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

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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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11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gouki146 29 November 2012 15:16
    Isnt the 16gb Nexus 7 BETTER at $199? If so, what is the point for North America anyway?
    Reply
  • 29 November 2012 15:19
    Pretty pointless seeing as they sell the nexus 7 which looks to have better specs in everything and is cheaper
    Reply
  • amk-aka-Phantom 29 November 2012 15:33
    Lol, pretty much identical to Galaxy Tab P1000 except for twice the RAM.
    Reply
  • john15v16 29 November 2012 16:28
    better make it $189 to compete with the Kindle Fire friend...
    Reply
  • halcyon 29 November 2012 16:45
    The world already has a cheap Asus 7" tablet...the Nexus 7. WTH?
    Reply
  • mrmaia 29 November 2012 17:11
    The Nexus 7 is cheap in the US. In Africa, South America and some other markets, heavy taxing makes them quite expensive and such an alternative would be welcomed by them.
    Reply
  • in_the_loop 29 November 2012 17:17
    The mere fact that it isn't a Nexus tablet and won't get the latest updates at a fast rate (and maybe also have some bloatware skin) means it would have to be considerably cheaper than the Nexus 7, at least for me.
    Even if the hardware was better at the same price.

    Maybe $149?
    Reply
  • lucasmonta1 29 November 2012 17:30
    I must agree with those thinking of the Nexus 7...but maybe Asus has some ace on the sleeve, I don't know anyways :p
    Reply
  • g00fysmiley 29 November 2012 19:11
    the expandable memory to me makes it worth the extra money even if the specs aren't as great. the annoting thing about the nexus 7 is swapping media on the device. I would love to just buy a few sd card load some up with movies and different tv series to interchange memory cards on long trips.. then sagain most people don't travel as much and for as long a time as me so /shrug i am probably a niche market
    Reply
  • johan_22 29 November 2012 22:04
    In South Africa the cheapest you can find the Nexus 7 is R3,500 after import duties. That is around $400.
    Reply