HP announced its return to the tablet game with its new Slate 7 tablet, a 7-inch device running Android 4.1. The company’s first Android device will go on sale in April for $169. The company hopes printing will be one of the key features that sets it apart from other tablets — the Slate 7 will be able to print from most apps by using either native drivers or HP’s ePrint technology.

With its affordable price tag, consumers can expect a 1024 x 600 display, 2.4GHz 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. “Included in the tablet are 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a front-facing VGA webcam, and a rear-facing 3.0 megapixel camera. It’s all packed into a 13.05 ounce, 10.7mm thick package that HP estimates will last for five hours of video playback,” details Ars Technica.

“The tablet looks reasonably attractive for the price,” explains the article, “but it should be noted that the Nexus 7 still beats it in a few important metrics (albeit at a cost of $30 more). The Nexus 7 features a quad-core Tegra 3 SoC (though at a slightly lower clock speed), a higher-resolution display, more internal storage, and stock Android 4.2. While the Slate 7 offers a microSD card slot and a rear-facing camera, the rest of its specs compare more favorably to the $159 Kindle Fire than to Asus’ and Google’s tablet.”

The Slate 7 is on display this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It marks HP’s return to tablets after its troubled attempts with the webOS-based TouchPad. As far as reentering the smartphone market, it won’t be happening this year for HP — 2014 seems more likely.