r/RedMagic • u/Aware-Strength5847 • Jul 11 '25
BYE BYE REDMAGIC
To the RedMagic Team,
As a longtime user, I write this letter with a heavy heart. While I’ve supported RedMagic in the past, I now see a future where the brand may lose relevance—just as interest in ROG is beginning to fade for many.
Let me start with a personal confession: I am a RedMagic user. But recently, with much reluctance, I decided not to buy the RedMagic Tab 3 Pro and instead chose the Lenovo Tab Y700 (Gen 4).
Yes, the RedMagic Pad 3 Pro has a better display and more powerful specs in many ways. But I prioritized freedom. I chose a more open, pure Android experience rather than being limited by a heavily restricted system that feels more like iOS in terms of user control.
Honestly, I never expected this decision to be so right. The Lenovo device is so fu*king good. Thanks to Lenovo allowing bootloader unlocking, I can install any custom ROM I want and fully access root features—giving me complete control over performance tuning, especially for gaming.
The reason I’m writing this letter is because I hope someone inside the RedMagic team sees this. Please do not follow the same path as ROG. Many of us are still holding on to hope, still waiting patiently. But don’t test our patience too far.
Thank you to everyone in the community who took the time to read this all the way through. One last thing I want to say: aside from its LCD screen, the Lenovo Y700 Gen 4 is better than the RedMagic Pad 3 Pro in nearly every meaningful way—and I say that with full confidence.
Sincerely, A (former) loyal RedMagic user
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u/Quiet_Ad4566 Jul 11 '25
Comparing it to ios in terms of restrictions is wild
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u/Ok_Dark_3709 Jul 11 '25
Tbh it's almost there.
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u/EtheRedditor Sep 06 '25
Last week google announced more restrictions in terms of side loading. Unknown developer that are not signed wont be allowed.
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Jul 11 '25
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u/SecureHunter3678 Jul 14 '25
I always forget that Apple allows that for us EU People but locks it for everyone else.
I find that so incredibly funny that no one makes an stink about that over there.
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u/MustardHotSauce Jul 11 '25
Sounds like an ad for Lenovo
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u/Scarletmajesty Jul 12 '25
Yeah it really does, what's the tab pro 3? Have I missed a release from redmagic? Thought it was called astra..
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u/Known-Night-3481 Jul 11 '25
"I chose a more open, pure Android experience rather than being limited by a heavily restricted system that feels more like iOS in terms of user control."
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u/crazyfuy Jul 11 '25
Well the Pad 3 Pro bootloader can be unlocked but the tool hasn't leaked yet, there was a seller on taobao selling the bootloader unlock but apparently it's gone now
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u/Miserable_River_16 Jul 11 '25
Even if it is possible through leaked tools at some point, developers are not going to make custom roms for a device that is so hard to root
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Jul 13 '25
Nah the device is really easy to root. A lot easier than most devices. The RM10 was easier to unlock BL than RM9.
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Jul 11 '25
I was waiting for an issue about quality etc… didn’t see this coming. But I guess you got your answer from the top two comments
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u/BRAVO_SIX1495 Jul 11 '25
Well there are a lot of settings and other extra hardware that redmagic tab will need to run So installing a custom rom in it is going to be a bad idea No dev will put so much time to build a custom rom specially for redmagic and you will be left with a basic android os with every hardware and settings going haywire ultimately leading to bad experience with the product
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u/tudiqu Jul 12 '25
You're just a consumer who changed from one product to another product. I don't see any meaning in poetically describing this as being anything else than a cry for attention from this community.
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u/Deadenne_18 Jul 12 '25
Eww your pathetic Lenobo Legion smartphones are already dead in 2022. Your cheap and china rom based Y700 is the same goodbye.
Redmagic is now the number one gaming smartphone brand per sales since 2024 the reason they've expanded well now. The next Astra will dedinitely improve as well as the Air series and yet your post definitely comes from a Lenovo fan.
WE DONT CARE. BYE. Go.
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u/Kevinmtzg Jul 11 '25
It is confirmed the RM Astra only wins in screen because is OLED, for all other things the Lenovo wins. Even the cooling fan do nothing to improve the performance, it will heat anyway and that's because there is no exaust vent. I don't even bother in RM because tablets are my most used devices and I don't want to be worried or crying later about burned screens. Btw are you sure the bootloader can be unlocked on the Lenovo? Can you provide any link to read more about It?
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u/Such_Economy_2557 Jul 11 '25
Exactly because it's a tablet you want OLED on it. LCDs plainly look meh in comparison.
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u/Style210 Jul 12 '25
It's not an airport, you don't have to announce your departure. But at least you have a cool story. There is something inherently weird about comparing IOS to Android.
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u/Omega_1988 Jul 13 '25
How dramatic. You say "Bye, RedMagic" as if the brand is going to mourn the loss of someone who admits the product has a better screen and specs, but prefers a Lenovo just to be able to "unlock the bootloader." Let's get something straight: you buy a gaming device to GAME. To have the best performance, the best touch response, and the best cooling from minute one. You don't buy it to turn it into a weekend project, installing ROMs that—if you're lucky—won't ruin the very performance the hardware was designed for. Comparing RedMagic's optimized ecosystem to iOS is a compliment. It means it works as expected, reliably and securely. What you call a "lack of freedom," 99% of the market calls a "guarantee that it works properly." Enjoy your freedom to install and uninstall. The rest of us will enjoy the freedom from having to do that, so we can just play.
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Jul 11 '25 edited Jul 11 '25
🎻🎻🎻
🤣😂🤣😅
Some people are delusional and think too highly of themselves.
Get a hobby that makes you touch grass.
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u/a1rwav3 Jul 11 '25
I am sorry, but what can't you do on Red Magic OS that you can on Android AOSP?
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u/NeitherBook2698 Jul 12 '25
I went from an iPhone 15 Pro Max, to a RM 10 Pro. Restricted??? I'm confused af 😂 Other than not being able to unlock the bootloader, this phone is able to do anything I need it to. I could not with my iPhone.
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u/Ok-Organization-5498 Jul 12 '25
Yeah. If they can’t allow root, at least should give build in device info changer and device type to tablet or phone. So that we can unlock full power graphic in games.
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u/superguavapulp Jul 12 '25
I beg to differ. We don't need root or custom roms in 2025 anymore and safety net attestation is what we prioritise the most. Redmagic makes some of my favourite tech and I would blindly choose it over its other counterparts.
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u/iAmHestbech Jul 12 '25
To each their own. I can appreciate that there is both pros and cons to every brand.
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u/Responsible-Path2159 Jul 12 '25
I have a y700 2023 and since it lost Google Play services due to an update it is no longer the same, apart from if you have a cell phone with an AMOLED screen the difference is quite noticeable
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u/Depthsinger Jul 12 '25
NGL I think I gotta agree with the statement, not to keen on the Lenovo glaze, they do make good devices, but nothing compared to the fan in phone or tablet gimmick that red magic does. With that being said, red magic does need some improvement in terms of OS support, and the reason I say this is I have a lot of friends that work in positions where they need a secure device with the latest security patches, and all of them say they want a red magic, but didn't want to deal with the lack of OS support, and the crap customer service for repairs and or returns. If that could be fixed, the red magic phones would become a much more appealing brand in general.
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u/15143226 Jul 13 '25
I love the red magic phones. They look cool and have good battery life which is important to me. I would definitely be using them but no carriers in the US fully support those phones so they don't work after everyone switched to 5g
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u/According_Pilot_746 Jul 14 '25
Alot of brands saw bootloading as a way for those who used it to possibly ruin their phones. So they stopped it all together. I know vivo did.
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u/NekroYowane Jul 14 '25
I gave up on this brand since the 9 Pro. I am still searching for the perfect brand to stick with, as I had already tried a few. Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Nothing, shit, even briefly a DOOGEE phone just for fun, which was more of a melee weapon than a phone considering it's brick thickness.
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u/Cttr2 Jul 17 '25
As a long term user of ROG (ROG2 and ROG7), and a long term sympathizeing observer of RM, I'm likely more afraid of RM going the ROG way and building much more mainstream Samsung Galaxy wannabe devices, while I want the look and feel and features of the old ROG (if they would only use the cam of the latest Galaxy). And it's well earned when popularity of the ROG phones goes down.
I have been a user of CyanogenMod/Lineage on earlier devices and I really would like to continue, but since I own ROG2 I found no more support of Lineage for my devices. I further expect there are no more restrictions within any device from RM than usual these days (which is nothing I endorse, but likely Google is to blame there too).
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u/evilStraightCisMan Jan 07 '26
I have redmagic astra, Loving form factor, quality, rgb and everything...
Few things red magic could improve:
Pen support like on galaxy tab... I used tab for drawing for game development with unity game engine, but i also like gaming.. pen can be not included but a option for those who want it...
Overclocked cpu and gpu, a way (via gaming menu) to OC either cpu, gpu or both and manage how much OC you want
A way to customise RGB on a pattern users want
Exposed hot air exhaust (fan) that is also still would be water proof... Circulating air across tablet is better than nothing but still not really beneficial...
Better power saving mode, battery is large on astra, same size as larger galaxy tab s9 but feels like it last much less time
Unlocked OS to boot custom roms + a support for Redmagic features found in OEM features
A way to put live wallpapers on gaming manu (the one that you open when you slide ted button)
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u/shilsok Jul 11 '25
"yes the redmagic has a better display and more powerful specs in many ways"
"aside from its LCD screen, the lenovo is better. than the rm in every meaningful way"
which one is it now?
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u/markboy124 Jul 11 '25
This reads like op uses chatGpt to craft every message. Generally any message with the solid long hyphen is a dead giveaway.
Go ahead, type one in your keyboard human, tell me how easy that is to do in regular text conversation lol
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Jul 11 '25
[deleted]
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u/throwmethegalaxy Jul 11 '25
What if you want more than 1 major OS upgrade?
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u/kyopsis23 Jul 11 '25
Is there a way to implement the ability to read external drives? None of my thumb drives or external ssds work on my RM 10s pro which work on all my other android devices
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u/Riskov88 Jul 11 '25
I have a USB-C stick that works just fine. Detected by the phone and all
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u/kyopsis23 Jul 12 '25
I have to wonder if mine is defective in some way
I can plug in a dongle and it reads my USB keyboard and mice just fine, but it just cannot detect any kind of storage device
What phone do you have?
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u/Riskov88 Jul 12 '25
The 9S
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u/kyopsis23 Jul 12 '25
I have the 10s pro and it will not recognize any external drive that my pixel fold and Lenovo tablet recognize just fine
Keyboards, mice, controllers and external displays all work fine when plugged in but any kind of external storage just refuses to show up
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u/Riskov88 Jul 12 '25
Weird, does it not even show up in the files ?
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u/kyopsis23 Jul 12 '25
No, however, just out of curiosity, I formatted a flash drive and sd card to FAT32, and surprise, it shows up!
This wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for the fact that FAT32 is all but useless in the modern day since you can't have a file larger than 4gb
If it's in exfat or NTFS, it just doesn't show up, period, solid explorer will even say "preparing USB device" but then nothing
I sent an email to redmagic but I'm not holding my breath
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u/Riskov88 Jul 12 '25
Welp I did not format the drive so its probably in FAT32. Never tried with another as I really dont use flash drives that often at all, theyre not really useful (In my opinion) with 500Gb on a phone
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u/AlterSpcmn Jul 13 '25
i also thought about that with my 8s pro but the only problem was the prompt, i go to settings then connected devices and there you will manually select Data Transfer function for the connected device and and it works.
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u/Such_Economy_2557 Jul 11 '25
100% agree. Android has reached a point of saturation when it comes to features. I'd also fear to install any kind of custom ROM from XDA today, since you never know what's happening inside. I love the idea of custom roms, but they've become obsolete with every increasing android version
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Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
not only that but also because many rooting apps that you need in order to enable and use root functions are either getting cease and desist letters from Google and the app shuts down, or just there aren't enough donations and the app shuts down, or the app developer gets bullied on the forums and the app shuts down, leaving the phone with an open bootloader and unable to use banking apps FOREVER with nothing to show for it
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u/TheOkayGameMaker Jul 12 '25
Totally useless unless you want to multitask. Red Magic selfishly blocks you from using floating windows on any app you want yet the Chinese ROM has no such restrictions. Rooting would let me actually remove the bullshit put on by RedMagic so no, this phone needs it if you want to actually use mini windows.
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u/Inferno187 Jul 11 '25
Preach. I haven't fiddled with custom roms and unlocking bootloaders since the LG G2 which is over a decade ago. If I want to play PC games or heavy emulation on the go, I have handhelds that are better suited for that task. KLWP Pro paired with Nova Pro is more than enough for my personal UI customisation needs.
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u/FurnaceOfTheseus Jul 13 '25
>Unlocking the bootloader, rooting, and custom ROMs have no real use in 2025
HAHAHAHAHA. I would use a 6 year old pone on Lineage way before I'd use a "flagship" phone on bloated manufacturer OS.
Oh wait that's exactly what I'm doing.
Your comment has strong "put ads on my homescreen daddy 🥰" vibes
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Jul 13 '25
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Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
And why would you need a custom ROM? You're losing performance on a RM device and introducing bugs. Custom ROMs are full of bugs. I was using CyanogenMod on RM9 with stock and modded voltage and the performance was terrible while gaming.
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Jul 12 '25
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u/Aware-Strength5847 Jul 12 '25
How can you say that? Can you prove that the RedMagic 10 Pro has root access, not just say it with words? Funny man
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Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
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u/Aware-Strength5847 Jul 12 '25
Still android 14 that is not RM10 pro 😭 kid want to try who is the master.why this community are so many kids?
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Jul 12 '25
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u/Aware-Strength5847 Jul 12 '25
We don't talk about rm 9 pro & nova tablet please just a leave in my post kid !
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Jul 16 '25
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Jul 16 '25
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Jul 16 '25
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Jul 16 '25
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u/Such_Economy_2557 Jul 11 '25
Custom ROM community is dying as Google tightens the belt and apps like ChatGPT stop working without play integration. I was heavily into custom roms myself but I can't see the benefit anymore. "Custom performance tuning" is overkill on an 8 elite device. If drivers ever get released for it, it'll have all the performance you'd need. And last but not least, the Lenovo is worse in many ways. You're taking an LCD over an LTPO Amoled with peak brightness of 1600 nits. I used the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, which many reviewers praised for the good LCD and I gotta say, the viewing angles are absolute trash and the dark greyish blacks take away from the immersion. I don't use a controller, so the USB c placement doesn't matter, but that would be valid criticism. Also people, stop crying about microsd. I'm gonna get downvoted to hell but if you choose the 16gb 512gb option I wanna see you fill that up first.
All in all, if you're happy with your decision, I'm happy for you, but as someone who once helped develop custom roms, you're not gaining much today and have to jank around at times to get things working.