Google Nexus 7 will be likely manufactured by Huawei. (Photo : Twitter)
It appears that Google will still release a Nexus device amidst rumors that the brand will be retired in favor of the soon-to-arrive Pixel flagship smartphones. The 7-inch Nexus 7 2016 tablet made by Huawei and boasting of 4GB RAM is on track for unboxing before the close of the year, reports said.
The latest tweet from Evan Blass or @evleaks teased the strong possibility of a third Google device following the HTC Sailfish and Marlin launch:
Google's Huawei-built 7-inch tablet, with 4GB RAM, on track for release before the end of the year.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 5, 2016
As indicated, the Google hardware is a 7-inch slate that most likely will run on vanilla Android though recent reports have stated that Google intends to tweak the mobile OS that power its upcoming devices, possibly layered by add-on software for enhanced mobile experience.
Blass also revealed that the device will have 4GB of RAM provision with Huawei as Google's partner on the project. This latest details only fired up the persistent rumors that a third Nexus 7 tablet is on the way and it will be of premium build and design with top-notch specs and feature upgrades.
And with Huawei taking the place of Asus as the new Nexus 7 maker, Android fans are expecting that the industrial design of the device will be at par with the industry leaders like the iPad Mini from Apple and Galaxy Tab S from Samsung. There were talks that the third Nexus compact tablet installment will be patterned after the phablet Nexus 6P that Google and Huawei issued in late 2015.
Or it could be the Huawei 7P that was leaked out recently, according to 9to5Google. The same device was tipped to rely on the combo of Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM but no confirmation from Google or Huawei was provided.
In the same way, Google is yet to comment on the mounting speculations that the familiar Nexus line of mobile devices will be discontinued. In its stead, Pixel will be printed on the two Google signature phones that the tech giant will soon unpack.
In such a case, Engadget can only speculate that the second hardware collaboration between Google and Huawei will produce a high-end Pixel tablet that will challenge both the iPad Mini and 8-inch Galaxy Tab S series. But the Nexus name remaining in the form of the Nexus 7 2016 cannot be ruled out at this point.
Most likely, a confirmation will come from Google via its rumored news briefing on October that possibly will reveal the fate of the Nexus line. If indeed the Nexus 7 2016 is good to go following announcements on that day, @evleaks said that release date of the device will happen anytime in December and the running the show is Android 7.0 Nougat.
