On The Heels of Ematic's $79.99 7-Inch Release: Affordable Tablet Options

Cnet announced the release of Ematic’s new 7-inch $79.99 tablet today, which comes in a variety of colors and has been certified by Google. This new tablet, called the Genesis Prime, has Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is now available for pre-order through Amazon.  The Genesis Prime sports 1.1Ghz processor (A4 architecture) with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, and claims to have 4.5 hours of battery life. While the tablet claims to provide the full experience than many other better-known tablets may provide, the jury is still out on whether or not tablets under $200 can provide the best experience possible that is comparable to the iPad or other larger tablets.

Besides the Genesis Prime, there are several other alternatives available for affordable tablets that are under $200, most with a screen size of 7 inches.

The most well-known tablet at this price point is the Google Nexus 7, which is around $200. TechCrunch and Reuters have reported that this price point will drop to around $149 when the new Nexus 7 launches this summer. This tablet runs on the Android OS and includes access to Google Play for Android apps and games.

The Kindle Fire HD also comes in a 7-inch version and also retails for $199. It runs on a modified Android OS and comes in two versions: 16GB (which is $199) and 32GB (which is $249). Customers can also select the inclusions of special offers on the lock screens. Choosing an option without the special offers increases the price $15 or about $25, respectively.

The 8GB Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch tablet currently retails for $169.99 on Amazon and has received high reviews. It also runs on Android and has a 4G LTE version, which is $279.99.

There are also several other versions by lesser known tablets, like those from LePan and Coby, that contain 8GB or less of storage, while still running on Android.