At 163.82 x 76.54 x 7.85mm and 207 grams, the RedMagic 11 Air isn’t exactly iPhone Air territory, but it’s certainly slimmer than you might expect. The frame is aluminum alloy, the front uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and the rear is a transparent Gorilla Glass 5 panel. IP54 gets you dust and splash resistance, which is fine, though it’s a noticeable step down from phones that have higher ratings for actual submersion.
Part of what makes the design of the RedMagic 11 Air unique is its gamer-focused rear panel, but that rear panel isn’t quite as eccentric as some of RedMagic’s other phones, at least depending on the color you get. The decorative plate beneath the glass shows off simplified thermal components and RedMagic branding, with a customizable RGB ring around the internal fan. It’s distinctly “gamer,” and while it looks a little cheesy at times, it’s relatively reserved. Some like this approach to design.
There is one major design element that’s different from some other RedMagic phones, and that’s the lack of a physical slider on the side. It hasn’t been permanently removed from RedMagic devices, but you won’t get one on this device. Instead, you’ll get another control in the signature red color, which is a button to activate RedMagic’s Game Space. I prefer the slider, but it’s not really a big deal.
The controls and ports, apart from that Game Space button, are more or less where you’d expect them to be. There’s a power button and volume rocker on the right edge, along with a USB-C port on the bottom. The camera module is completely flush with the back panel, and this is the detail that actually matters in daily use. No wobble on a table, no finger cramping in landscape, no awkward ridge digging into your palm during a long session. For a gaming phone, flat is the right call, and RedMagic committed to it fully.
The phone is available in Black Phantom and White Prism, and I have the Black Phantom color. It’s not over the top in terms of colorways, but you’ll still get unique accents like the RedMagic branding on the back and the red button on the left edge. Like some other RedMagic phones, you’ll also get touch surfaces on the left and right sides of the right-hand edge of the phone, which can be used as trigger buttons in gaming.
Generally speaking, the Red Magic 11 Air feels reasonably slim but not dramatically so, and while the rear panel picks up fingerprints very easily, I don’t mind the overall look of the phone.