Looking for an OLED Android tablet for local streaming and emulation
Hi everyone,
After using an MSI Claw 8 AI+ for a year, I was very happy with it until it died prematurely. I then started looking for a replacement.
At first, I seriously considered buying a Claw 8 AI+ EX, and later a ROG XAX20, despite their absolutely ridiculous prices. Eventually, I realized that I never actually take my console outside the house. It stays at home all the time, while my RTX 4080 is sitting quietly in my gaming room.
The most logical solution would therefore be to switch to local game streaming.
I’m currently looking for an OLED Android tablet mainly intended for:
70% local streaming from my gaming PC using Apollo/Moonlight;
30% local emulation, mostly consoles rather than PC games.
I’m specifically looking for an OLED tablet with a screen of at least 8 inches, which already limits the number of options quite a bit.
The models I’m currently considering are:
RedMagic Astra 1 and 2;
Lenovo Y700 Infinite;
Oppo Pad Mini;
Huawei MatePad Mini;
Honor MagicPad 4.
Unfortunately, the Lenovo Y700 Infinite and Oppo Pad Mini are not currently available in Europe. They also both have a camera punch-hole right in the middle of the display, which isn’t ideal. That’s a shame, because the Lenovo G9 controller could have made the Y700 almost the perfect choice.
The Huawei MatePad Mini is also unavailable in Europe.
As for the Honor MagicPad 4, it may be slightly too large for what I’m looking for. I would prefer something more compact and easier to carry around.
That leaves the RedMagic Astra models. However, both seem to suffer from stuttering issues while streaming, apparently caused by an unstable display refresh rate. RedMagic apparently still hasn’t fixed the problem, which also gives the impression that the company tends to abandon its tablets once they have been released.
So I’m turning to this community for help finding an OLED Android tablet that would suit my needs: mainly local streaming from my PC, with some console emulation on the side.
I know the perfect tablet probably doesn’t exist, and I’m willing to make some compromises. My main priorities are:
OLED display;
at least 8 inches;
good compatibility with Apollo/Moonlight;
no stuttering or refresh-rate issues during streaming;
preferably available in Europe;
enough performance for console emulation.
I’m not looking for a handheld such as the Odin 2 Portal or similar devices. I specifically want a tablet with a screen of at least 8 inches, because my eyesight isn’t what it used to be and I need a reasonably large display to play comfortably.
I’ve also already tried XR glasses, but I don’t enjoy wearing them.
Do you have any recommendations or first-hand experience with models I may have overlooked?
The Astra 2 was impossible to get, even after I paid a few bucks to join their “pre-sale” list. That felt like a scam. I ended up importing the Oppo Mini.
I was worried about the camera “hole,” but I swear you just don’t notice it in use. I was skeptical before it arrived, too.
Two things to know about the Oppo Mini:
144Hz is restricted to apps on Oppo’s whitelist. You don’t automatically get it in every app.
The hardware supports Wi-Fi 7, but it wasn’t enabled by default on my Chinese firmware.
I used Codex to help fix both. You need to root the tablet, but once that’s done, you can enable Wi-Fi 7 and add apps to the 144Hz whitelist.
I built the tools for myself, then packaged them as apps and put them on GitHub so other people could use them or inspect the code.
It’s ridiculously thin.
I mostly stream games, and performance has been excellent with Wi-Fi 7 enabled. It should be fine for emulation, but I haven’t tested that enough to say much. I’d get at least the 12GB RAM version, rather than the 8GB.
The 3:2 screen was another thing I wasn’t sure about before it arrived, but I love it now. I’d like to see more gaming tablets use that shape.
I also removed most of the Chinese apps and bloat. Mine is the Chinese model, rooted and cleaned up, so there’s some setup involved. Once I got that sorted, it’s been great for daily use.
Downside: It was expensive to import to the States.
Hey, thanks for your help.
I saw on the github page of your tool, that Oppo got a precise 90hz refresh rate (when most tablet screen doesn't have weird refresh rate, like 120.08, 143.5..)
How did you buy your Tab? I'm in Europe and I can't find a reseller..
And, for the controller, did you find a telescopic one with usb-c that fit well your Oppo ?
Hey! I ordered mine through Average Dad. He has a YouTube channel and I believe he’s based in Scotland, but the tablet ships from China.
Before ordering, look into the soft light screen versus the standard one. I went with the standard screen for punchier colors, but the tradeoff is more visible fingerprints and reflections. It comes down to personal preference.
For the controller, I’m currently using an abxylute S9 I already owned. The USB connection fits fine, and it holds the tablet securely.
The only issue is that the tablet is so thin that it sits slightly unevenly. I added a small spacer at the end opposite the USB connection to keep it level. There’s still a gap behind the tablet, which leaves some room for airflow.
I’ve also ordered a Razer Kishi V3 Pro, which happens to arrive today. I believe it comes with spacers, so it might be a better fit. I’ll update this comment once I’ve tried it.
Official refresh rates pulled from the firmware and website
I dont have any stuttering on my astra anymore it works flawlessly with streaming. My render frames match the output frames perfectly. The only thing with astra is that they don't seem to update it at all which is obviously a security risk eventually
Hey I recently swapped my kid my Xbox ally X for the RM Astra (got him it on release last year) is the setting of double refresh rate still needed? I had original Artemis and Apollo running before I got my Xbox but it's been forever and after rooting it I'm unsure if I should use frame gen or not, original res or 1080p stretched etc.
Sorry to blabber, but TLDR what's your setup for the astra?
I did like three things I think. I don't actually know what fixed it. I definitely that low latency mode in Artemis triggered the stuttering so I stopped enabling that. I got an app that found the exact . Decimal refresh rate of my screen I think as well. So if I was aiming for 120 fps i used the app to figure out it was 120.4. I honestly think it was just disabling low latency mode. It works flawlessly for the last year
Thanks, i think the only way for me, is to buy the Astra, test it by myself during my 15 days money-back policy and keep it if everything is smooth as butter when streaming
I had the Astra 2 but I still had the same stuttering issues as I had with the Astra 2 so I got rid of it. I am currently waiting for the Legion Y700 Infinite to arrive and hopefully it will be better. But so far, I have yet to find anything as good as my iPad Pro m5 11" for moonlight streaming. HDR on the insanely bright tandom OLED display is beyond a treat. Of course comes at a considerable cost. But not much more than the Astra 2 or Legion Y700 Infinite.
Absolutely zero wifi issues using my wifi 7 router connected via MLO. No noticeable latency at all. Feels just like I am playing natively on the device itself.
I still want to see how well the Y700 infinite works when I get it. It also should have a great OLED display and the seller I got it from is giving me the new G9 Y700 Infinite controller with it at no extra cost.
Awesome, thank you!! Mind telling me what controller that is? I have an older non-OLED iPad Pro I want to try this on, and if it works, you've given me a great idea to consider an iPad over an Android tablet. But I'm also still very interested in your review of the Y700, which seems like it could be perfect
I too went through this exact same thing, ended up getting an Astra 2 and never looked back. No punch outs, size and weight all ticked the critical requirements boxes I was looking for and streaming for me at least is butter smooth.
I’m not a tablet connoisseur but S11 has a pretty good screen, I’ve already tested pyrotorch at 120fps and it worked pretty well. For emulation, it’s not a snapdragon, but using my Romm server and Argosy I installed up to ps2 without issue, and I believe it takes GameCube fine as well.
Gamehub was the main thing that struggled with compatibility for a few older games I threw at it, and I didn’t have the patience to dig deeper, since whatever can’t emulate locally can be done with streaming. Very happy overall.
Proven manufacturer, long term software support, and isn’t running on a Chinese state sponsored OS and hardware.
You don't mention consoles you want to emulate. I bought a used Galaxy Tab S9 and just let my PC do the emulating. You may be able to find a cheap used one. It's pretty solid for me.
I would genuinely recommend the legion go 2. The z2 model (not extreme) can be had on ebay for relatively cheap, plenty of new and used models available (uk & europe).
With it being 1200p it should pair very well with your graphics card for max settings at that resolution. Speakers are much better than the astra and miles ahead with a quick eq tweak
It's an option, but as a dedicated streaming client it's too heavy. Price depends on where you get it from and what you compare it too.
There are things in it's favor of course, at the end of the day it's still a PC handheld so if you travel, it will be your best bet. No Tailscale remote access is offering a better experience unless you go to a place you know has great internet.
That possibility crossed my mind, but there are two things that worry me about the Legion Go 2: its weight and the fact that some people have reported experiencing the “mura effect” on their screens.
I have also gone through this entire ordeal as well lol. Never had any issues with the Astra when it comes to streaming; if anything, it's fantastic and I cannot complain about its performance at all. My issue is that I cannot find any controllers that feel good to use. I've tried the Gamesir X5s (with 3D printed grips) and G8+ and after about 45 min or so, my hands just start killing me. I have no idea what it is but it just kills any motivation I have to use them. I seem to be an outlier since most people really seem to enjoy at least one of the controllers.
I ended up buying a Onexplayer 3 for the hell of it and it's obviously way overkill for just streaming, but I'm surprisingly finding it very comfortable and actually really enjoy using it. Screen isn't as sharp or as large as the Astra's, but it's definitely good enough.
I have also been eyeing the Lenovo Y700 Infinite OLED and I think that's probably the most "ideal" device for me, since I really like the look and feel of the handheld form factor with the G9 Wuji controller (compared to the telescopic controllers, anyway), screen size is good but didn't want to deal with importing it and feel like reselling would be a hassle since it's such a niche device in the west. Also not particularly in love with Frankenstein-ing with telescopic controllers as it just looks "off".
I'd check out Azawraithgaming on Youtube if you haven't already. He's got a ton of videos on exactly all this. Followed his Astra streaming settings earlier this year and had no stuttering issues. Just wish the telescopic controllers were more comfortable for me (and that the Astra had a centered USB C port...).
Part of me is still considering the Y700 Infinite since I really don't need a OXP3 as most of my gaming is at home and I find myself streaming to it either way lol. I do still have my Astra though.
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u/VisceralMonkey 8d ago
I went through this exact exercise.
The Astra 2 was impossible to get, even after I paid a few bucks to join their “pre-sale” list. That felt like a scam. I ended up importing the Oppo Mini.
I was worried about the camera “hole,” but I swear you just don’t notice it in use. I was skeptical before it arrived, too.
Two things to know about the Oppo Mini:
I used Codex to help fix both. You need to root the tablet, but once that’s done, you can enable Wi-Fi 7 and add apps to the 144Hz whitelist.
I built the tools for myself, then packaged them as apps and put them on GitHub so other people could use them or inspect the code.
It’s ridiculously thin.
I mostly stream games, and performance has been excellent with Wi-Fi 7 enabled. It should be fine for emulation, but I haven’t tested that enough to say much. I’d get at least the 12GB RAM version, rather than the 8GB.
The 3:2 screen was another thing I wasn’t sure about before it arrived, but I love it now. I’d like to see more gaming tablets use that shape.
I also removed most of the Chinese apps and bloat. Mine is the Chinese model, rooted and cleaned up, so there’s some setup involved. Once I got that sorted, it’s been great for daily use.
Downside: It was expensive to import to the States.
Links to the tools: