The $99 Asus Nexus Tablet Will be Unveiled at CES 2013

Evidence is mounting that Asus and Google are preparing to launch a new, budget-priced Nexus tablet for $99 at the upcoming 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Recent activity suggests the companies are following a predictable promotional pattern previously seen with the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 launches. This strategy typically involves leaking hardware specifications to Digitimes, releasing benchmark results online, and finally posting sample images to Picasa from official accounts.

New photos have appeared on Picasa linked to an unreleased Asus device identified as the ME172V. While official confirmation is still pending, the timing and nature of these image uploads align with previous pre-launch behaviors. Although Asus does not have a formal booth at CES, industry observers expect the device to be unveiled in Google’s meeting facilities at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall next month.

Technical data from leaked benchmarks and specifications provide a clearer picture of the ME172V’s hardware. The tablet reportedly features a 1GHz WonderMedia processor, a 400MHz Mali GPU, and 1GB of RAM. The display is expected to be a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024×600. Other noted features include a 1-megapixel front-facing camera—validated by the Picasa metadata—and a microSD expansion slot. The device was seen running Android 4.1.1, though some analysts find the use of an older OS version surprising given that Android 4.2 has already been released.

The rumored $99 price point would position the tablet as a low-cost alternative to the standard Nexus 7. To reach this aggressive price, the ME172V utilizes more modest components, such as a single-core CPU and a lower-resolution display than its predecessors. While some speculation exists that the device could be an Asus-branded tablet rather than a Nexus-labeled product, the marketing tactics used so far strongly mirror Google’s established playbook for the Nexus line.

If these reports are accurate, the ME172V will likely be a primary focus of the tablet market during the January trade show, representing a significant push into the entry-level computing space.