Reddit mentions of Huawei + Harman Kardon MediaPad M3 8.0 Octa Core 8.4" Android (Marshmallow) +EMUI Tablet, WiFi only, 32GB, Moonlight Silver (US Warranty)

Huawei MediaPad X3 is the best bet at that price range.

Finding cheap tablets that run Minecraft well is a bit tricky, and finding cheap tablets that may continue to work well for the next few years makes things a bit more difficult. I would only look for devices made after 2014 if possible. Anything before then would likely be worse than your current Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, or may not keep up with the ever more demanding games and apps in the coming years.

It's worth mentioning that there aren't many kid-friendly tablets that would be a significant upgrade from your current device. For example, the Kindle-Fire kids edition, while an excellent first tablet for kids, performs similarly to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 and thus wouldn't be much of an upgrade. The devices I list are meant to be possible upgrade suggestions that utilize better hardware than cheaper tablets geared towards kids. However, some of the tablets I list can make for a great family tablet, and you can find accessories and cases for some of the options that make them more durable from inevitable drops and other accidents that may occur.

---

I currently have 6 tablets listed in three different price ranges that may be slightly or significantly better than your current device. Prices are in USD and may or may not include shipping in the cost. Also, with Black Friday and other holiday deals coming up, I would keep an eye out for other good deals and price drops as well.

Under $200:

• Amazon Fire HD 8 (2016) - $90 for "Special Offers" version (essentially advertisements), $105 for version without Special Offers. While considerably cheap, it isn't too much of an upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, though it's still a good option. However, one major drawback is that this tablet does not come with the Google Play store, but instead uses the Amazon app store meaning all apps will have to be repurchased. It is possible to install and use the Google Play Store or Play Store apps on this tablet if you're willing to follow some technical guides.
  
  
• Lenovo TAB 2 A10 (2015) - $150 for lowest tier model on manufacturer's site. Despite being released in 2015, this may not perform a whole lot better than your current Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
  
  $200 - $300 range:
  
  
• NVIDIA Shield Tablet K1 (2015) - $200 on manufacturer's site and Amazon. This device is comparable to the Galaxy Tab S2 in terms of performance, and is overall a very good tablet for its price.
  
  $300 - $400 range:
  
  
• Huawei MediaPad M3 (2016) - Currently $300 on Amazon. Based on performance benchmarks, this is the best device on this list using some of the latest hardware for a fairly competitive price. Note that it won't ship in the US until November 21st.
  
  
• ASUS ZenPad S 8 4GB RAM model (2015) - $300 on Amazon. While there is a $160 version with 2GB of RAM and a slower processor, reviews say the cheaper model is not great for gaming and tends to lag.
  
  
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8-inch (2015) - $350 on Amazon. Samsung previously had deals on the more expensive 9.7 inch version going for as low as $300, so it may be worth watching. This tablet is featured in some review sites as a good tablet for kids in-part because of Samsung's kids-mode feature.
  
  Edit 1: added Asus ZenPad and Nvidia Shield tablet recommendations.
  
  Edit 2: updated the link for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A to include the price-cut model.
  
  Edit 3: added Amazon Fire HD 8.
  
  Edit 4: Removed the Samsung Galaxy Tab A as nearly every device in the list outperforms it for the same price or less, making it a poor deal.
  
  ---
  
  Sorry if this is an overwhelming amount of information to take in. If you have any other questions, feel free to reply! Also, if any other users have good deals or devices they want to mention, please do!

Old Shield user here.. it's great but if you can't find one these are your next best options.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LB08BH6 - Huawei + Harman Kardon MediaPad M3 8.0 Octa Core 8.4" Android (Marshmallow) +EMUI Tablet, WiFi only, 32GB

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MATMXZV - ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 9.7" (2048x1536), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, 5MP Front / 8MP Rear Camera, Android 6.0, Tablet

I bought the first one end of January this year still going strong with a 200gb Micro SD Card.

Main strong points to get the Asus or Huawei over the Nvidia

• 2k screen vs 1080p screen
  
• 4gb ram vs 2gb ram
  
• personally I found the Wi-Fi range better in my Huawei than when I had my nvidia but was very negligible but could be just build quality or positioning or 2013 hardware vs 2016 hardware who knows
  
• This one is also anecdotal but battery drain for my nvidia was very fast compared to my Huawei even when properly plugged in into a 2A charger
  
  Main strong points to get the Nvidia over the Asus or Huawei
  
• GPU is like at least 50% better if not more
  
• usually can be found for at least $100 USD cheaper if not more when you do find one
  
• nvidia shield controller is really good, very easy gamepad mapping functionality
  
• nvidia native software is also really really good, twitch streaming and video recording/screenshot features are top notch and have all the features and then some unlike my Huawei (I probably miss this the most)
  
• close to stock android no bloatware
  
• nvidia is such a cool gaming technology brand logo to have and usually plays nice with other nvidia features like pc game streaming if you have the right nvidia hardware
  
• depending on which version you get; a stylus and stylus holder (K1 version doesn't have this only original)
  
• lastly having seen both up front and close and personal the 1080p screen on the nvidia does look nicer than my Huawei but just maybe by a little bit the UI is definitely nicer and crisper
  
  In closing, if nvidia just put more ram into their old tablet I would recommend it every time but because I ran into so many issues regarding ram limitations while I was putting extra stuff running in the background I was forced to switch to a larger ram tablet.
  
  If you can control your multi tasking and don't run too many apps at one time then nvidia is for you.
  
  But if you want more breathing area and room to play with then the Asus or Huawei is for you.
  
  I only got the Huawei because at the time the Asus wasn't shipping to my country (Australia) but a month later they were.. ah well.. the Asus has more features, screen real estate and base storage than the Huawei for cheaper but the Huawei has some nice Harman Kardon speakers on each side in landscape so less chance of blocking the sound in landscape.. decisions decisions if I could try again I would get the Asus with LTE so it could be my phone and still have all the features but eh I'm stuck with this now until I figure out how I can replace it.
  
  Good luck OP I hope this helps.

If the rest of your devices live in the Apple ecosystem, the iPad mini is a great device. If you prefer to have the same 7-8" form factor in an Android device, I love my NVIDIA Shield K1. Unfortunately, it's sometimes difficult to find it in stock. The new Huawei Mediapad M3 is another 8" Android device that's getting very solid review.

:-) Yes you did well. You need to look in the Huawei + Harman Kardon MediaPad M3 8.0 Octa Core 8.4inch Android android tablet it is capable of playing high-end 3D games.

My recommendation in the past would have been a Shield K1 tablet but they're getting harder to find now that they're discontinued. The lowest price I see right now on Amazon is $320. Unfortunately tablets are in a weird place right now, where anything under $200 doesn't get you a lot, and then there's a jump to like $500-$600 with almost nothing in between. The only other comparable device might be the Lenovo Tab A10, but it's basically the same thing as the Fire or the Galaxy one.

The Asus Zenpad S8 4GB model might be a good choice. It's got a 2.3GHz Intel chip in it, but it's $350. My wife has the 2GB/1.8GHz version of that tablet we found for $160 at one point, and it's got the most beautiful screen I've ever seen on a tablet. That said, I don't know how the 1.8GHz model does for emulation, and I'm mostly just seeing the 1.3GHz version under $200 for it.

Sorry. The market's a bit screwy at the moment. With no real "gaming tablet" successor for the Shield tablet, It's a bit hard to recommend anything. Caveat emptor, as a lot of tablets have pricing all over the board but run on the same lower end chips ranging 1.3-1.6GHz.

----

Edit - The Huawei MediaPad m3 doesn't look too bad. Reasonable specs for the price, though it's above the budget you were looking at. Huawei and Xiaomi are surprise contenders in the tablet market, and you might find somehing decent looking at those brands.

Scratch that. The Asus Zenpad 3s. For the price, that's probably the best bang for your buck and should perform well with PPSSPP. It's above your budget, but it's the best I could find that suits what you're looking for, as close to the price you're looking at. And with 4GB RAM in that thing with a QHD screen and 2.1GHz A53 Quad core chip, that's actually a good price for the specs at $287. It'll do well for movies, very, very good for reading, and be solid for gaming I think.

In fact, that thing looks nice enough that if anything happens to my Shield tablet, that'll likely be my replacement unless something better comes in the price range. And ASUS screens are gorgeous.

I know you're specifically asking about 7 inchers, but I don't know of any. I DO know that my Huawei Mediapad M3 (8 inch) was about $300 and is the best piece of tech I've ever owned in the bang for your buck category. Great screen, fast enough, and handles everything I've thrown at it. I'm in USA though, not sure if that affects what you're able to get or not.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LB08BH6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486913121&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=huawei+mediapad+m3&dpPl=1&dpID=41kUWXB5y4L


And here's CNET's review:

https://www.cnet.com/products/huawei-mediapad-m3/review/

Haha. I clearly did not read your entire post, or I would've noticed that you mentioned this tablet. Whoops. Anyway, as the previous owner of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013, this thing is amazing. I love how they got rid of the back, home, and menu buttons entirely. You can add them to the screen if you like, and in multiple configurations, or even have a small floating button that expands and has them. Or, you can ditch them entirely, in favor of the intuitive single physical button, below the screen. You tap once to go back, hold to go home, or swipe left or right in leui of the menu button. Also, 4GB of RAM and this screen is gorgeous! I'm never going back.

If its. In you price range the galaxy tab s3 is on Dell for 500 with 100 gift card. It runs beautifully on that thing.

For 300 you can get the [Huawei Media pad m3] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LB08BH6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thpcgaha-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01LB08BH6&linkId=238041e9b3a4ac74aaa67053f2fd2a59) I have been told is very good.

I just ordered the Lenovo tab8+ 3 for $160. It's really for the kids but I will test blitz on it when it comes (super long shipping time).

Leaning towards the Huawei MediaPad M3 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LB08BH6/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Not too sure yet though. The Nexus 7 really was my baby and so incredibly reliable. It's like getting over an ex-girlfriend.

I'd hold out for the next gen tablets that'll be on sale for black Friday. Until then, you can buy a used N7 (2013) for like $90 to hold you over.

Or if you're really set on getting a more permanent replacement, here's a $239 deal on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (two year old tablet, has Android 6.0, 3 Gb RAM): https://slickdeals.net/f/10514184-32gb-samsung-galaxy-tab-s2-8-0-inch-wi-fi-tablet-for-239-free-shipping?src=catpagev2_SearchBarV2_cat

The $299 Huawei MediaPad M3 also looks promising (Android 6.0, first released last September, 4 Gb RAM): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LB08BH6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hWpQzb7S7YA63

It's on Amazon, it may be available on Huawei's website too

[i'm about to throw down 300 on this] (https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-MediaPad-Marshmallow-Moonlight-Warranty/dp/B01LB08BH6/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1500467421&sr=1-3&keywords=Huawei+MediaPad+M3) just so i can get the game to run without issues, my current tablet is a cracked screen 1.5 ram model and it's not working out for me at all.

What is your price range?

The lowest range I would say you could safely go would be the Galaxy tab A which goes refurbished for $144 on amazon

The Asus Zenpad 8 for $129 would also get the job done.

Now, those will definitely get the job done on a budget. They won't be useful for serious gaming, but plenty good enough for anki and looking up stuff or doing qbanks and watching videos. A little patience and you can go with lenovo, which I'll discuss below with more mid-range tablets.

If you want to step up to the $250 range, you could go with the Ipad mini 2, which I hear still runs great, but I don't like that there is no expandable memory.

Now, as far as the latest and greatest, you have a couple of decent options. If you can wait for the Lenovo Tab 4 8 or 8 plus ($100-$250 depending on which version you get), which come out in July, I would wait for them (I don't think they'll have spyware on them, but whatever.)

Personally, I can't wait that long because I have to travel before they are released, so I went with the $300 Huawei MediaPad 3 which has great stats and the update to Nougat and EMUI 5.0 has improved the interface a ton. It has the best speakers on any tablet right now, 4GB ram, a 2k screen resolution, and expandable memory. The only downside for me is there is no USB-C, but that's really not a huge deal for my needs.

After that you start getting into high end tablets that are basically laptops like the Galaxy Tab 3 or iPad Pro.

*Huawei + Harman Kardon MediaPad $299.99

Specs

8.4-inch
HI Silicon octa-core processor

high-speed Wi-Fi network connectivity







Features a 2560 x 1600 pixel IPS display;

8 MP front & rear camera and HD video

6.0 (Marshmallow)


The Huawei MediaPad M3 offers an immersive display, great audio and long-lasting battery life and while gaming can be somewhat choppy, it is capable of playing high-end 3D games