It’s fair to say that the original Nexus 7 was something of a runaway success for Google, so it seemed like an inevitability that the company would follow it up with a reworked version. Increasingly, rumours would suggest this is now the case and it appears Google has re-commissioned Asus to drive the project once again.
Design and Display
Rumours surrounding the second-gen Nexus have so far mainly emphasised how it’ll feature an updated Full HD 1080p display and a sleeker, more refined bodyshell surrounding the glass panel.
Reports have repeatedly cited a 1920x1200 pixel resolution but most recently there’s been mention of an LTPS display technology being used, which stands for Low Temperature Polycrystalline silicon.
There’s a lot of technical wizardry behind why this tech is advantageous but, in short, it offers a higher resolution, higher pixel density and smoother latency than conventional LCDs.
Here’s an excerpt from PCMag’s glossary:
‘The larger and more uniform grains of polysilicon (poly-Si) allow electrons to flow 100 times faster than they do through the random-sized grains of amorphous silicon (a-Si), enabling higher resolutions and higher speed. In addition, instead of surrounding the screen area, the row/column driver electronics are integrated onto the glass substrate, thereby reducing the TFT section and the wiring between the pixels. Thus, LTPS LCD pixels can be closer together and achieve densities of 200 dpi and greater.’
Neat stuff.
Other related rumours claim we’ll see a narrower bezel around the outside of the screen and an overall thinner profile for the whole device. A recent leak says it’ll be between 7.5mm and 8mm thick. The display pixel density has been touted as 323 pixels-per-inch (ppi) which would place the Nexus 7 secon-gen as the sharpest tablet on the market.
Hardware
The first Nexus 7 used Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor, so there’s been some debate over whether the successor might opt for the updated Tegra 4 chip from the same manufacturer, or go for the now ubiquitous Snapdragon hardware from rival Qualcomm.
The most recent rumoured details suggest the Nexus 7 second-gen could have a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, which while now a little dated would still be an improvement on the old Tegra 3 and would also help to keep the cost down while significant (ie: expensive) upgrades are happening to the display and the like. The specific model quoted is Qualcomm’s APQ8064 chip which features an Adreno 320 graphics processing unit (GPU) and 2GB of RAM.
On the subject of storage, the same leak suggests 32GB of internal capacity and, as with previous Nexus models, there’s no word of microSD, which means it’s probably unlikely.
An earlier report suggested a starting price and implied this would apply to a base model with 16GB of built-in storage. Certainly we think an 8GB model is out of the question as the 8GB Nexus 7 first-gen did not sell as well as its 16GB counterpart, to the point where Google eventually discontinued it and shifted its pricing regime to make the 16GB the base model.
We think this time round it will just cut to the chase and start with 16GB as the base model at the lowest price.
Imaging isn’t a huge priority on tablets for most users so the rumour goes that there’ll be a 5-megapixel snapper on the back and a rudimentary 1.3-megapixel setup on the front for video calls.
Connectivity is pegged to include NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and microUSB. According to reports there will be two different versions, one will be Wi-Fi only and the other will be a 3G and 4G enabled model.
Release date and price
The Nexus 7 second-gen has been rumoured for a while and many thought it could launch at Google I/O in May. Obviously that didn’t happen. Subsequent reports have claimed we could see an announcement before June ends with an eye to seeing the device hit retail in July.
- Nexus 7 reboot launching soon with ultra-sharp HD display
- Nexus 7 Full HD successor could cost £182 and launch in July
A July release has been repeatedly mentioned and a recent FCC listing for what’s believed to be the device could mean it will indeed arrive very shortly – things tend to hit the FCC in the US for approval and then get launched afterwards.
The same device also showed up in Bluetooth SIG listings, so it’s doing the rounds when it comes to final stage certifications.
There’s only one spanner in the works on a July launch and that’s if Google is planning to save the Nexus 7 second-gen for launch with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, pegged to arrive during October, which is also the month of Android’s fifth birthday.
In terms of pricing there’s been a rumour out of Asia that the Nexus 7 second gen could start with a base model price of $229 for the 16GB version, which we calculated (based on the UK exchange rate and the difference between the first Nexus 7’s US and UK prices) could see a UK price of around £182. Naturally, you can expect a 32GB version and/or one with 3G/4G connectivity to cost you more.
Software
The software will of course be a stock version of Google’s Android platform, but it’s tough to call which version at this point. Some of the leaked information, particularly the FCC and Bluetooth certifications, are citing the as-yet unreleased Android 4.3 Jelly Bean build which has been rumoured for a while.
In terms of changes the only things which have been mentioned for version 4.3 are low-energy Bluetooth (BLE) and enhanced 3D graphics support for OpenGL. Several rumours have implied Android 4.3 will emerge over the June-August period and if the Nexus 7 reboot is on track to arrive in a similar time frame that would certainly correlate.
The other perhaps less likely option is this idea of saving the Nexus 7 second-gen for Android 5.0, which is expected to be a much more significant build in terms of features. That would leave us waiting until October though, by which point the processor would be even more outdated.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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