Google has been rumored to be releasing an 8-inch version of the Nexus tablet for a few months now, but nothing has really come directly from Google about it. Confirmation is still out there somewhere, but in the meantime the rumors are starting to get hot. At first, the new tablet was reportedly going to be built by ASUS, Samsung or LG, but according to new rumors, that is not the case. Last year’s model was made by ASUS and it was quite popular since it was one that finally included a 5MP camera on the back side of the tablet.
The device from last year was released in July and it cane along with an Android software update as well. The tablet was said to be brought to the market to take on the iPad Mini with Retina display from Apple and the 7-inch tablets in the Kindle family from Amazon. The initial rumors started towards the end of last year and included the company coming up with an 8-inch model to replace the latest 7-inch model currently on the market. The new tablet is expected to be refreshed and available in the Google Play Store once it is released.
The release date is expected to be around the same time as the Nexus tablet from last year, but you never know with Google. The new reports are indicating that Google will start the production in July or August and that HTC will be making the tablet, rather than ASUS. A few other reports have backed that claim up in recent days, but confirmation has yet to come from Google or HTC for that matter. HTC made the first Nexus branded smartphone back in the day releasing the Nexus One, so the company has ties to the Nexus program.
HTC was reportedly the first option for Google with the original Nexus tablet, but the device was not what they wanted and decided to go with ASUS instead. Depending on what HTC could have offered, it would be interesting to know how the tablet would have been different if HTC made it. With the growing popularity of HTC and the line of smartphone in recent years, success would be expected with the 8-inch Nexus tablet. Nexus 8 is expected to be announced or released with the next version of the Android operating system as well.
