Modest camera hardware, underdisplay selfies
The RedMagic 11 Air features a relatively run-of-the-mill camera system with two rear modules – a wide main camera and an ultrawide one. On the front, you get the maker’s staple under-display selfie camera that hides behind the OLED pixels when not in use.
The main camera has been carried over from the 10 Air, and it’s sort of the same as on the 11 Pro. The sensor is the same alright, the OmniVision OV50E, but it’s the lens that’s neither here nor there. The camera app and the EXIF data on the images say 24mm, but hardware apps report it at 21mm, and the photos sure do look wider than 24mm, with 21mm being a lot more plausible.
The ultrawide camera is, curiously, a downgrade compared to the 10 Air. There have been RedMagics with 8MP ultrawide cameras, but not for a while now, instead opting for 50MP units. Well, we’re back to 8MP. It’s a fixed-focus lens too, so no closeups or pretend-macro modes.
There’s no telephoto on here, but RedMagics aren’t really the domain to expect much along those lines.
The underdisplay selfie camera uses one of the OmniVision 16MP sensors that ZTE/nubia/RedMagic utilize, but it’s again a lesser model than the one fitted on the 10 Air or the 11 Pro (or the nubia Z80 Ultra, for example) – this one is the older OV16A unit with a 1/3.06″ optical format instead of the more recent OV16E 1/2.8″ variants.
- Wide (main): 50MP OmniVision OV50E (1/1.55″, 1.0µm-2.0µm); 24mm (but really 21mm), f/1.9, OIS, multi-directional PDAF (11cm – ∞); 8K30/4K60 video recording.
- Ultrawide: 8MP OmniVision OV08F (1/4.0″, 1.12µm); 14mm, f/2.2, fixed focus; 1080p30.
- Front camera: 16MP OmniVision OV16A (1/3.06″, 1.0µm-2.0µm); 27mm, f/2.0, fixed focus; 1080p30.
Daylight photo quality
Main camera
The RedMagic 11 Air’s main camera photos are good. They have great dynamic range and excellent contrast. White balance is fairly accurate, with only occasional small missteps, mainly indoors. Color saturation is pretty great too. Detail is decent too – it’s not the most likeable rendition of random textures, but it’s not too bad either.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
There’s something going on with the way the phone renders facial detail in Photo mode, and we don’t like the heavy sharpening. Portrait mode’s rendition is a lot more natural, but then you don’t get the full benefits of the HDR processing there, so it’s a balance of pros and cons without a real winner. There’s also a 33mm mode for portraits, which results in softer images (with limited dynamic range again).
Human subjects, main camera: Photo mode, 1x • Portrait mode, 24mm • Portrait mode, 33mm
The main camera’s full-res mode will give you relatively soft results that are also heavily sharpened, and a little grainy – we’d argue it’s of little use.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP
The phone doesn’t have a 2x shortcut in the viewfinder, but we still thought it appropriate to give it a shot. What we got isn’t great – in fact, photos are a little worse than the 50MP 1x images on a pixel level, though the metering might be better tuned to your scene when you shoot in this cropped mode rather than cropping from the 50MP shots in post.
Daylight samples, main camera (2x)
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera’s photos are decent. They’re a bit more anemic than those from the main camera – less contrasty and not as saturated. Detail is so-so – we didn’t expect much from the 8MP resolution, but even in the realm of 8MP ultrawides, these aren’t the best of photos in terms of definition.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Selfies
Selfies aren’t great on the RedMagic 11 Air. They have a distinct painting look, with detail rendered in broad paintbrush strokes. The RedMagic 11 Pro’s implementation, while hardly perfect, is a lot better, and even the 10 Air’s selfies are a bit more detailed (if excessively contrasty). It’s not a phone for selfie enthusiasts, this RedMagic.
Selfie samples
Low-light photo quality
Main camera
The main camera does a respectable job at night – within the context of the class, at least. It exposes well and has good dynamic range, though its highlight restoration might just be returning false colors in some situations. The auto white balance isn’t exactly on point, but it’s never too far off, and saturation is quite pleasing. Detail is pretty good, in fact.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x)
2x zoom photos aren’t great in broad daylight, and they’re not great at night either. Still, if you set your expectations reasonably and you stick to fit-to-screen magnifications, these will do.
Low-light samples, main camera (2x)
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide’s low-light performance is alright. Photos are certainly not the sharpest, but you get decent detail when there’s some light to work with. Dynamic range is quite good, and colors, while somewhat overly saturated, still look pretty pleasing.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Video quality
The RedMagic 11 Air can record video up to 8K30 with its main camera on the back, while in 4K it supports 30fps and 60fps recording. The ultrawide camera maxes out at 1080p60 (1080p30 is also available, of course). The selfie camera’s top mode is 1080p30. There’s no 24fps option, not in the Pro video mode either.
From the settings menu, you can choose between h.264 and h.265 codecs for standard dynamic range. In there, you’ll also find an HDR10 option, which works for all quality settings on the main camera only (including 8K), and that uses h.265 as well.
Electronic video stabilization is available in all quality settings on the rear cameras except for 8K. There’s no EIS for selfie videos.
You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.
The RedMagic 11 Air’s main camera 4K videos are quite good. Contrast is great, dynamic range is good enough to make the most of these overcast afternoons we’ve been having, colors are the right amount of vibrant, and detail isn’t half bad at all. The ultrawide camera’s colors are a bit more muted, and the image is flatter, but it’s decent too, for what it is – 1080p ultrawide clips are rarely masterpiece-grade. Even in the dark, you can count on the phone’s main camera to capture solid videos – dynamic range and colors are good, detail is pretty nice too.
RedMagic 11 Air video screengrabs: Daylight 0.6x • Daylight 1x • Daylight 2x • Low light 1x
Stabilization is excellent on both cameras when you’re shooting from a fixed position, with both smooth pans and steady footage when pointing the phone in one direction. Walking shake is also ironed out well, for the most part, though there can be faint tremors when your feet strike the ground, depending on how you walk and hold the phone.
Camera quality verdict
The RedMagic 11 Air delivers a basic camera experience. While hardly a standout performer, the main camera is reasonably dependable in all situations – good light and nighttime, photos and video. The ultrawide is decent for most uses too, without really shining. If you want selfies, though, definitely look elsewhere – the under-display selfie camera is way better at hiding than it is at capturing.