TL;DR: The Red Magic 11 Golden Saga gaming phone is testing the limits of what Android hardware can do with Windows titles. It is using emulation and a lot of power to turn a traditional smartphone into a compact, self-contained gaming PC that fits in your pocket, because why not.

In a recent video, creator ETA Prime showcases Red Magic's phone running multiple Windows games directly on Android. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, paired with 24GB of LPDDR5T memory and 1TB of UFS 4.1 Pro storage.

It also features a 6.85-inch 144Hz BOE AMOLED display, a 7,500 mAh battery, and an aggressive cooling system that combines a gold-plated vapor chamber, silver elements in the heat transfer path, and an active cooling fan.

All of this hardware is orchestrated through GameHub, which offers multiple performance profiles including Eco, Balanced, Rise, and a Diablo mode that pushes the system to its limits. That top mode delivers maximum performance but runs hot, even with the enhanced thermal design.

Rather than relying on streaming, the demo centers on local x86-to-Android emulation. ETA Prime reports that some workloads drive power consumption to "30W to 40W or more," placing the device in the same range as lower-power handheld gaming PCs rather than typical smartphones.

Even so, seeing modern PC games run in real time on a phone still feels unexpected. In the video, ETA Prime describes the experience as "wild," underscoring how far high-end Android silicon and emulation layers have progressed.

Performance varies significantly depending on the title and settings. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, hovered in the upper 40 FPS range, occasionally reaching 60 FPS indoors, with textures set to high, most other settings reduced, and FSR disabled.

Less demanding or better-optimized games fared better. Project Cars 2 maintained 60 FPS or higher at 720p using medium settings. Grand Theft Auto V reached around 100 FPS indoors and settled in the mid-60 FPS range while driving through the city. In Cyberpunk 2077, the device hit 60 FPS at 720p on low settings with FSR frame generation enabled, with ETA Prime noting that a 30 FPS lock should be achievable without it.

The tests also highlight the current limitations of Android-based PC emulation. Ghost of Tsushima reportedly saw no benefit from FSR frame generation, while one Resident Evil title suffered from major rendering issues, including missing walls, despite running at over 60 FPS.

The results suggest that while raw performance is becoming less of a bottleneck, game compatibility and rendering accuracy remain major hurdles for this kind of emulation.

Then there is pricing. The Red Magic 11 Golden Saga Edition comes in at €1500. At that level, ETA Prime notes that a full gaming PC may be the more practical investment for players focused on PC gaming, even if the phone still comes in below some dedicated handhelds like the Legion Go 2.