HP unveils four new Android-powered Slate tablets

[Spider]

Summary: The offerings include the Slate 7 Extreme, a version of Nvidia's Tegra Note, and the Slate 8 Pro with an ultra-high-resolution screen. The Slate 7 HD and Slate 10 HD come with two free years of T-Mobile data service.

By Sean Portnoy for Laptops & Desktops |September 19, 2013 -- 14:46 GMT (07:46 PDT)

While some Android tablet manufacturers are going down market, hoping to sell more units by slashing prices, HP's latest round of Slate tablets is full of more upscale bells and whistles.

HP did try the cheap route with its Slate 7, which started at $169 but was subsequently reduced to a mere $139. Perhaps in response to the tepid response, the company has swung the opposite direction with its four new Slates, none of which screams out "bargain basement."

For instance, the HP Slate 7 HD and Slate 10 HD throw in two years of free data service from T-Mobile. Considering many people use tablets only with Wi-Fi, that's a noteworthy bonus, even if the other specs aren't as spectacular: 1,280x800 resolution (on either), Marvel PXA986 processor, and 1GB of RAM. They're upgrades to the original Slate 7, but how much extra you'll have to pay for one when they arrive in November is TBD. Check out our sister site CNET's hands-on coverage for more details.

More intriguing is the Slate 8 Pro, which will compete with the iPad Mini and other 8-inch tablets. It actually has the "HD" that the new Slate 7 and 10 tease, in the form of a 1,600x1,200 screen with a 253 pixels-per-inch density, much higher than the iPad Mini or Galaxy Note 8. It also comes with the latest Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, double RAM of the aforementioned Slates, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (along with the usual 2-megapixel front-facing cam). Again, no pricing details for the November launch, but CNET grabs ahold of it as well.

Finally, there's the Slate 7 Extreme, which is apparently "extreme" because it's essentially a rebadged Nvidia Tegra Note, according to The Verge. Again, it is powered by a Tegra 4 chip, and also features a stylus (albeit without an active digitizer, says Engadget) and a souped-up rear-facing camera with Nvidia magic involved to better capture slow-motion videos and HDR images. We do know that the Tegra Note price is supposed to be $199, so we have an idea of what the Slate 7 Extreme will cost when it goes on sale in November.

 

[edap]

Finally, there's the Slate 7 Extreme, which is apparently "extreme" because it's essentially a rebadged Nvidia Tegra Note, according to The Verge. Again, it is powered by a Tegra 4 chip, and also features a stylus (albeit without an active digitizer, says Engadget) and a souped-up rear-facing camera with Nvidia magic involved to better capture slow-motion videos and HDR images. We do know that the Tegra Note price is supposed to be $199, so we have an idea of what the Slate 7 Extreme will cost when it goes on sale in November.

So, it looks like we will be seeing the Tegra Note from a number of brands this year, but some may prefer having that HP logo on their device. I can only say that I’m glad they didn’t call it the Slate 7 Xtreme. Since this is the HP branded version of NVIDIA’s Tegra Note, I hope that means HP will keep it around that $199 suggested price point. So, that means a 7-inch 1,280 x 800 display IPS display at 16:9. And, it will have 16GB of memory with microSD for expansion.

 

[tpaine]

The Slate 8 Pro with an ultra-high-resolution screen looks nice, the 4x3 format is ok, but white? Rumor is about $299, but the competition, ipad mini is only $329-

 

[edap]

Instead of throwing together 4 different tablets they should have just focused on one and made it an all around great tablet, something that consumers would buy. I don’t think HP is serious yet with regards to entering the tablet market. I feel like they have their toes dipped into the water but the rest of their body is nowhere to be seen.