I Think the RedMagic 11 Air's Best Feature Is Its Price for the Hardware - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The RedMagic 11 Air's $499 price is great with a powerful processor, big battery and 80-watt fast charging -- but it also has flawed software. The RedMagic 11 Air’s at its best for gaming, but it’s still hard to imagine as a phone. During my time using the RedMagic 11 Air, I had moments that I could see how this phone could be a great deal for its $499 price. Many of the hardware features I like from the more-expensive Pro models have made it to the pared-back Air largely unchanged: It has the big 7,000-mAh battery, 80-watt wired charging, a high-resolution 6.85-inch screen free of any display cutouts and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor (a slight step down from the highest-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip) that quickly boots up games like Red Dead Redemption and Crazy Taxi. The RedMagic 11 Air has 80W wired charging. But then I actually start using the Air as a phone and see near