Nexus 7 2013 Release Date: LTE Verison Now Available Factory Unlocked And With T-Mobile SIM

The elusive Nexus 7 2013 LTE variant is now on the market, having surfaced at the Google Play Store on Monday.

The 32GB factory-unlocked tablet sells for $349 and ships within two business days with a T-Mobile SIM card included. The Nexus 7 2013 LTE can also be powered with AT&T and Verizon SIM cards, according to Google. It remains uncertain whether the LTE tablet will be available at carrier locations and retail stores.

Google announced its second-generation Nexus 7 2013 tablet in late July alongside its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. Wi-Fi-only models of the Nexus 7 2013 featuring 16GB and 32GB of internal storage have been on the market since then. In contract, consumers got little information about the LTE version other than it was “coming soon.”

Some European markets notably received the Nexus 7 2013 LTE before the U.S., but others are still waiting for a general release of the tablet.

At the Google Play Store, the Nexus 7 2013 LTE qualifies for free two-day shipping. Google has also reportedly prepared for the Nexus 7 2013 LTE release with an ample stock so customers should not have to deal with any supply issues.

The Nexus 7 2013 features a frame 1.8mm slimmer than the original Nexus 7, along with its black-on-black design and soft touch. Donning the same 7-inch display size, the new Nexus 7 features 1,920 x 1,200 display resolution with 323ppi, which is considered world’s highest resolution on a 7-inch tablet. The display also features a 30 percent increase in its color range.

The Nexus 7 2013 also includes surround-sound speakers developed by Fraunhofer. The tablet introduces a 5-megapixel rear camera in addition to a 1.2-megapixel front camera. Hardware specs include a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, which has a 1.8x faster CPU and 4x better GPU, 2GB of RAM and full connectivity as well as Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The Nexus 7 2013 allows for nine hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of web browsing.

The Nexus 7 2013 is expected to compete against upcoming Apple tablets, which will likely be unveiled at a media event in October. Google may also unveil a second-generation Nexus 10 tablet in October alongside the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

Will you be buying the Nexus 7 2013 LTE tablet? Let us know in the comments below.

Follow me on Twitter @FionnaatIBT.