( Ars Technica ) -- After months of rumor roundups and speculation , Apple 's iPad mini has finally been announced—and the 7-inch tablet market has just heated up . This growing product category now has more to offer than Android devices with differing UI skins and varying components—or that BlackBerry PlayBook that 's not selling too hot . That 's not to say that Apple 's entrance into the mini-tablet game is solely what 's fueling the fire . Up until now , only the first-generation Kindle Fire and the recently launched Google Nexus 7 were considered worthy buys . Add the iPad mini to the mix , and this particular product category has a little more steam . But not everyone wants a $ 329 iPad mini , and there are certainly other 7-inch tablets that are worthy options . Or not , depending on your specific needs . To help you out , we 've put together this roundup of 7-inch tablets that are slated to arrive soon or are already available for purchase . If you 're the `` TL ; DR '' type , scroll down to the bottom and check out the comparison chart for a quick cheat sheet . Google Nexus 7 . Google 's flagship Nexus 7 tablet has done well by our standards and it 's quite a deal at $ 200 . Built on the internals of the Asus Memo 370 , the tablet has a 1280×800 IPS display with 226ppi , a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 quad-core processor , 1GB of RAM , up to 16GB of internal storage ( with a rumored 32GB model on its way ) , and a 1.3MP front-facing camera . It also comes with a stock version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean , and because it 's Google-backed , it 's ensured that it will be supported for future Android updates . Our benchmarks show that it 's one of the speediest 7-inch tablets currently available . Kindle Fire HD . The first iteration of the Kindle Fire did exceedingly well , but its successor has left a bit to be desired . The Kindle Fire HD , priced at $ 199 ( or $ 214 for the ad-free version ) , comes with a 1.3GHz dual-core OMAP-4460 processor , 1GB of RAM , and a 1280×800 display—the same resolution as Google 's Nexus 7 . It comes preloaded with Amazon 's Appstore , which has limited offerings compared to the Google Play store , and it runs a custom version of Ice Cream Sandwich , an Android version behind its major competitors . This device is best suited for those who devour e-books or are especially invested in the Amazon ecosystem . Nook HD . Barnes & Noble is slated to update its Nook tablet this holiday season ; the device will be available for preorder for $ 199 beginning November 1 . The Nook HD includes a 1440×900 resolution and a 243ppi display—putting it within a stone 's throw of the 4G iPad 's 264ppi Retina display—and is fueled by a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4470 processor . Like the Kindle Fire HD , it will also come with its own skinned version of Ice Cream Sandwich , and will be best suited for committed consumers of the Barnes and Noble e-book store . However , it 's important to note that unlike Amazon 's Kindle Fire HD , Barnes and Noble 's Nook HD will not require the extra $ 15 to enjoy it without advertisements . Acer Iconia Tab A110 . Acer is n't new to the tablet game . Its Iconia Tab series includes the 10.1-inch A500 and A700 tablets , but the A110 marks the company 's second foray into the 7-inch product category . The A110 will come with a Tegra 3 processor and run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean , though it will be limited to a 1024×600 display—a major fumble in a tablet world overrun by competing devices with higher resolution displays . It also features a microSD expansion slot and micro-HDMI , but for $ 229—one of the more costly of the 7-inch tablets in this roundup—the A110 will need to offer a lot more than expandable storage to stay a player in the game . iPad Mini . The iPad now comes in a 7.9-inch `` mini '' flavor , which makes it one of the largest of the mini-tablets . It 's got all the aesthetics of its 9.7-inch counterpart , though it 's limited by its non-Retina 1024×768 display . The iPad mini is also incredibly thin—just 7.2mm thin , 23 % thinner than the iPad . If you 're already a faithful Apple user , you wo n't have to leave the ecosystem . It comes in different flavors ( 16GB for $ 329 , 32GB for $ 429 , and 64GB for $ 519 ) , so onboard storage is n't an issue , and you can purchase an LTE-capable model for $ 130 more—a feature that a majority of the tablets featured in this round-up do not offer . But the $ 329 base price is significantly higher than the competition , and the 1024x768 display resolution is n't much better than the Acer Iconia and pales in comparison to that of the Nook HD 's 1440x900 and the 1280x800 Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD . COPYRIGHT 2011 ARSTECHNICA.COM .
Apple 's iPad 4 joins the 7-inch display market . Amazon 's Amazon Fire tablet , Google 's Nexus 7 are among current leaders . Apple 's display screen is bigger than the others , but $ 1 price tag is bigger , too .