HP Slate 7 Android tablet (preview)

The HP Slate 7 is a low-cost Android tablet aimed squarely at consumers

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After a long hiatus and the ill-fated, webOS-based TouchPad, HP is back in the tablet game. Now an official Android partner, the company has just debuted the HP Slate 7, a 7in Android tablet targeted squarely at consumers.

Pros

  • Low price
  • Relatively stock Android UI
  • microSD card slot

Cons

  • Lower res screen than alternatives
  • April release

Bottom Line

HP is back in the tablet game with the Slate 7, a 7in Android tablet targeted squarely at consumers. On the surface there's little that's remarkable about the HP Slate 7 except its price, but that price is a big deal.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    TBA (AUD)

Special Offers

On the surface there's little that's remarkable about the HP Slate 7 except its price. At $199, however, that price is a big deal. This is one of the cheapest tablets on the market, bettering even Google's low-cost Nexus 7.

For that asking price the HP Slate 7 gets Beats Audio integration and a stainless-steel frame. There's also "soft black paint" finish on the back which is available in grey or red variants. Unlike smartphones, the tablet market has been largely devoid of colour options so it's a refreshing change.

The The "soft black paint" finish on the back of the Slate 7 is available in grey or red variants.

Specifications are reasonable considering the low price tag but it's largely a pretty standard affair. The Slate 7 is powered by an 1.6GHz ARM dual-core processor, has 1GB of RAM and comes with 8GB of internal memory. There's also a microSD card to expand the memory if needed, along with a front-facing VGA camera for video calls and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera for photos and videos.

The Slate 7 comes with a 7in screen with a resolution of 1024×600, which is a lower resolution than both the Apple iPad mini and the Nexus 7. HP does claim the use of a "high-aperture-ratio Field Fringe Switching (HFFS) panel" that claims to offer wide viewing angles, but we'll have to put those claims to the test when we get our hands on a review unit.

The Slate 7 has a 7in screen with a resolution of 1024×600.The Slate 7 has a 7in screen with a resolution of 1024×600.

The HP Slate 7 will initially ship with what appears to be an almost stock, vanilla version of Google's Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' OS. Aside from a HP ePrint app that will come pre-loaded, the experience using the Slate 7 is likely to be almost identical to the Nexus 7. HP hasn't confirmed any details about software upgrades just yet.

HP says the Slate 7 is expected to be available in Australia from April and will retail from $199.

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Read more on these topics: HP, HP Slate, tablets, HP Slate 7, jelly bean, Android tablets

Stretcher Bearer

1

So we get gouged 30 dollars more than the US.
What could possible cause that?
Disgusting.

Peter

2

To be fair. lets add the price of a micro sim card to the $199 and then see a proper price comparison with the Nexus 7. Also, does the HP tablet have access to a 3g card? Still I would like to see a full review of this tablet. it just be a tablet i may actually buy.

Greg

3

US Price is ExTax whilst the AU Price is Inc GST so price difference not that large.

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