Ever worried your phone will catch fire? I tried this niche product that stops overheating

As someone who has written a lot about the best camera phones on the market, I also enjoy on-the-go gaming and creating content using my phone. As part of that, when the opportunity to test the novel-looking Redmagic VC Cooler 6 fans, I thought 'why the heck not?' and took delivery of three test units from the gaming sister brand of tech giant Nubia (I reviewed, and rather liked, the Nubia Z60s Pro, last year...).

I got three, because apparently these things come in different sizes and specs. The littlest one, the Cooler 6 Air, is a super-lightweight pill-shaped fan; the Cooler 06 is a much bigger unit that uses graphene cooling tech; and the top of the range, the Cooler 6 Pro, is actually more compact than the midrange option (but has pretty much the same specs as far as I can see).

Check out my unboxing video for a closer look:

So, it cools your phone. Why? And how?

The Redmagic VC Cooler 6 fans attach to the back of your phone (magnetically if it's an iPhone or another magnetic-back phone, otherwise with included clips) and using USB-C connected power (ideally not from the phone itself) apply cooling to the phone's battery using either air or graphene cooling tech. This aims to reduce the heat emanating from your device, and in turn improve both the performance and general long-term health of your device.

The general specs are as follows:

I used these fans for a few days on both my daily driver, a Xiaomi 15, and a test unit I have in at the moment, which helpfully is a gaming phone, the Infinix GT 30 Pro (a successor to the GT 10 Pro I enjoyed a little while back). Bring on Genshin, Asphalt and NBA 2K MyTeam!

What's good?

The good news? It works! It measurably lowered the battery temperature of both phones I used, by over 20 degrees Celsius in some instances. So that's great. Also, the customisable RGB lighting brings an extra layer of fun and immersion to gaming sessions. The Cooler 6 and 6 Pro were notably stronger, with the graphene cooling tech making the fan unit itself remarkably cold to the touch when used at peak power. The Cooler 6 Air also works well, but is noticeably less capable if you're worried about pushing the extreme limits of the phone's heat tolerance.

The Goper app links effortlessly to the unit via Bluetooth, and I was able to adjust the RGB lighting and fan power without any issues or lag from within the easy-to-use and stable app.

What's not so good?

The fact that it needs a power source isn't a surprise for something that outputs up to 30W for extended periods of time. But the fact that it's A: bound by a USB-C connection, on B: a mobile phone (there's a hint in the name), and C: Redmagic discourages you from using the phone itself as the power source (you are trying to lighten the load on that thing, after all), is a little bit of a self-defeating prospect. If you're streaming, you will very likely have at least a portable power brick if not an outlet at hand, but if you're gaming on the bus or plane, or elsewhere away from an outlet, the fan will be of precious little use beyond a doorstop.

And speaking of doorstops, these are bulky little things, especially the two more powerful units. If you're using a non-magnetic-back phone (most Androids), you'll need to dress the Cooler 6 Pro up in a Hannibal Lecter-like mask to grip onto the device, and the included clamps on the 6 make that unit incredibly cumbersome to use. Both also weight more than half of what the phone itself is likely to weigh, so it quickly becomes A Whole Thing...

At full power, the fans also give out a very noticeable noise, so headphones or earbuds will be required for full game immersion, notwithstanding the risk of annoying fellow travellers on the bus or train if you're using the thing there.

Should I get one?

I like me a bit of mobile gaming, but I'm not hardcore enough to see myself using the Redmagic VC Cooler 6 (or any other phone fan) with any regularity moving forward. If you are a hardcore or competitive gamer, though, it will be useful, and it can come in handy to keep your hardware cool during streaming and content recording. But only if you do any or all of these things a lot. And you love, LOVE, RGB lighting. And you have a power bank.

But seeing as you need to fit that specific niche to consider getting one to begin with, of the three, I definitely recommend the Cooler 6 Pro. It's not that much more expensive than the base-level Air, clutches on very securely and provides very effective cooling.