Earlier on Wednesday, we showed you pictures of the HP Slate 6 and Slate 7 Voice Tabs that we were tipped to. Obviously intended for emerging markets, we have since discovered some more news on the pair. For example, the devices will initially be launched in India later this year. This comes from Ron Coughlin, VP for HP's consumer PC business, who was interviewed by re/code.
While earlier reports said that a quad-core 1GHz Marvell processor would be powering both devices, Coughlin would not identify the manufacturer of the silicon under the hood of either unit. Both models will run Android 4.2 and while the 6 inch glass on the HP Slate 6 will have a 720 x 1280 resolution, on the Slate 7 the resolution will be 800 x 1280 on the 7 inch screen. The phablets will have front facing stereo speakers and are both equipped with a 5MP rear facing camera and a 2MP snapper around front. The Slate 6 will be a bit thinner than 9mm while the Slate 7 will be 9.5mm thin. Both will offer 16GB of native storage with a 32GB capacity microSD slot for those needing more space. Pricing was not disclosed.
HP is following the numbers as far as these two devices are concerned. Phones with a screen size between 5 and 7 inches grew 17 fold in the second quarter of 2013 from the prior year, according to IDC. Nearly one out of every four phones sold in the following quarter was a phablet. And choosing India for the launch was apparently a no brainer. In tests conducted three to four months ago, consumers in India had the highest intent to purchase score. HP is the number one PC name in the country with 32% of the market, so brand recognition is not a problem.
"I won’t say where or when, but you can expect us to do more in the coming months. We’ll be talking about this in a more expansive way. But right now we’re focused on a successful launch in India."-Ron Coughlin, VP for consumer PC business, HP
After India, the new HP models could find themselves in other countries. Coughlin says that the pair tested very well in closed door tests with retailers at CES.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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