REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro review - "Looks and feels cool, but not the most comfortable to use"
- Cools quickly once plugged in
- Gorgeous transparent aesthetics and RGB lighting
- Not comfortable to use
What does it say about the world we live in when you now need a separate cooling device for your mobile phone? I never really thought I'd see the day, but dedicated device coolers aren't actually anything new. Given that REDMAGIC's own cooling fans are built into their flagship smartphones, it's easy to see that overheating is one of the biggest issues mobile gamers face in this day and age, with smartphones now capable of running the highest specs for triple-A games.
But while REDMAGIC boasts its own cooling system for its community of fans, other on-the-go gamers - particularly iOS users - aren't so lucky. This is where the REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro steps in. With its snazzy liquid-cooled VC radiator that supposedly keeps you gaming for hours on end, can it cool down heated matches in more ways than one?
Redmagic VC Cooler 5 Pro: Look and Feel
If you're familiar with the brand, REDMAGIC knows it's got its gamer aesthetics down pat, and is hella proud of it. You'd be hard-pressed to find a single product in its lineup that doesn't have some form of transparent visuals or RGB lighting - in fact, with the REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro, you can also customise the lights to breathe and pulse the way you want them to with the brand's Goper app (a sort of one-stop-shop for customisation when it comes to REDMAGIC's peripherals).
The box - also sporting that uniform silvery shine like other accessories in the company's roster - comes with a magnetic plate you can stick onto your phone plus a USB-C cable, and if your device doesn't have the iOS MagSafe feature, you can purchase a separate clip for the cooler to make sure you can still keep cool even with an Android device. This type of versatility can be pretty handy when you're aiming for universality, but it didn't quite work too well in my experience (more on this later).
The cooler also features a 7-blade fan, a floating air duct, and a pocket-sized build that only weighs in at 100 grams. The decision to go with a more angular design rather than your typical round fan is also a good one, in my opinion, as it keeps that rugged, cyberpunk vibe that's figuratively cool, particularly with the "Dao" symbol and the REDMAGIC logo emblazoned on the front.
Redmagic VC Cooler 5 Pro: Performance
The components of the cooler are optimised for the ultimate heat dissipation, and REDMAGIC claims it can cool down your device by up to 35 degrees Celsius - it can even (supposedly) hit -12 degrees Celsius. The cooler itself instantly gets pretty icy as soon as you plug it in and turn it on - as quickly as five seconds, in my experience.
To simplify matters, I used the cooler with my REDMAGIC 9 Pro and measured at base temperature before clipping it on. In the middle of a game, I decided to check and the temperature of my phone dropped by three degrees. By comparison, I played my game without the cooler, and my phone heated up by two degrees. Using REDMAGIC's built-in fan, that same game made my phone heat up from its base temperature by 1.5 degrees.
As you can see, there's indeed a difference in the temperature with and without the cooler, and while it's evidently more effective at cooling down my phone compared to the built-in fan, it's not as significant as making your phone freeze up. For good measure, I ran my tests in an air-conditioned room (because I just didn't think a cooler would make any difference at room temp in a tropical country where the heat index is at 45 degrees Celsius today).
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There's also the small issue of the cooler itself heating up as soon as you turn it on. The surface that gets icy cool and the fan opposite it aren't the problem - it's when you hover your fingers over the sides that you really start to feel the heat. This adds to the discomfort when you're holding your phone, as you can really feel the hot air emanating from the cooler. It also doesn't help that the cooler - while not significantly heavy for the first few minutes - becomes an extra weight that adds to the strain when you're holding your phone up as your gameplay session goes on.
What's the appeal?
The thing is, I personally value comfort over the longevity of gameplay sessions, mainly because of my tennis elbows and because I get finger cramps whenever I play games for too long. The positioning of the cooler isn't the most ideal either when you're not using an iOS device with MagSafe. While the REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro sits perfectly in the middle of your phone if you're using an iOS device, Android users who choose not to use the magnetic sheet don't have the same luxury because the clip ultimately blocks your phone's side buttons.
For the REDMAGIC 9 Pro itself, the clip sits right on top of the power and volume buttons (keeping me from taking screenshots), so I had to scoot the clip over to the side a little bit so that it only covers the Game Space switch (something that's not as relevant when in the middle of a game). The only problem is that, since the cooler is no longer positioned in the middle, your fingers will have to squish together on one side, effectively facilitating that dreaded finger cramp after a while.
By the way, the clip gets in the way of the REDMAGIC GaN charger's own USB-C cable, because of its slightly chonky tip.
While I appreciate REDMAGIC trying to aim for universality with the clip, I couldn't use it on my foldable when folded because the clip doesn't fit. My foldable also has a slight bump on the back as part of its Porsche design, and since it's not a completely flat surface, I couldn't attach the magnetic sticker sheet on it, either. And if you're the kind of user who doesn't want to stick sticker sheets onto the back of your phone, you can't insert the sticker sheet in between your phone and your outer case, because the magnet from the cooler isn't strong enough to hold (you'll also have to take your case off, by the way, to really get that cooler to work on your phone).
While it's pretty awesome to have a dedicated cooling accessory like this, I just don't feel like it's worth the hassle in my opinion - or, at least, in my case, I'd rather just take a break than have to work around the cooler's cons. It still boggles the mind how it really does get icy just seconds after it's powered on (the condensation is very much real), but comically, I think it's better to use it to cool yourself down on a hot day, much like REDMAGIC's own ad shows.
Still, if having a separate cooling device is something you absolutely must have and you don't want your phone to burn hotter than the sun, the REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro is now available for purchase from the official website beginning at $59 or your local equivalent.
REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro review - "Looks and feels cool, but not the most comfortable to use"
The REDMAGIC VC Cooler 5 Pro is a versatile cooler that boasts liquid cooling technology to keep your mobile device from heating up during extended gameplay sessions. You can attach the cooler with a magnet or back clip depending on your phone, and while it's not the most comfortable or necessary peripheral to have, it can make your phone look cool and feel cool should you so wish.
Catherine Dellosa
Catherine plays video games for a living and writes because she’s in love with words. Her Young Adult contemporary novel, For The Win: The Not-So-Epic Quest Of A Non-Playable Character, is her third book published by Penguin Random House SEA - a poignant love letter to gamer geeks, mythological creatures, teenage heartbreak, and everything in between.
She one day hopes to soar the skies as a superhero, but for now, she strongly believes in saving lives through her works in fiction. Check out her books at bit.ly/catherinedellosabooks, or follow her on FB/IG/Twitter at @thenoobwife.