Asus Said to be Preparing Cheap 7-Inch Tablet for 2013

Price point rumored to be $226.

Asus is rumored to be working on a cheap, non-Nexus 7-inch tablet currently due for a release sometime during 2013.

According to a report from iAfrica, Asus, who is the manufacturer that developed Google's Nexus 7, is working on a tablet featuring a model number ME-172V. It purportedly runs on Jelly Bean and sports a 1024 x 600 capacitive display.

The tablet is currently set for a release in South Africa, but it's unclear whether Asus has any plans on offering the ME-172V in other regions. However, it told TechRadar that "Asus North America does not have a confirmed schedule for launch," implying that it will eventually launch elsewhere.

iAfrica said the tablet may feature a VIA WM8950 processor and 1GB of RAM, with a price tag of 2,000 ZAR, which equals around $226.

Also rumored is a 4,270mAh battery, 8GB of storage and a microSD card for expansion. A Mali 400 graphics chip and a front-facing camera is also said to be included.

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