Recommendation for Android gaming tablet?

[wheresmycar]

Last year my nephew damaged his uninsured Android tablet and was handed an older Samsung phone for gaming. For his Bday (25th May) we're going to surprise him with a similar sized 10" (ish) tablet, preferably something fast, high refresh rate (~120hz) and decent battery life. He plays PUBG, Fortnite and i'm assuming other titles which may not be as demanding.

It doesn't have to be the latest and best (checking prices today, blimey the big players are very expensive) but something which will run the aforementioned games smoothly. He also video calls his friends so a device with a front facing camera. Budget around £500 ($630) with wiggle room if needed. Alternatively if pricier models are recommended his father is happy to get one on contract with monthly payments.

Thanks in adv

 

[TheLostSwede]

At that kind of money, isn't a gaming handheld better?
I guess the Logitech one is kind of pants though.

Logitech G Cloud - Handheld Gaming Console

Shop Cloud Handheld Gaming. Features 7-inch Full HD touchscreen, precision remappable controls, 12+ hour battery, 463 grams, stereo audio, haptics, gyroscope, and more

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Best Android handheld consoles in 2025

Fortunately, there are plenty of options for a dedicated Android handheld, and these are the best options

www.androidpolice.com

The best Android retro gaming handhelds you can buy

Get your nostalgia fix with these Android-based retro gaming handhelds. They're better than a phone and cheaper than a Steam Deck.

www.androidauthority.com

Otherwise, how about this one? The MSRP is £499.

Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 2 | 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet

Meet the Lenovo Legion Tab, an 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet with great visuals, power, thermals, and connectivity. Plus long battery life.

www.lenovo.com

 

[dgianstefani]

The Galaxy Tab series are decent.

 

[wNotyarD]

Would a Xiaomi Pad 6 (GSMArena review) do?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Tablet-Protection-Screen-8840mAh/dp/B0C7KRXS6F/

It is a little bit larger at 11", but it packs a SD870 under the hood with a great battery and high res and refresh (2880x1800@144Hz) IPS screen.

If you can find it on the cheap, there's also its predecessor the Pad 5, which has a SD860 and a bit inferior (2560x1600@120Hz) panel.

 

[wheresmycar]

At that kind of money, isn't a gaming handheld better?
I guess the Logitech one is kind of pants though.

Logitech G Cloud - Handheld Gaming Console

Shop Cloud Handheld Gaming. Features 7-inch Full HD touchscreen, precision remappable controls, 12+ hour battery, 463 grams, stereo audio, haptics, gyroscope, and more

www.logitechg.com

Best Android handheld consoles in 2025

Fortunately, there are plenty of options for a dedicated Android handheld, and these are the best options

www.androidpolice.com

The best Android retro gaming handhelds you can buy

Get your nostalgia fix with these Android-based retro gaming handhelds. They're better than a phone and cheaper than a Steam Deck.

www.androidauthority.com

Otherwise, how about this one? The MSRP is £499.

Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 2 | 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet

Meet the Lenovo Legion Tab, an 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet with great visuals, power, thermals, and connectivity. Plus long battery life.

www.lenovo.com

A gaming handheld was my initial recommendation too - i was briefly looking at the Razor Edge. The feedback i got was he fancies a large touchscreen, something resembling his previous 10" tablet.


The Legion Tab Gen 2 looks fantastic! QS 8+ Gen 1 processor, 12GB RAM, QHD+ 144hz - thats a mouthful! Looks like everything the higher end Galaxy tabs have on offer for less money. I don't believe its currently available in the UK. Is the "legion tab" the only name it goes by?

Would a Xiaomi Pad 6 (GSMArena review) do?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Tablet-Protection-Screen-8840mAh/dp/B0C7KRXS6F/

It is a little bit larger at 11", but it packs a SD870 under the hood with a great battery and high res and refresh (2880x1800@144Hz) IPS screen.

For almost half the money this looks great too. I'm sure the SD870 and the trimmed specs (compared to the above Legion Tab) should be more than capable in handling PUBG on the highest performance setting. Huge battery too! A bit of a pickle.. 1. go for something affordable which easily handles the targeted games. Or 2, go for a 50% faster single core snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 100% uplift in GPU score.

One thing is certain we all (his parents, grandparents, uncles+aunts, etc) chipped in to bring the budget to £500 (actually more, but for other accessories/gifts) hence i think something more performance driven for the long run would be better unless you can convince me otherwise. I have no idea where the SD870 sits in terms of raw performance for these types of mobile games.

 

[dgianstefani]

A gaming handheld was my initial recommendation too - i was briefly looking at the Razor Edge. The feedback i got was he fancies a large touchscreen, something resembling his previous 10" tablet.


The Legion Tab Gen 2 looks fantastic! QS 8+ Gen 1 processor, 12GB RAM, QHD+ 144hz - thats a mouthful! Looks like everything the higher end Galaxy tabs have on offer for less money. I don't believe its currently available in the UK. Is the "legion tab" the only name it goes by?




For almost half the money this looks great too. I'm sure the SD870 and the trimmed specs (compared to the above Legion Tab) should be more than capable in handling PUBG on the highest performance setting. Huge battery too! A bit of a pickle.. 1. go for something affordable which easily handles the targeted games. Or 2, go for a 50% faster single core snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 100% uplift in GPU score.

One thing is certain we all (his parents, grandparents, uncles+aunts, etc) chipped in to bring the budget to £500 (actually more, but for other accessories/gifts) hence i think something more performance driven for the long run would be better unless you can convince me otherwise. I have no idea where the SD870 sits in terms of raw performance for these types of mobile games.

To bear in mind, included in that Galaxy premium is many years of Android updates.

Most Android tablets get maybe ~2 major OS updates then perhaps a year of security updates.

So it's not just raw specs for price that is part of counting the cost.

I'm not sure what the current numbers are for tablets, but for phones for example, the Galaxy S series get seven years of OS updates, whereas something like ASUS or Sony flagship phones get around two to three years.

So if you're considering the long run as you said, bear that in mind.

 

[crlogic]

How about a used or refurbished iPad Pro 11? It will have the best performance, app and software update support

 

[wNotyarD]

For almost half the money this looks great too. I'm sure the SD870 and the trimmed specs (compared to the above Legion Tab) should be more than capable in handling PUBG on the highest performance setting. Huge battery too! A bit of a pickle.. 1. go for something affordable which easily handles the targeted games. Or 2, go for a 50% faster single core snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 100% uplift in GPU score.

A SD870 is a slightly overclocked SD865 so it should perform on par with a Galaxy Tab S7 (or a Galaxy S20 phone, for reference). If you think that's underpowered, you could try and search for a Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, it carries a SD8+g1. I just don't know if it is as readily available in the UK.

 

[TheLostSwede]

A gaming handheld was my initial recommendation too - i was briefly looking at the Razor Edge. The feedback i got was he fancies a large touchscreen, something resembling his previous 10" tablet.


The Legion Tab Gen 2 looks fantastic! QS 8+ Gen 1 processor, 12GB RAM, QHD+ 144hz - thats a mouthful! Looks like everything the higher end Galaxy tabs have on offer for less money. I don't believe its currently available in the UK. Is the "legion tab" the only name it goes by?

It was available in the UK, but it seems like they're out of stock. Seems to be the same all over Europe.

Lenovo Legion Tab Android Gaming Tablet is Coming to EMEA and Asia

Lenovo has announced today that the Lenovo Legion Tab, an 8.8-inch Android tablet for the modern mobile gamer, is soon going to be expanding availability from China to select markets in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and Asia. The Lenovo Legion Tab bridges the gap between PC and mobile...

www.techpowerup.com

Lenovo Legion Tab buyers can already get 10% discount on just-released 8.8-inch Android gaming tablet

The Lenovo Legion Tab, also known in select markets as the Lenovo Legion Y700 (2023), has finally started becoming officially available outside of China. While interested shoppers in the US will have to wait for Lenovo US to confirm a release or not, buyers of the Legion Tab in places like the...

www.notebookcheck.net

 

[wheresmycar]

To bear in mind, included in that Galaxy premium is many years of Android updates.

Most Android tablets get maybe ~2 major OS updates then perhaps a year of security updates.

So it's not just raw specs for price that is part of counting the cost.

I'm not sure what the current numbers are for tablets, but for phones for example, the Galaxy S series get seven years of OS updates, whereas something like ASUS or Sony flagship phones get around two to three years.

So if you're considering the long run as you said, bear that in mind.

Which model do you recommend? Anything in the £500 bracket with snapdragon 8 Gen1/Gen2 or similar performance? From the current line up the S9 tab with snapdragon 8 is going for £800. I guess a previous Gen S8/S8+ could be worth looking into.

A SD870 is a slightly overclocked SD865 so it should perform on par with a Galaxy Tab S7 (or a Galaxy S20 phone, for reference). If you think that's underpowered, you could try and search for a Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, it carries a SD8+g1. I just don't know if it is as readily available in the UK.

Really liked the specs on the Xiaomi Pad 6 pro... like the Lenovo Legion Tab its out of stock... BUMMER!!

How about a used or refurbished iPad Pro 11? It will have the best performance, app and software update support

Nah, its a gift. Gotto be brand spanking new sealed in its original packaging.