Though absent impressive specs, the Asus Memo 172V ships in April for only $149

Look for the ME172V to sport a Nexus 7-like apps tray interface.

(Credit: Asus)

Asus has decided to enter the sub-$200 7-inch tablet market with the announcement of its Memo Pad ME172V; a $149 tablet running Android 4.1 stated for an April release in the U.S.

A year ago, after CES 2012, I came out positively giddy about the $250 Asus Memo 370T’s prospects. That tablet eventually had its features stripped away and released as the Google Nexus 7 for $50 less.

The ME172V seems to further strip away the 370T’s features to offer a tablet that can compete with the likes of not only the $159 Kindle Fire, but the deluge of affordable tablets from Polaroid and Alcatel announced last week at CES 2013.

The Nexus 7 this is not
The ME172V ships with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with a 7-inch 1,024x600 resolution screen and a 140 degree viewing angle. That’s an angle not up to IPS standards so expect a less capable panel. Maxing out at about 350 candelas per square meters, the ME172V’s brightness does get fairly high, however.

The ME172V ships in either 8GB or 16GB configurations. For all you storage expansion lovers out there -- which, honestly, seems to be all of you --, you'll be happy to know that the ME172V is expandable by up to 32GB of storage via its built-in microSD slot.

Asus made it clear today that the ME172V will not be a gaming or graphics powerhouse, stating "Our focus for this device is on delivering excellent performance per watt and a smooth and fluid user experience at an extremely affordable price, NOT on winning benchmarks".

And it ain’t kidding. The tablet houses a 1GHz VIA WM8950 CPU with a Mali-400 GPU. As a comparison, the Nexus 10 ships with a Mali T604 GPU; orders of magnitude faster and more capable graphically as it employs four GPU cores, compared to the single core in the ME172V. So those looking for an affordable, gaming powerhouse for $150 or less will need to keep looking/waiting.

A few more details
The tablet includes a 1-megapixel camera on the front with a f/2.0 aperture and is capable of 720p HD video capture at 30fps. Other features include 1GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a headphone jack, microphone, a micro USB port, and a gyroscope.

Asus quotes battery life at 7 hours and at 0.81 pounds, the tablet should feel pretty light in your hands.

First thoughts
There will no shortage of sub-$200 tablets in 2013 and it’s nice to see one of the most capable Android tablet manufacturers won’t be left in the cold. At $149, the ME172V makes for a compelling alternative to the Nexus 7 as long as resolution and gaming aren’t high on your priority list; however, competing tablets from Polaroid and Alcatel may offer more for still less in some cases. Expect the Asus ME172V in April in the U.S.