HP has announced its entry into the Android tablet market with the unveiling of the HP Slate7 at the Mobile World Congress, Digital Spy said.

The device has been touted as a competitor to the Google Nexus 7, powered by an ARM dual-core Cortex-A9 1.6GHz processor and running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

"Android opened new avenues in the tablet segment. Toward the end of last year, we saw incredible growth with Android, to the point that it's now exceeding iOS. So, of course, we're excited to be working with Google," said HP Mobility senior vice president Alberto Torres.

Having previously released the Windows 8-powered ElitePad 900, HP is looking to gain ground on its rivals in the tablet sector following the commercial failure of its webOS-based TouchPad.

"We're looking at mobility in the enterprise commercial tier, where the ElitePad 900 is already getting traction in the marketplace. The Slate is coming from the consumer line, which is really about delivering a great entertainment experience," Torres added

"We also want to create a third tier for premium consumer products - a Bring-Your-Own solution for the SMB crowd. Think of a device built with a 'work hard, play hard' attitude."

The HP Slate7 will debut in April, costing $169 in North America. UK pricing details are yet to be confirmed.