Asus ME172V budget 7-inch Android tablet benchmarked
Specs have surfaced of a 7-inch Google and Asus tablet that could cost less than £100.
Could an even cheaper Nexus 7 be in the works? A device known as the Asus ME172V has shown up over at GLBenchmark, and it seems to back up previous rumours we've heard about a £62 ($99) 7-inch Android tablet.
That particular rumour gave the product name as the Asus ME-172V, so we could very well be looking at the same device. If the price is anywhere near as low as £60, it'll really put the squeeze on the competition.
Unsurprisingly, the specs aren't going to challenge the iPad mini. The 7-inch screen is said to have a 1,024x552-pixel resolution, according to GLBenchmark, and the processor will be somewhere between 600MHz and 1,008MHz. It does seem to be running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean though, so impressive features like Google's advanced voice search and Google Now will be at your fingertips. Or lips, depending on which you're using.
Is it likely that Google and Asus would launch such a budget tablet? I think so. Price is one area Apple won't compete with Android, so Google is hellbent on exploiting it. The Nexus 4 is a perfect example -- a stunning Android phone, with the latest software, for just £239. The build quality might not be exactly on a par with a top-of-the-range effort, but seeing as everything is done onscreen, it's really the software you're shelling out for.
If Google can sell a decent tablet for under a ton, it could 'do an Alan Sugar', and convince a lot of technophobes they really do need a tablet in their lives.
Would Google and Asus release a tablet for less than £100? And would you buy it if it had Jelly Bean on board? Let me know what you reckon in the comments, or on our Facebook page.