$170 gets you a Tegra 3-equipped Android slate.
HP has quietly revealed a new budget Android tablet today, hoping to get in on a segment dominated by the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7.
The $170 HP 8 is an eight-inch (or 7.85-inch, more specifically) Android tablet, and the low cost is due to low-power hardware. The display is a 1024×768 IPS LCD — a step below the HD-or-better panels found in Amazon and Google tablets — and the hardware is decidedly average for 2014. An Allwinner Quad-Core A31s processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, 2 MP rear camera, and 0.3 MP front shooter round out the specs.
USB (charging), audio out, and a microSD card slot complete the I/O trio, and Android 4.2.2 is on-board, too. HP says the included 3,700 mAh battery is good for seven hours of life, although it’s unclear if that’s video-heavy time or not. Physical specs: 200.3 x 136.3 x 7.95 mm, with a weight of 0.69 pounds.
The HP 8 lacks in horsepower, yes, but the price is right for what you’re buying. Both the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7 (2013 Edition) start at $229.99, leaving $60 in your pocket. And the quad-core chip should handle HD video and Android gaming without breaking a sweat.
If you want to go even cheaper, the Tegra 3-based HP Slate7 Plus is still available for $149.99.
