In a new monthly series, we will showcase our picks for the best 7 inch Android tablets on the market. 7 inch tablets are great for reading, easier to bring with you on the go, and with most of them under the $250 mark, won’t hurt your wallet.

#1 ASUS Nexus 7 (2013)

ASUS’ and Google’s Nexus 7 (2013) features a heavily optimized Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a gorgeous 7-inch LCD IPS 1,920 x 1,200 display.

As for software, you get pure, unadulterated, stock Android — 4.3 Jelly Bean, to be exact. And an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat should be on the way in just a few short weeks.

ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) Specs

• Profile: 7.62mm (0.3-inch); 2mm thinner, reduced bezel by 3mm on each side
• Weight: 318g (11.2oz)
• 7-inch LCD IPS display with 1920 x 1200 resolution
• 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor
• Adreno 320 graphics (4x graphics framerate)
• 2GB of DDR3LM memory
• 16/32GB storage
• 5-megapixel camera, 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera
• dual-stereo speakers
• virtual surround sound technology
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 4.0
• MicroUSB port with SlimPort
• 9 hours video playback, 10 hours web and reading

For more on the Nexus 7 (2013), including our review, click here.

Buy Now on Amazon | Google Play Store ($229)

#2 ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7

ASUS’ MeMO Pad HD 7 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes in 8 and 16GB storage options, and it has a microSD slot.

It’s also equipped with an impressive 3,890 mAh battery and a decent 7-inch IPS LCD 1,280 x 800 display. At $149, the MeMO Pad HD 7 presents a lot of value, while rising above the run of the mill budget tablets.

ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7 Specs

• 196.8 x 120.6 x 10.8 mm
• 302 grams
• MediaTek MT8125 chipset with a quad-core Cortex A7 clocked at 1.2GHz
• 7-inch IPS LCD display, 1,280 x 800 (216ppi)
• 1GB of memory
• 8/16GB of storage
• microSD card slot
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, compass
• 5-megapixel back camera
• 1.2-megapixel front camera
• 3,890 mAh battery
• stereo speakers
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

For more on the ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7, including our review, click here.

Buy Now on Amazon ($149)

#3 Barnes & Noble Nook HD

Barnes & Noble’s Nook HD features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The Google Play Store was recently opened up to the Nook HD, making the tablet something worth picking up.

It features a 7-inch IPS LCD 1,440 x 900 display. It’s rated at 243ppi, giving it a Retina-like experience, which is perfect for media consumption.

Barnes & Noble Nook HD Specs

• 194.4 x 127.1 x 11 mm
• 315 grams
• dual-core Cortex-A9 1.2GHz CPU
• 7-inch IPS LCD display, 1,440 x 900 resolution (243ppi)
• 1GB of memory
• 8GB of storage
• microSD card slot
• HDMI

For more on the Nook HD, click here.

Buy Now on Amazon ($124.99)

#4 Amazon Kindle Fire HD

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD has a 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB of memory. It comes in 16 and 32GB storage options, but unlike the other device’s on this list, it doesn’t have a microSD slot.

Featuring a 7-inch IPS 1,280 x 800 display, a touch sensor that helps decrease glare, and stereo speakers, the Kindle Fire HD is perfect for media consumption. Finally, it has an impressive 4,440 mAh battery.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD Specs & Features

• 193 x 137 x 10.3 mm
• 395 grams
• 7-inch 800 x 1280 IPS touchscreen display
• laminated touch sensor that helps decrease glare by 25%
• Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9
• 16GB storage
• 1GB of RAM
• Stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz and MIMO support
• Bluetooth
• HDMI out
• HD front-facing camera with custom Skype app
• Android OS – a forked Android version that’s incompatible with Google’s Android version and future updates
• Whispersync for Voice & Games – syncs experience between devices, offers “Immersion Reading”
• X-Ray for movies – find out details about movie characters/actors while playing a movie
• X-Ray for ebooks – offers book-related details taken from the web
• Kindle for kids functionality: Kindle FreeTime supporting multiple customizable profiles (one for each kid)
• 4,440 mAh non-removable battery

For more on the Kindle Fire HD, including our iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD comparison, click here.

Buy Now on Amazon ($199)

#5 ASUS FonePad

Original Asus FonePad

The ASUS FonePad is unique in that it’s powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor and 1GB of RAM. The tablet is a FonePad in the literal sense of the word — just throw in your SIM card and you can make calls.

If you’re a US resident it’s a bit difficult to get this device, as it’s marketed and sold outside of the U.S. A quick search on eBay shows international sellers offering the tablet for around $275.

You do get a bit of a vanilla Android experience with the FonePad. Instead of opting for a fully skinned version of Android, ASUS only made a few, slight additions to the stock interface.

ASUS FonePad Specs

• 7-inch touchscreen ISP display with 1280 x 800 resolution
• 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor and PowerVR SGX540 GPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 8/16GB of memory
• microSD support (up to 32GB)
• 3-megapixel rear camera with auto focus and 720p video recording
• 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera
• HSPA+ and 3G support for voice calls
• GPS, A-GPS and Glonass
• Noise-canceling digital microphone
• weight: 340g
• size: 10.4mm profile
• 4,270mAH battery
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Custom Asus apps: Floating App, SuperNote Lite, WebStorage Office Online
• 5GB of free lifetime Asus Webstorage

For more on the ASUS FonePad, including our review, click here.

#6 Hisense Sero 7 Pro

Hisense’s Sero 7 Pro features an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes in 8GB of storage, but there’s a microSD slot to expand that.

The Sero 7 Pro also sports a 7-inch 1,280 x 800 IPS display. At the low price of $129, the Sero 7 Pro has a lot to offer. However, just keep in mind it’s available exclusively from Walmart.

Hisense Sero 7 Pro Specs

•  NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 7 inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display
• 1GB of RAM
• 8GB of on-board memory
• 2.0MP front camera
• 5.0MP rear camera with flash and auto-focus
• Mini HDMI, SD, and USB ports
• 10-hour battery life
• NFC
• Bluetooth

For more on the Sero 7 Pro, click here.

Buy Now at Walmart ($129)

Next month we should see some new additions to the list. Amazon just announced their new Kindle Fire HDX tablets, but they won’t be available for a few weeks. Nvidia and HP have some awesome things in the pipeline, too.

Which is your favorite 7 inch tablet and why?