Just like the smartphone market consumers looking to pick up a new tablet PC this busy time of year have a great choice of hardware open to them, and especially if you want a 7-inch device. Today we are looking at some of the most popular devices in this sector that include the Google Nexus 7, Nook HD, and Kindle Fire HD.

Obviously there is also the iPad mini available but we are looking at products that are around the same price, and the three tablets we are talking about today all start at around a similar price point. As consumers though it is always to our advantage to have plenty of choice available as it can also mean more competitive pricing.

Processor and Power
The Nook HD uses a dual core processor clocked at 1.3GHZ with 1GB of RAM, and the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD uses a 1.2GHz OMAP4460 dual core processor also with 1GB of RAM. The Asus Nexus 7 has the upper hand here as it uses the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core chip that is clocked at 1.2GHz with 1GB of RAM.

Display
On the Nexus 7 you get a seven inch screen with a resolution of 800 x 1280 that provides 216ppi, while the screen on the Nook HD has a resolution of 1440 x 900 and 243ppi, and the Amazon Kindle Fire has a resolution of 1280 x 800 with a 216ppi pixel density.

Storage
The Google Nexus 7 now comes in 16GB and 32GB storage choices without the option of expanding this further by the owner, which is the same as the Kindle Fire HD. The Nook HD has either 8GB or 16GB available but this can be expanded further via microSD card.

Dimensions and Weight
The Amazon Kindle Fire HD measures 193mm x 137.2mm x 10.2mm and weighs in at 394g, while the Nexus 7 32GB + 3G is 198.5mm x 120mm x 10.45mm weighing 340g. The Nook HD comes in at 94.4mm x 127.1mm x 11mm and weighs 315g.

Cameras
Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD has a 1.3MP front facing shooter with the Nexus 7 has a 1.2MP camera on the front, but the Nook HD doesn’t feature a camera.

Price
The Kindle Fire HD starts at £159/$199 for the 16GB going up to £199/$249 for 32GB, while the Nexus 7 costs £159/$199 for 16GB or £199/$249 gets you the 32GB model. The Nook HD is priced at £159 going up to £189 for the 16GB model.

It will depend on what you want the device for when deciding which of the three to purchase as the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire will arguably allow users to do more things, but if it is just a good quality eReader the Nook may be ideal for you.

Are you on the lookout for a 7-inch tablet?