have a chance of dying sooner and are also laggy. That's where the fan comes in. When the temperatures start climbing up, the fan will kick in to cool down the phone a bit and prevent it from overheating.
It's not a new concept. But, it's absolutely something new for smartphones. Definitely a "cool" idea. Or is it?
Potential Issues With Cooling Fans
One of the reasons that smartphones are so freaking endurable is because they don't have any moving parts that wear down with use. That's also why numerous people freaked out with the idea of mechanical sliders.
If you've got moving parts in your device, then it's a given that they'll wear down eventually. The only question is when.
Thankfully, decent cooling fans are one of the most endurable moving parts on a computer. They can last for years and chances are that something else will break before the fans.
That's probably the case with smartphones as well... Hopefully. Because if your only fan decides to give up on you, no pun intended, then you may have something big to worry about.
See, unlike "normal" smartphones, chances are this device is designed is mostly designed to work with active cooling. I mean, duh.
But, what happens when your primarily cooling solution gives up on you? In this case, passive cooling is only used for when you're not doing anything power intensive with this device. So, that's something to keep in mind.
Also, unlike with computers, we move our smartphones around a lot. And it's not the same thing with Laptops as we move those carefully in their protective carrying bags and not in our pockets.
Specifications
So, the Numbia Red Magic 3 clearly has some fancy design going on. It comes with the cooling fan, RGB lighting, the whole gaming aesthetic, but what about the internals? What does this bad boy offer?
Overall, those are the specs:
- OS: Android Pie
- Chipset: Snapdragon 855
- CPU: 4 Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8 GHz, 3 Cortex-A76 cores at 2.42 GHz, and 1 Cortex-A76 core at 2.84 GHz (May be slightly wrong as this is what the 855 offers and Nubia hasn't given the exact core clocks)
- GPU: Adreno 640
- Display: 6.5-inch AMOLED display at 90 Hz with a 240 Hz touch panel
- RAM and storage: 6 gigs of RAM and 64 gigabytes of storage or 8 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of storage, or 12 gigs of RAM and 256 gigs of storage
- Camera: Single main camera at 48MP capable of recording up to 8K and 1920FPS and a single front camera at 16MP
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
Nubia Red Magic 3: Wrapping up
Overall, we're definitely looking at a very beefy device with both pros and cons. While the cooling fan is definitely a good idea, it's also a moving part that can wear down with usage.
As for the rest of the phone, it's definitely very powerful and at a compelling price. Starting from $475 and gets up to $640 depending on which version you want. You can get it starting on May 3 from Nubia and JD.com. That is if shipping is available for you country and assuming that you won't have to pay a ton of import fees.
The specs are very impressive, though. The battery is a monster and the 90 Hz AMOLED display with the 240 Hz touch panel is a welcome addition.
If software developers are up to the task of making their games compatible with this kind of technology, then smartphone gaming is going to massively change for the better. After all, most games won't even allow you to go up to 60 FPS, never mind about 90. Not only because of power issues, but also because of inadequate cooling.
So, it's definitely very interesting to see if this trend will change anything. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
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