14 DAY TRIAL // HP is currently concentrating its efforts into bringing a bunch of new tablets to the market. One of them leaked not so long ago and the first picture that showed the device will be arriving with an exceptionally large bezel.
Now, just a few weeks after the happening, Liliputing reports the tablet has arrived in the US and is selling for $100 / €100 (via HP).
It appears HP is going all out in the budget category. The device maker has rolled out the VoiceTab line-up of tablets/phablets for the American market. But the company is planning to bring the HP 7 Plus 1301 to the US and to Europe as well.
Even if the current trend pushes device manufacturers to slim down bezel as much as possible, HP is apparently taking the exact opposite route with this model.
Large bezels aren't so attractive, but they do have their advantages like providing a larger space to grip the tablet. Moreover, the bezel can work to prevent accidental palm touches that usually bring about all sorts of unwanted actions.
Anyway, the slate goes by the name HP Plus 7 1301 and could be considered the smaller brother of the 1401 model HP launched earlier this year.
The slate arrives with a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. Power is provided by an Allwinner A31 ARM Cortex A7 processor clocked at 1GHz, accompanied by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory (expandable up to 32GB via the microSD card).
On top of that, the HP Plus 7 1301 arrives with two cameras (2MP on the back and 0.3MP in front), microUSB port, Wi-Fi. Sadly, there’s no Bluetooth support or GPS.
Another draw-back is that the slate runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. Hopefully, HP will push out the Android KitKat 4.4.2 update at some point, but you’ll probably have to wait some time for that to happen. In terms of OS updates, HP seems to be taking its time.
On the positive side, HP says the tablet should be able to provide up to 12 hours of working life. The slate is quite mobile, weighing a meager 295 g / 0.65 lbs, which means you’ll be able to take it with you pretty much everywhere.
The HP Plus 1301 should soon be made available to customers in Europe, and when it does, it will probably sell with a price tag of €100 / $100.