Asus is planning to introduce an economical 7-inch Android tablet that could rival the Google Nexus 7 tablet, and keep the company trending upward in the tablet market. The new Asus Android tablet — the Memo Pad HD7 — was announced at an event in Taiwan earlier this week.
Probably the most attention-grabbing feature of the Memo Pad HD7 is its price tag. An 8GB model will be sold for $129. A 16GB version will sell for $149.
In keeping with newer tablets, it will have two cameras. InformationWeek reports the Memo Pad HD7 will have a 5 megapixel rear camera in addition to a 1.2 megapixel front-facing lens to complement its 1280 x 800 screen.
DigitalTrends reports the 8GB model will likely only be available in “emerging markets.” But the more stocked model is still a bargain at its price. The Nexus 7 with 16GB sells for $50 higher than the expected price for the comparable-stocked Memo Pad HD7.
The Memo Pad HD7 comes in four body colors: black, white, shocking pink, and lime green.
Tablet makers have been focusing on camera technology and early reviews tend to agree that the 5 MP add-on from Asus is better than the camera situation of the Nexus 7, one the best Android tablet deals last year. In addition to the other products Asus expects to launch in July with the Memo Pad HD7, the company is likely pitching for a bigger share of the tablet and other device markets, and doing so by keeping its prices competitive.
Asus made a big splash in the tablet market in 2012, and while it did not have the top-selling device like Google, its sales of these devices jumped more than 400 percent, according to AndroidCommunity. Asus was the fourth-leading seller of tablets in 2012.
The 7-inch tablet size has proved popular for its obvious advantages. It’s very mobile — light weight and small enough to slip into a coat pocket or ladies’ purse. The price is nice, too, with some available under $200. Yet, the screen is easier to read and use as a touchpad keyboard, than a typical 4-inch smartphone.
Small tablets are not the best choices for doing heavy-duty work such as creating documents and manipulating spreadsheets. But they are handy devices if your tablet budget is low and you just need something to keep your business flowing (i.e., deal with email, messaging and use some apps) while out of the office for a few hours or even a couple of days on a short business trip.
This video of the Memo HD7 shows how compact and portable it is:
Image: Asus
Tony S
One of the best on line sources for Android tablets is a site called T a bl e t S p r i n t – with two new tablets that launch this week which they have added to their site – the Novo 8 Discovery compares to the 8-inch mini iPad and is $169 – with fast Quad core performance and is almost as compact as a 7″ tablet but offers 65% more screen space to work with and is also one of the first tablets that works with the Miracast HD Wireless(like Apple Airplay device) to stream movies wirelessly from your tablet to a TV in full high resolution HD and also play video games on your big screen using the tablet as a motion control device – Also to launch this week is the new Pipo M6 tablet for $279 that’s a full-size tablet that rivals $400 tablets such as the Nexus 10 and iPad and features an impressive Retina-quality display and Quad Core processor, along with Bluetooth, MicroSD, front stereo speakers and this new model also works with Miracast Wireless HD. Both of these new tablets and a few others are worth checking out for their price and the features they offer.
Tony S
TabletSprint.com is a U.S. based reseller
Max S
“Asus is planning to introduce an economical 7-inch Android tablet that could rival the Google Nexus 7 tablet”
Asus makes the Google Nexus 7, why would it release another tablet to compete with its own?
Patrick
Because the Asus Memo HD 7 offers some options that the Nexus 7 v1 does not, perhaps most importantly a microSD expansion slot. Google seems intent on making people use their Google Drive and Marketplace for content, ergo no SD/microSD slot offered on Nexus 7. In my opinion, it makes Nexus 7 users more reliant on Google as a whole.
Shawn Hessinger
Patrick,
Good point. Though, I think the proliferation of the Android operating system, another Google product which both devices still have in common, makes the new Asus device a win for Google anyway.
Chris
The Asus HD7 has a Cortex-A7 processor which is slower than the Tegra 3 in the Nexus. So its a game of slightly less performance etc etc. Plus with a new Nexus 7 predicted this july with a Snapdragon4 processor it will line them up in a row of performance.
The Sero 7 is running the Teg 3, but its new on the market so nut sure of issues.
Shawn Hessinger
Hi Max,
It’s admittedly a bit confusing. You can do a bit of poking around on the Web into the subject of the Asus/Google competition to see what’s going on here. From Asus’s perspective, it would seem that while the company built the Nexus 7 for Google, essentially they consider it a Google device. Google is selling it, and they are simply competing with their own cheaper version. You can find some good information online about Google’s perspective too. Apparently, they are all too happy to see cheaper versions of the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 enter the market, because what they are really trying to do is increase the number of devices out there using the Android operating system.
Anita Campbell
Hi Shawn, that sounds weird to think of an OEM competing with itself, but now that you’ve explained it, I can understand it.
Another way to say it, I guess — instead of saying “competes” — is that it’s about Asus offering a wide range of choices, including lower end choices.
– Anita
Shawn Hessinger
Hi Anita,
So right, and, when you think about it, the new Asus is also an opportunity for Google to offer a lower cost option for Android users without even spending money on launching a new device.
Max S
Thanks for clarifying that, Shawn.
Marvin McKinley
I hope you will be able to download a program to the SD card and not have to use up storage on the device itself.
sumit
is the tablet available in india?