A new Google Nexus 7 is in the works and Huawei is likely to manufacture it. (Photo : Reuters/ Stephen Lam)
The Google Nexus 2016 rumors started circulating early and the initial speculations focus on the device that was withheld this 2015 - the Nexus tablet. The latest report from China indicates that the HTC Nexus 9 rolled out in 2014 will get a sequel next year with Nexus 6P builder Huawei as the anointed maker.
The rumored Nexus 2016 tablet, however, will reportedly scale back its profile from the 8.9-inch slab that was seen last year to a more compact size at 7-inch. Other than this dimension, no other details have been provided by the recent leak posted on Weibo, which is China's dominant micro-blogging website.
Regardless, here are the likely feature upgrades that Google will deliver with the Nexus 7 2016 tab:
Solid build and premium finish
If the first two Nexus 7 versions, assembled by Nexus, proved as letdowns in terms of build and material quality, Google's third try may just redefine the Nexus compact tablet experience. While Huawei is far from confirmed as the next Nexus 7 maker, the likelihood of the company handling the project bodes well for vanilla Android tablet fans.
Huawei as the 2016 Nexus tablet manufacturer suggests of a device that will boasts of solid build and premium finish, a far cry from the cheap-looking Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 editions. This assumption is based on Huawei's impressive works with the premium Nexus 6P and the Chinese firm's equally impressive line of flagship devices.
Top-tier device specifications
If indeed the Nexus 7 2016 would materialize, it's fair to expect that inside and out of the device will speak of high-end components. As suggested by Tech Times, Google is done making cheap devices, which also likely explains the choice of Huawei as the tech giant's Nexus 7 project partner.
The minimum expectations for the next Nexus 7 tab are the following: a 1080p screen resolution that is fired up by a Kirin 930 SoC, developed and manufactured in-house by Huawei, and amply supported by up to 3GB of RAM. The benchmark for these specs is the 7-inch MediaPad X2 that Huawei released earlier this 2015.
Higher sticker price
As improvements mean higher manufacturing costs, the Nexus 7 2016 is expected to sell in a relatively higher price tag. The tablet refresh will surely not retail in the previous Nexus 7's price of just over the $250 mark. The more realistic level is around $400, which was the introductory Nexus 9 asking price.
Android N
Android 6.0 Or Marshmallow will likely be replaced by a new version that for now is codenamed Android N mobile operating system, going by on Google's sweet naming convention for its OS, which also follows the alphabet sequence.
At the moment, not much is known about the software but Neurogadget is betting that the juicy details will start leaking out in the months to come prior to the unveiling of the OS via the 2016 edition of Google's annual I/O Developers Conference. In the same event, the Nexus 7 2016 will likely be introduced, setting off the countdown for the pure Android tablet's release date in the immediate months or weeks ahead.
