When the Nexus 7 arrived, it was one of the first Android tablets to get a really good response. Amazon has done very well with the Kindle Fire, but they have their own curated list of apps for the Amazon Store and a different ecosystem to Google.
Google has been working on a second-generation Nexus 7, which will come under the same name, for release this July. The Nexus 7 will have a host of new upgrades, including a faster processor and larger screen resolution.
According to Reuters, various sources have been in touch detailing the next generation Nexus 7 will be manufactured by ASUS, who made the previous edition. The next-gen will come with new upgrades, but still maintain the budget price, at $149-$199.
Inside the next Nexus 7 will be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon quad-core chip, instead of NVDIA’s Tegra processor, which was in the last device. This is terrible news for NVIDIA, with the Nexus 7 currently surpassing about 8 million sales. With Tegra 4i, the company may be able to lure Google back.
Google and ASUS are continuing to work towards a bezeless screen, and the Nexus 7 will try to narrow it down, although we doubt they will have a fully bezeless screen. The screen’s resolution will be pumped up, hopefully to ‘retina’ standards, to compete with the iPad Mini 2.
There are rumours Google will launch the Nexus 7 as the Nexus 8 instead, and make the screen the same size as the iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. With Apple’s huge sales in the 8-inch market, perhaps Google can see the switch as a profitable move.
As the Google I/O comes closer, we are more likely to see a launch there and a release in July. Hopefully we will find out pricing for Google Glass at Google’s annual conference, and perhaps a new smartphone collaboration between Google and Motorola.
