HP Expands Android Slate Lineup

After striking out with the TouchPad, HP re-entered the consumer tablet market with its Slate 7($129.00 at Amazon) earlier this year. That tablet struck a good balance between price and performance, but was quickly eclipsed by superior options, including the new Google Nexus 7. Now HP is ready to expand beyond the low-end Android tablet market with four new offerings, covering every relevant tablet screen size bracket. We got a chance to check out HP's newest Android Slates at an event in New York City on Wednesday.

The HP Slate 7 HD and Slate 10 HD represent the company's entry-level offerings, with modest specs and build quality. The two plastic-clad tablets share the same 1,280-by-800-pixel screen resolution, in two different screen sizes of course, and are powered by dual-core Marvell processors. The Slate 7 HD is the more unassuming the two, resembling the original Slate 7, which didn't do much to distinguish itself from the sea of nearly identical small-screen tablets out there. The Slate 10 HD, on the other hand, comes clad in an ostentatious Beats-Audio-red, with a dimpled texture on the back. Both tablets come equipped with Beats Audio, naturally, and also feature SIM card slots—the company, however, says they'll support 3G connections only, not faster LTE networks.  

HP's other two tablets on display were a bit more exciting. The Slate 7 Extreme is, as you might have guessed, a souped up 7-inch slate with specs that can go toe to toe with tablets like the Nexus 7. It'll be powered by a quad-core Tegra 4 processor and features a built-in stylus with digitizer. HP had it mirroring Android games to a big HDTV with its HDMI out, showing off its gaming chops. Its screen resolution, unfortunately, remains a modest 1,280-by-800 pixels.

The Slate 8 Pro will likely carry the flagship banner, as it comes with the most impressive line of specs. The display is a sharp 1,600-by-1,200-pixel, 7.95-inch unit with a 4:3 aspect ratio—likely inspired by the iPad mini's success. This well-built tablet will also sport a quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, HDMI out, and microSD card expansion.

There were no specifics regarding price or release date, other than "this holiday season." With Nvidia throwing down the gauntlet with its own 7-inch tablet priced at just $199, it'll be interesting to see how HP responds. Stay tuned for full reviews once we get these tablets into our labs.