Cheap Tablets: Asus MeMO Pad HD 7 ME173X

• 11 years ago

Available for Pre Order in Canada: $159 from Amazon.ca – Click here to shop!

Available for Pre Order in USA: $149 – Pre Order from Amazon.com – 16GB model in white, blue, pink or green

I think from previous posts, I’m on record that I live Asus products and the innovations that they continue to make. Playing it safe isn’t something that fits for Asus. Instead, they push the boundaries or expectations for devices. In this example, we’re talking about their upcoming and sure hit, the Asus MeMO HD 7. This tablet was first unveiled at the Asus Computer 2012 press event and Jonney Shih, the chairman of Asus, was proud to show the presentation slide which showed the amazing low price. How low are we talking? How about $149 for a 16GB model and $129 for a 8GB (only available in emerging markets)!

Asus already released a MeMO Pad with a very cheap price point, but that particular model make a number of significant sacrifices in terms of processing speed and the all important display quality. This version, the MeMO HD 7 vastly improves the features and quality while keeping a quite unbelievable price point. If you’re not yet owning a 7-inch Android tablet, this one may be for you. Heck, with such a low price point this may be a good secondary tablet for your kids.

If you’re looking at buying the MeMO Pad HD 7, you’re likely interested in how it stacks up against the competition. Correct? So you want to know if it’s better than the Google Nexus 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0. I’ve already discussed the price and that’s a clear advantage because the brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is $199 for a much less robust tablet. The price of the Nexus 7 may drop slightly, but I don’t think it’s enough to topple this nifty budget tablet from Asus.

The ME173X has microSD card slot (32GB card maximum) but the Nexus 7 does not. The MeMO HD 7 has a resolution of 1280 x 800 as does the Nexus 7, but the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 has a resolution of 1024 x 600. The HD 7 comes with 16GB as does the Nexus 7, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 comes with 8GB of storage. Processor comparison, these 3 tablets are very comparable but the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 comes with dual-core whereas the Nexus 7 and MeMO HD 7 come with quad-core. The MeMO Pad HD 7 has the new Android 4.2 but both the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Tab 3 are running Android 4.1. Bluetooth comparison, the ME173X is running Bluetooth 4.0, but Nexus 7 is using 3.0. The MeMO Pad HD 7 and Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 also have front and rear cameras but the Nexus 7 has only front facing camera.

See an official MeMO Pad HD 7 product feature page.

Video Hands-On Review:

Update: After seeing a new unboxing video, we’ve just learned that it also comes with a simple but effective stand accessory.