For a long time now, we’ve expected Google to augment, or replace, its Nexus tablet line with something new. The Nexus 10 has been around for nearly two years, while the mid-2013 Nexus 7 is considered too small for many users. We’ve reported early rumours of an HTC-built Nexus 8, but nothing has, until now, come to fruition.
Android Police has received a credible tip from a source that details Volantis, an HTC-made Nexus tablet rumoured to come to market as the Nexus 9. It sports an 8.9-inch 2048×1440 pixel LCD display, a 64-bit Tegra K1-powered SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16-32GB of internal storage, an 8MP rear OIS camera, 3MP front camera, all in a 7.9mm thin aluminum body.
The render, recreated by AP, shows a tablet with thin vertical bezels and a small centred notification LED below the screen. While the back colour appears to be white, it may reach the market in a similar brushed metal texture to the HTC One M8. The leaked info sheet makes mention of stereo front-facing speakers, but the render does not include them, indicating that it may be old or a placeholder.
AP also notes the price, which is expected to be $399 and $499 for the 16GB and 32GB versions respectively, with an LTE version fetching a $600+ premium. The Nexus 9 is also expected to be significantly heavier, at 418 grams, than the current Nexus 7, but that’s understandable considering the aluminum construction.
The Nexus 9 will likely hit the market sometime in Q4, possibly instead of a new Nexus smartphone, as Google is likely to replace such a product with Android Silver.
What do you think? Will this make up for the lack of a Nexus 10 successor?
[source]Android Police[/source]
