We broke the news earlier this month that HP was finally ready to make things official after their longtime flirtation with Android, and now they have indeed taken the wraps off their first Android tablet at MWC. HP is keeping their powerhouse device up their sleeve for the time being as the Slate 7 is squarely targeted at the bottom of the market with a $169.99 price tag.
Due out in April the Slate 7 features a specs list that would be far more comfortable in early 2012:
- 7-inch 1024 x 600 FFS+ display
- 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB ROM with MicroSD for expansion
- 3MP rear camera and VGA front facing camera
- Stereo speakers with Beats Audio
- 10.7mm thick
- ~12.8 ounces
- 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1
On the positive side according to HP the tablet is basically running stock Android 4.1 with only minor modifications for ePrint and Beats Audio. We’ll have to see if either is particularly compelling for potential customers. All in all despite the low price it seems a questionable value proposition with the $199 Nexus 7 besting it on all counts save for the rear camera.
Based on the rest of their comments this may be it for HP and Android at MWC 2013, but they were clear that there are higher end products coming in 2013.
Do you think the Slate 7 is enough to make HP competitive in the fairly crowded low end Android tablet market?
