Asus unveils 32GB Nexus 7 in India

Almost a week after the 16GB Nexus 7 went on sale on the Google Play Store, Asus has officially launched the much-awaited 32GB tablet. The Asus 7 3G version will be available for Rs 21,999 while the Wi-Fi variant will be priced at Rs 18,999 in India.

    Google had officially unveiled the Nexus 7 back in June 2012 during the Google I/O event. The tablet is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 chip.This tablet is supposed to be a gamer's delight, and Google has touted it to be a serious gaming device as the brand has added a 12-core Nvidia GeForce GPU as well to the fray. This tablet also comes with Google Wallet pre-installed.

A newer refreshed version of the tablet was unveiled in October. The most important feature of the revised model of the Asus-manufactured Nexus 7 is its HSPA+ connectivity.

 Here's a quick look at the key specifications of the Nexus 7:

    7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels

    Available in 3G and Wi-Fi variants

    GPS with AGPS Bluetooth, NFC

    1.2 megapixel front facing camera with HD 720p video shooting capabilities

    32GB of inbuilt memory

 The 16GB variant of the Nexus 7 went on sale on Google Play in the end of March and the pieces are all set to start shipping on April 5. While Google has introduced an HSPA+ model of the Nexus 7 that isn’t reliant only on Wi-Fi, this one doesn’t seem to be that model. There is no mention of connectivity other than the standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.

 That Google would begin selling its devices in India through official channels was hinted earlier this month when it was discovered that the Google Nexus microsite listed India as a supported country.

 While only the 16GB variant of the Nexus 7 is on sale on Google Play Store, Asus has gone out to release the 32GB variant in India. Unlike Google, Asus has independently launched both the 3G and Wi-Fi variants of the 32GB Nexus 7.

 A representative for Asus said that the Nexus 7 pieces will be hitting Asus retail outlets in around a week’s time. Retail outlets like Croma and Vijay Sales will be getting the devices soon as well.

 “We are elated to announce the most awaited ASUS Nexus 7 to the Indian consumers. We have received an assenting reception for this tablet from the users globally and we are happy to cater to the growing demand in India by making it easily available in the country,” Peter Chang, Regional Head – South Asia and Country Manager, System Business Group, ASUS India, said on the occasion of the launch.

 Before Google put the Nexus 7 on sale on the Play Store so suddenly, the only way to get your hands on a Nexus 7 through official channels was in Croma, where the tablet was being sold at a price tag of Rs 19,999. Google had later revealed that it had nothing to do with Croma retailing the tablet.

 It is interesting to note that while a much-awaited Nexus device is officially being released in India, Google has put up the lowest variant of it for sale on the site. The manufacturing company Asus has unveiled the 32GB variant of it with barely any backing from Google. There is no word on when the 32GB version of Nexus 7 will go on sale on the Play Store.