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Topic: Smartphones

The Google 7-inch Android tablet will cost more, be delayed until July

Summary: Due to cost pressures, it looks like Google's own slate will cost the same as the Kindle Fire, and be launched in July.

Sean Portnoy

By for Laptops & Desktops |

I posted recently about Google preparing its own branded 7-inch Android tablet, with a hardware assist by Asus. The most notable detail from those rumors was the price: $149, or $50 less than the similarly sized (and very popular) Kindle Fire.

But according to The Verge, Google's supposed initial vision has met with a cold dash of reality. While the tablet was probably never meant to be a money maker in and of itself, the aggressive price tag was going to be hard to reach without some serious costs to Google and Asus. Not surprisingly, then, the slate with its current specs is running closer to $249, with the companies hoping to trim costs to make the final price the same -- $199 -- as Amazon's best seller.

The efforts to tweak the device have also altered the release timing. Once due to launch in May, the Google tablet now could reach consumers -- through its own online store -- by July. As currently spec'd, the tablet is still using a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, despite earlier reports that it would abandon the chip for a less-powerful, lower-priced processor. Whether Google and Asus can stick with the more powerful Tegra 3 and retain a competitive price remains to be seen, but there's plenty of time for more leaks to emerge about those plans.

Would you still buy a Google-branded tablet at $199 instead of $149? How about at $249? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Topics: Smartphones, Android, Google, Hardware, Laptops, Mobile OS, Mobility, Security, Tablets

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58 comments
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  • Google 7 inch Pad

    I'm in at $149, 199, or 249.
    scwmd1
    Reply Vote

    • Same here

      Me too. This is the correct price point for tablets. And this one has excellent specs.
      os2baba
      Reply Vote

    • I agree

      Nook seems to be doing fine at $249 and neither the fire nor the nook will be as capable as this is.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

  • Idiots

    Check your sources author, the tablet will reportedly cost 'LESS' not more.
    zdnetsucksballs
    Reply Vote

    • Apparently you are ...

      ..... the idiot ... who lack some basic reading comprehension.
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

      • Oh yea?

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2126199/Googles-brand-iPad-rival-arrive-July--125-tablet-MUCH-cheaper-Apples.html

        "Tablet delayed from May launch to cut price"

        http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/6/2929707/google-tablet-july-launch-exclusive

        "First Google tablet now expected in July due to price cutting effort"

        That should be clear enough. Else you can ask your dog to read it for you.
        zdnetsucksballs
        Reply Vote

      • You really believe that garbage

        Google is a marketing company, they don't have a clue about consumer hardware. New venture for them, so don't expect wonders like Apple or Amazon. Expect a kludge to start maybe getting better after Google spends a $billion or two to fix obvious errors.
        Cynical99
        Reply Vote

    • Mirrors

      First, check you OWN sources.
      If you are going to call someone an idiot, you had better be on firm ground. What part of this quote from your "source" do you not understand?
      "The tablet was originally meant to appear in May, but the search giant has insisted that supplier Asus trim the price from its current $250 (??157) to $199 (??125.)"
      Let me know, and I'll spell it out for you. Might want to try Hooked on Phonics, I hear it works well for remedial reading instruction.

      And while we are talking about idiots, the word is spelled "yeah", not "yea".
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote

  • The tegra 3 is all hype

    I'm ok with a "less powerful" processor. So far, the dual core S4's are beating the crap out of the tegra 3 in benchmark testing and power usage. I'd actually prefer a dual core S4 over the tegra 3. Not sure if the S4 is cheaper though. Guess we'll see.
    blarelli
    Reply Vote

    • Exactly!!!

      Even cheap crap processors are beating the Tegra brands.

      I laugh every time some fandroid idiot claim that the Tegra is a great processor. It is funny that they think that Tegra is any good, when it took a four (4) core Tegra to (almost) match the performance of a single core A4 .... and the A4 is an OLD processor.
      wackoae
      Reply Vote

      • You are out of your mind

        The benchmarks for the CPU of the Tegra 3, just the CPU, are often 3 to 4x faster than the A5x CPU and that has been measured by several sources. The GPU is where the Apple has the Raw power.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

      • Guess what?

        I'm still laughing at the clueless fandroids who believe the nVidia and OEM paid "benchmarks".

        Tegra 3 to 4x faster .... Thanks for the laugh.
        wackoae
        Reply Vote

      • Nope

        As far as processing goes, the Tegra 3 is definitely beating Apple's latest and greatest, let alone the A4. If you want to talk graphics, though, that's where the A5X shines. The GPU in the new iPad is a monster.
        BigMagoo
        Reply Vote

    • No they are not

      The benchmarks of the qhd resolution devices running the s4 cannot be compared to devices running higher resolution.

      The Tegra 3 has hardware advancements that make some graphics tasks easier and they supplement the lack of raw benchmark power. Just because they aren't the top dog on benchmarks does not mean they aren't good at high end graphics... In fact, the Tegra 3 GPU is actually proving to produce some excellent visuals.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

      • The end users decides anyway

        It is the end user who decides and they either have smooth UI and general performance (Apple's) or sluggish UI and bumpy application execution (Androids based on Tegra). Doesn't matter if Tegra might have theoretically better performance on CPU intensive tasks. None of these tablets is number crunching device anyway.

        In fact, since there is no iOS on Tegra and no Android on A4/A5, we cannot compare the processors directly -- and the end user does not really care about these things anyway.
        danbi
        Reply Vote

    • Hype and Hyperbole

      @ Peter Perry and BigMagoo
      There are no such benchmarks that show the core capabilities of the Tegra are better than the A4/5. There is a very fundamental reason for this. Almost all such benchmark tests utilize core OS functionality, such as Java processing, that directly affect the results. As such, the data is essentially meaningless as a comparison across OSes.
      This is not just my opinion, but the stated position of many of the benchmark creators themselves. For instance, Greene Labs, creators of the Linpack benchmark, states categorically that Linpack will be more reflective of a device's Java engine than of its processor.
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote

  • Maybe

    $149 for sure, $199 maybe. You can get a used Kindle Fire for about $125, a Nook Tablet for $150 and they are not bad tables once rooted. I will wait to see the final specs. Definitely don't want a tablet with the "ASUS Experience" or oddball hardware. Hey isn't the Tegra 3 an oddball?
    n4nqy@...
    Reply Vote

  • Wish it was an 8 or 8.2"

    To me that is the sweet spot for tablet size. I have played with and used several tablets & the 8 - 8.2" size is ideal. Better for movies, books, games & productivity apps, but still portable and easy to hold & carry. So i will not be buying this tablet at any cost. Waiting for the next gen Xyboard or the smaller iPad.
    tgschmidt
    Reply Vote

  • Absolutely not

    I bought a Fire mainly because Amazon stripped all of the Google spyware out of the OS, and have been very happy with the unit. Perhaps someone can explain to me why a 7" tablet needs a quad core processor? For what we use these smaller tablets for it just isn't necessary. Amazon has sold millions of their device, and will soon introduce an updated model along with a larger model, because they understand the market. They offer a very simple device with a tightly integrated OS and a vast ecosystem to tie into. Sound familiar? Google will offer a buggy OS forever in Beta and no ecosystem. Just how is this a recipe for success?
    itpro_z
    Reply Vote

    • Quad core

      H.264
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote
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