Until yesterday, the argument for low-cost tablets revolved, for the most part, around the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7.  Today, we’re swapping out the Amazon tablet for something a little more powerful.  We thought we’d put together a quick head-head list of the details so that readers can get a general sense of what each model has over the other, if anything.

It’s worth noting that this does not break down every single component, codec, and feature.  In a nutshell, these are the features that most users will look to for the sake of comparison.

Battle of the $200 tablet experience

Early Consensus

If you are an experience Android user and really want to keep on the forefront of the platform, the Nexus 7 is the clear winner.  It’s a stock Google experience that just happens to be the latest release available.  The Tegra 3 processor is in a class of its own and the Google Play store opens the door to an exponential number of apps, including Amazon Appstore.

Those who are new to the tablet and e-reader game will likely find the Amazon Kindle Fire HD more appealing.  It might be easy to point to the extra storage, HDMI output, and Dolby Digital as the reasons for the justification, but it’s the experience that wins out.  Amazon’s WhisperSync, FreeTime, and X-Ray are incredibly cool features that users will come to enjoy.  Toss in access to the growing Amazon Prime Instant Video library and you can appreciate the “content is king” adage.

Which one is right for you?

We get the feeling that the younger you are, the more you’ll lean toward the Google device, but we could be wrong.  The Kindle Fire HD is going to be the one you see in beauty salons and airports while the Nexus 7 is the device you’ll see in colleges and and sports bars.  Obviously we’re speaking generally here, but the two appeal to different demographics.

Ask yourself what kind of user you are or expect to be. Do you plan to play the latest games and push the tablet around, bending it to your will? Heard about some great apps that sound like they’ll change your life?  Nexus 7.  Primarily want to read magazines, books, watch movies?  Like to game once in a while, but nothing too serious?  Kindle Fire HD.

In the end, neither of these are wrong for you.  It’s a cop-out answer, but  it’s what we’d tell our friends when they ask.