We've just had word from ASUS that the 16GB variant of the Nexus 7 will arrive on UK shelves on July 27th -- slightly later than the 8GB model, which will be sold exclusively through Google Play from mid-July. Brits are looking at £159 for the 8GB tablet and £199 for 16GB. The latter is actually shipping to big stores like PC World, Comet, Tesco and eBuyer around July 20th, so those who pre-order may end up signing for that Special Delivery even earlier.

Update: the 16GB slate will also be sold through Carphone Warehouse, either for the same price as above or free on a tethered contract (but check those sums before signing up, obviously). PR added.

Press Release:

GOOGLE TAKES IT TO THE NEXUS LEVEL

Carphone Warehouse to stock new mini tablet

LONDON June 28, 2012- Yesterday Google announced its first foray into the tablet market with the launch of the compact Google Nexus.

Commenting on the launch, Graham Stapleton, Chief Commercial Officer at Carphone Warehouse, says, "Consumer demand for tablets has exploded in just over two years since the launch of the first generation iPad. The wide range of devices now available means that consumer choice and buying power is stronger than ever. Google clearly believes that there is further scope to grow the market and the competitively priced Google Nexus will serve to make tablet devices more accessible to customers.

"The meteoric rise in the popularity of tablets can be attributed to changes in the way we are using the internet, managing relationships and consuming media. Our lives are more connected and 'always on' than ever before. It's all about convenience; people don't want to have to go to a desk and sit at a computer to surf the internet, do some online shopping, chat with friends or update a Facebook status – tablet devices lend themselves perfectly to all these activities, all from the comfort of the sofa. Whilst laptops have catered to this need in the past they are slightly cumbersome and awkward; tablets offer the ideal solution and represent the direction home computing is likely to take in the future as demand for clunky home desktop PCs decreases."

Google Nexus features a 7 inch screen, quadcore processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB memory. It will be the first (and only for the next four months) tablet to run the new Jelly Bean operating system.

The Tablet, made by Asus, will be available from Carphone Warehouse priced at £199.99 standalone or for free on a tethered contact.

Source