Portable Gaming Kings: REDMAGIC 11S Pro vs Steam Deck

Today, everything is fast-paced and constantly on the go. From work to leisure, we need devices that can keep up with our dynamic lifestyles, wherever we go. The mobile gaming industry began to boom following the popularity of smartphones, gaining on PC and console gaming due to its convenience, versatility, and performance-driven power. However, portable gaming also took various other shapes as time went by, leading to a somewhat crowded handheld gaming market.

Today, we'll be exploring the REDMAGIC 11S Pro and how it compares to the Steam Deck OLED, focusing on how the devices elevate gaming in their own ways. Ultimately, we'll be figuring out which device is better suited to your needs. So, without further ado, let's get to know more about these handhelds.

Steam Deck Overview

Produced by Valve Corporation, the Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer designed to run games available on its Steam storefront. Partnering with AMD, the company created a custom APU for the Steam Deck, which is optimized for handheld gaming. Running on Zen 2 + RDNA 2, it also has enough power to run the latest AAA games in a very efficient power envelope. However, how does it measure up to the latest flagship from REDMAGIC?

Pro Just Went More Pro

Recently, we released the REDMAGIC 11S Pro as the successor to the 11 Pro. With an enhanced, leading version of the Qualcomm 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, pioneering liquid cooling technology, and a 7,500mAh battery, the 11S Pro is already in the big leagues. Now, you might automatically assume that being built only for gameplay alone, the Steam Deck outweighs the 11S Pro gaming smartphone easily. However, that's far from the case, as we'll explore further now.

Comparing the Greats

The REDMAGIC 11S Pro and Steam Deck OLED are both powerful and exemplary devices, each with its own features and fittings that have allowed them to gain traction in the portable gaming industry. However, it's our job to discern which product would ultimately be best to use at the end of the day. To summarize a few main points, we've drawn up a handy table to compare the devices.

Feature	REDMAGIC 11S Pro	Steam Deck OLED
Dimensions & Weight	163.82mm x 76.54mm x 8.9mm 230g	298mm x 117mm x 49mm 640g
Refresh Rate	Up to 144Hz	Up to 90Hz
Game Library	Google Play Store	Steam
Control Adaptation	520Hz customizable shoulder triggers	Dual track pads, D-pad, 2 analog sticks
Gaming Compatibility	Comprehensive compatibility with most games	Limited or varied compatibility
Battery	7,500mAh (Single Cell) 80W wireless and wired fast charging Reverse charging Charge Separation battery protection	50Whr battery 3-12 hours of gameplay PD3.0 Type C power supply 45W 2.5m cable
Sensors	3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, electronic compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, infrared sensor	Dual ambient light sensor ALS

While you could simply look at the specs and try to decide the winner, it's important to understand the devices within the context of their development. After all, we built these powerhouses to satisfy your needs as the user. Based on research done by REDMAGIC, the key factors that influence a customer's purchase of a gaming device come down to a powerful chipset, battery life, fast charging support, and the ultimate price-to-value ratio. Each of these points is crucial in developing a world class gaming device, so let's take a more detailed look at how they measure up.

Your Power Potential

When it comes to performance, the Steam Deck OLED is a powerhouse in its own right, with near-native PC performance from its 6nm AMD Zen2 Van Gogh CPU. However, the REDMAGIC 11S Pro seems to be willing to fight for its place as well. Armed with the leading version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, the 11S Pro ensures speed and power, easily clocking up to 4.74GHz.

Going a step further, the 11S Pro also makes use of our REDMAGIC RedCore R4 gaming chip that offers customizable in-game effects, Qualcomm-driven 2K super-resolution smooth visuals, and intelligent power and heat management. The Energy Cube 3.0 and Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology also ensure real-time optimization and dynamic CPU, GPU, memory, cooling, and touch resource allocation to ensure improved FPS stability, faster responsiveness, and less power consumption and heat.

When using the REDMAGIC 11 Pro, which has slightly lower CPU clock speeds than the 11S Pro, TrueEasyTech decided to match the smartphone up to the Steam Deck OLED in his YouTube review. He then tested Spider-Man Remastered on the Steam Deck OLED and compared it with the 11 Pro's performance using Winlator 11 and Proton 11 Winlator.

In the end, the 11 Pro got to almost the same FPS as the Steam Deck OLED while running similar graphics settings. However, we want to stress that power and performance is not the main driving point for the 11S Pro in the long run, rather, we've found that what actual gamers care about is how their chosen device can adapt to and improve their lifestyle. This is an area of comparison where the 11S Pro can truly shine, but we'll look into that a bit more later.

Battery Endurance and Charging

The Steam Deck OLED uses a 50Whr battery, which roughly translates to around 6470mAh at 7.74V. This ensures 3 to 12 hours of gameplay. The handheld also comes with a 45W PD 3.0 Type-C, 2.5m cable power adaptor to keep you juiced up and ready to go. On the other end, the 11S Pro comes fitted with a 7,500mAh battery built for all-day, high-intensity performance.

With the 11S Pro, you can enjoy up to 34.1 hours of power for daily use, 7.4 hours of Genshin Impact gameplay at full frame rate, and 12.5 hours of YouTube live streaming at 1080p using maximum brightness and volume. The gaming smartphone also comes with 80W wired and wireless fast charging, along with our first-ever two-way, reverse charging system and Charge Separation to protect your battery from damage if you need to recharge while you play. Ultimately, the 11S Pro gives you power for a wider range of tasks, excelling in versatile battery and charging usage more than anything else.

Bang for Your Buck

Another important factor to consider is the price-to-value ratio, which can be a more subjective matter in the long run. However, it's important to note that the REDMAGIC 11S Pro is much more than simply a gaming device and offers high-performance multitasking for daily use and versatile smartphone tasks.

When it comes to compatibility in gaming, the 11S Pro runs on Android, giving you access to the full Google Play Store. Here, you can download mobile games and emulators to enjoy PC and console games alike. For the Steam Deck, users can access the Steam library for games, launchers, and more. However, many games have to be classified as verified, playable, unsupported, or unknown; which limits the gaming variety for regular players who might not want to tweak settings.

Alongside an enhanced Game Space hub with Frame Interpolation technology and several features to elevate your gameplay, the 11S Pro is still a leading smartphone that gives you all the benefits you'd expect day-to-day. From superior camera capture, stellar display, and innovative cooling to Gemini AI assistance, expanded connectivity, and intensive processing, the 11S Pro goes beyond the extra mile to give you an overarching smartphone experience. This is where we can start to highlight the 11S Pro's overarching capabilities when it comes to helping you as the average person.

Which Device Suits My Lifestyle?

This should be the final question you ask before making a decision between the two devices. With all their bells and whistles, both devices ultimately need to serve a purpose in your life that improves the way you approach gameplay, along with everything else. Now, the Steam Deck offers gaming power that often cannot be matched, which is why we won't try to. Instead, we'll keep our focus where it has always remained: with the fans themselves.

Above and beyond exceptional gameplay and gaming mechanics, we want to stress that the REDMAGIC 11S Pro is more than meets the eye. For this, let's see how the device fares when trying to fit into your lifestyle each day:

Convenience

Naturally, the 11S Pro is a much smaller, more lightweight, and portable device to carry around, travel with, and keep on you. Being a fully fledged smartphone with all the features you could need, it's also easier to simply have one device that does it all than having to carry a Steam Deck and your normal smartphone everywhere you go.

Pioneering Cooling

The 11 Pro already made headlines as the first mass-produced smartphone with liquid cooling. Now, the 11S Pro can continue that legacy alongside an upgraded and expanded AquaCore system that ensures 2 - 3°C lower temperatures than the REDMAGIC 11 Pro during peak performance.

Using AI server-grade flowing fluorinated liquid alongside the industry's largest 13,116 mm² vapor chamber, Liquid Metal 3.0, and a 24,000 RPM turbo fan, the 11S Pro effortlessly improves heat dissipation and keeps you gaming for longer with stability and endurance to match your winning streak.

Versatility for Every Day

The 11S Pro was built for superior gaming and everyday tasks. This is the gist of what makes it such a versatile, all-in-one device. While the Steam Deck might push gameplay a step further at times, it has limited capabilities in real-world situations. The 11S Pro is an advanced smartphone with expanded connectivity, cameras, enhanced display, Gemini AI assistance, and several other features that make it the right choice for your day-to-day.

Choose Power with Versatility

When it comes to choosing between the REDMAGIC 11S Pro and the Steam Deck OLED, you need to consider what you're willing to compromise on and what you're willing to invest in further. While the Steam Deck is a formidable gaming handheld that provides high performance gameplay in its own right, it cannot match the versatility of the 11S Pro gaming smartphone. Ultimately, if you're looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one gaming and day-to-day device, the 11S Pro offers all that and so much more.