After releasing the Red Magic 3 earlier this year, ZTE's Nubia brand has an updated model of its gaming phone launching next week.

The Red Magic 3S will launch on October 16th. It'll be available around the globe, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the EU, Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Macao. Pricing will start at $479/£419/€479 for the 8GB/128GB version and go up to $599/£529/€599 for the 12GB/256GB model.

As for what makes the Red Magic 3S different, there are a couple of notable upgrades from the Red Magic 3. The first is a Snapdragon 855+ processor, which offers 15 percent faster graphics performance compared to the Red Magic 3's Snapdragon 855 processor. The second is the upgrade to speedier UFS 3.0 internal storage.

Also packed into the Red Magic 3S is a 6.65-inch 2340x1080 AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 48MP camera with Sony IMX586 sensor and 8K video capture, and a 16MP front-facing camera. There's 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage, a rear fingerprint reader, a whopping 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, USB-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and dual SIM slots, too. 

Since this is a gaming phone, Nubia has packed some gaming-specific features into the Red Magic 3S. There are built-in capacitive shoulder triggers with custom mapping, front-facing stereo speakers with DTS:X tech to help immerse you into your game, and there's even active liquid cooling and an internal cooling fan to help keep your phone's temps low during intense gaming sessions. There's also an RGB strip on the back of the phone that can be customized with multiple lighting effects to help the Red Magic 3S fit in with your gaming PC.

While the gaming PC-style design of the Red Magic 3S may not be for everyone, overall the device looks like it could be a solid option for the price. It's got a big AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 855+ processor, a huge battery, and there's even a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is missing from lots of other flagship phones, all for under $500. If that sounds appealing to you, you'll be able to buy a Red Magic 3S of your own on October 16th. In the mean time, check out our Red Magic 3 hands-on video to see what it's like to use a Red Magic gaming phone.