Gaming smartphone fans in North America and Europe on the lookout for their next phone will soon have another option to consider. Smartphone manufacturer Nubia, the now-independent offshoot of ZTE, has a presence at CES 2019, where it's announcing plans to sell the gaming-focused Red Magic Mars in these new regions starting January 31st.

The camouflage variant of the Red Magic Mars

The Red Magic Mars is the second gaming smartphone Nubia has released in less than a year. The original Red Magic launched in April 2018 and was sold to North American customers through an Indiegogo campaign for $399. Seven months later, the company launched the Red Magic Mars in China. This second-generation gaming smartphone will be available for sale in North America and Europe on the Red Magic website starting January 31st.

Prices will start at $399, presumably for the 6GB/64GB configuration. We're also going to get 8GB/128GB and 10GB/256GB options, and while pricing for those has yet to be confirmed, based on what the phone's going for in China we may be looking at around $480 and $580, respectively. The handset will be available in three colors — Meteorite Black, Flame Red, and Camouflage — the latter being reserved for the 10GB/256GB variant.

Specs OS Redmagic OS V1.6 (based on Android 9.0 Pie) Display 6" (18:9, 1080 x 2160, 403ppi, no notch) CPU / GPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 / Adreno 630 Memory 6GB/8GB/10GB (LPDDR4X) Storage 64GB/128GB/256GB (UFS 2.1) Rear Camera 16MP, f/1.8, 4K video at 30fps, slow-motion 720p at 240fps Front Camera 8MP, f/2.0, 1080p at 30fps Battery 3800mAh Sensors Fingerprint (rear), G-sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope Ports USB Type-C (USB 2.0), Dual nano-SIM slot (Dual Standby), 3.5mm audio jack Dimensions 158.25 x 75 x 9.85 (7.15) mm Weight 193g

Nubia offers a bevy of hardware and software tweaks intended to enhance the gaming experience, from a hybrid cooling system promising a 13.2°C reduction in CPU core temperature and performance improvements of up to 70%, or a dedicated gaming button that turns on Red Magic Game Space, Nubia's gaming mode. That mode features a pop-up game center with real-time monitoring of CPU and GPU temperature and usage. We can also look forward to a "4D Smart Shock" system with 1000 levels of feedback and dedicated vibration profiles for different games. To add a bit of flair, the back of the phone has an RGB panel with customizable colors. And similar to the ASUS ROG Phone, Nubia's model has two capacitive trigger keys on the shoulders of the phone. Optionally, Nubia's also releasing a Bluetooth accessory called the Game Handle, with Nintendo-esque controls.

Nubia's optional Game Handle

The phone will compete with the Razer Phone 2, Asus ROG Phone and Xiaomi Black Shark Helo. While Razer and Asus ROG have a much stronger brand name, the Red Magic Mars starts at a very competitive price of $399. If the Game Handle is similarly priced reasonably and the company can assure customers of reliable after-sales service, Nubia may have a hit on its hands.

At CES, Nubia is also showcasing the Nubia X, with its innovative dual displays that keep the bezels minuscule without resorting to a notch. The phone is currently selling in China, with no plans for its global rollout being announced yet.