With the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet already hitting stores, rumors are being whipped up regarding its big sister, the Nexus 10, and the upcoming release of a refreshed model. According to a report from Geek.com, a new Nexus 10 tablet is being prepared. However, Samsung – the maker of the first Nexus 10 – may have been dropped in favor of Asus.
Asus is responsible for both Nexus 7 tablets, proving Google is pleased with the work it does, so it’s hardly a stretch to imagine it has been entrusted with the larger Nexus slate, too. The rumor report cites multiple anonymous sources who claim that the new Nexus 10 will be out around October or November, and that it’ll be sold online on Google Play and through Best Buy retail stores.
If you’re hoping for a spec sheet to accompany the rumor, you’re out of luck. However, we can make a few educated guesses about the future of the big-screen Nexus tablet. We would expect it to stick with the same or a very similar screen. The 10-inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution display still looks amazing today, and just tweak the internal specs instead. The Nexus 10 is currently powered by a dual-core chip, so is ripe for a quad-core upgrade, and the quad-core graphics chip could be swapped for an eight-core version.
Motorola to build a Nexus smartphone?
In related news, a new Nexus smartphone could be on its way soon too, and it could be Motorola who is building it. That’s right, Google may be building its own phone. The rumor comes from Taylor Wimberly, founder of the Android and Me blog, who wrote on his Google+ page, “Motorola will release a Nexus smartphone in Q4,” and added it wouldn’t be a just another version of the Moto X.
While LG found success with the Nexus 4, an executive recently shared the firm was not interested in building another version for Google, and although there will inevitably be talk of favoritism, Motorola is the most logical choice to take its place. Wimberly and the Android and Me blog are noted for having published some solid leaks concerning the Moto X, so the rumor is at least slightly more credible than usual.
So, will we get another breakfast event with Google’s Sundar Pichai soon? If so, will a new Nexus 10 be joined by the Nexus 5? If the Q4 – that’s October until the end of the year – release date is correct, then it may happen quite soon. Maybe to steal some of the thunder from the IFA show in Berlin, which takes place at the beginning of September.
