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While it is sounding less and less likely that we will see a new Nexus phone at this year’s Google I/O, it’s an almost certainty that Google will take next week’s developer conference as opportunity to unveil an updated Nexus 7 tablet. We’ve heard whispers about what such an update will entail over the past several months, but we are not being treated to what could very well be the ASUS-made device’s final spec sheet.
Topping the list is an upgraded display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution (making it 1080p capable). In addition, Google will add a 5MP camera, throw in a new Snapdragon 800 CPU, and manage to keep the whole thing at the original’s price point of $199. The display would feature a “narrow bezel” design and boast a pixel density of 323 ppi. Wireless charging is expected to be included.
That would be quite the tablet for its price point, the only downside being that the slate might not ship with a brand-spanking-new Android build on board. According to KGI analyst Minghchi Kuo, Android 5.0 likely won’t be ready to debut at Google I/O. Instead, we could see it a bit later in the year alongside Android-powered netbooks from Samsung.
Google is also said to be working on a Google TV device more in the class of the current Apple TV as well as a smart watch. The latter is not expected to come to fruition until sometime in 2014 and will be part of Google’s wearable computing line including Glass.
For now, though, it looks like we can at least look forward to a pretty nice little update to the Nexus 7. While it may not be earth shattering, it will surely light a fire under other low-cost tablet manufacturers.
[via TechCrunch]
IMA WEAR THE GOOGLE GLASSES AND THE WATCH CARY MY NEXUS 4 NEXUS 7 AND NEXUS 10! AL I NEED ARE THOSE SHOES…
?????..huh…?????
Are google making Nexus shoes now lol ;)
You need Nexus tattoos all over your body. Once you are happy with your tattoos a year or two, we’ll talk again. By this time Google might change the flagship name from Nexus to something else. Look at the “Zune” guy.
Please include an SD slot, make my dreams come true!
Google has already made their opinion known. It’s just not going to happen.
Just buy 32GB version for $50 more, it’s better than sticking an extra microSD card anyways.
its easy as heck to fill up the 32gb nexus7, even with just apps and games.
mini microcard reader FTW! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andyfei/mini-microsd-reader-for-android-smartphones-and-ta?ref=home_popular
Penis phone??
Where do I order?
Let me have your card and pin # I’ll take care of the rest :)
What about the Nexus 10 :(
The Nexus 10 is already a pretty good tablet (I love mine), the only things I would change are… thinner bezel, cheaper price, better official cover. At I/O it might get a lower price, it’s been out for a while.
Yeah its a stellar tablet as is, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the 800 chip set in it as well ;)
If they changed the hardware to be the best every time something new came out, they’d be poor from paying engineers to change the manufacturing process/code to work with it. There will be another once it has probably been out for a year just like everything else.
Logically you are correct I’m sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that I would like to see the 800 in it since its smaller brother is potentially being updated. My wish isn’t going to be the driving force behind their production, I was just stating what I wanted to see from I/O lol
Oh trust me, I’d love to see the 800 in everything too.
It’s barely 6 months old?
Physically, yes..in tech time that’s a lot tho :p
Not really, most devices I know of are updated annually or with greater intervals. I can name very few updated in 6 month interval unless the original device lacked something obvious like nexus 7 3g
I can get where you’re coming from because it really isn’t that old, nor outdated hardware wise. But it happened to be released right before new processors were put into manufacturing. Heck there may not even be a noticeable difference between the Exynos and 800, but if the N7 stands a chance of getting it, I wouldn’t mind the N10 getting it as well since I haven’t pulled the trigger on the first gen model.
Tl;dr – Haven’t bought the first gen N10 so I’d like to see it internally updated before I buy it since the N7 may get the 800.
That and the N7 is coming up on a year old, and this is just an annoucement. And probably smilar to last year, they will open up pre-orders in June or July the latest.
This is sounding like it’s going to be a pretty boring I/O this year
Sounds pretty good to me. Boring is subjective.
Better than the boring iOS7 announcement same old crap though.
Last year when iOS 6 was announced, I had a checklist of Android 3.0’s features to mark off as Apple had stolen them. This year for iOS 7, I’ll be doing the same with Android 4.0’s features.
You should mix it up a bit and make a drinkng game out of it. For every item you check off the list, take a shot :P
Yay for narrower bezel. Would like to see near zero bezel. Those who want it could add a case.
If it has front facing speakers, I’ll take 8.
That’s literally the ONLY complaint I’ve had about my current N7.
Cupping your hand around the back to get good sound gets tiring.
Indeed! I’ve been cupping my Xoom for over 2 years now — whatever device I get next will definitely have FFS.
Nexus 10 has front-facing speakers. You don’t realize how amazing they are until you get a tablet that doesn’t have them.
Completely agree. Other than that I love mine. And I only have the 16g version. Would love this with 1080, 64g, and a SD 800 chip! I did solve the sound issue with a small Jambox. Thing kills is smaller spaces.
This is one of those it’s-so-obvious-it’s-retarded things. I can’t believe it hasn’t been widely implemented outside Sammy tabs and the HTC One. I mean, you don’t turn your home theater speakers around, do you?
You could if you were making a folded horn out of your room :)
But then I think you’d have to make a custom speaker that matches the impedance of your walls.
I’ll also take HDMI out (for gaming) and a notification LED.
I want a Nexus 8 or 9 with that same new spec =/
“While it may not be earth shattering, it will surely light a fire under other low-cost tablet manufacturers.”
I have to disagree there. What’s the big difference between Google and Samsung/Asus/HTC/LG/Every-other-OEM? Google doesn’t need to profit from the hardware.
Hear me out! When Samsung makes a device, it costs them millions in R&D. It costs them millions more in production costs. They sell the device above the cost of the raw materials, in order to 1) recoup R&D and Production costs, and 2) Reap a profit. This is how they stay in business. The same is true of all the other OEMs. Google, on the other hand, doesn’t follow this pattern. They split R&D costs with their partner OEM (in the Nexus 7’s case – Asus), and sell the device pretty much at-cost (raw materials + assembly + a slight profit, only to recoup R&D costs). But they don’t intend to make a profit off the hardware, the way OEMs do. Why would Google do this, you ask? Google stands to gain from you being an Android user. They take a cut of every app you buy in the Play store. They take a cut of every song you purchase, every movie you rent, and every book you pay for in the Play store. They get money to show you advertisements. Their goal in putting a Nexus 7 in your hand is not to make you pay for the Nexus 7, unlike why Samsung wants to put a Galaxy Tab in your hand. Samsung doesn’t make much of a profit after a device has already been sold (through app purchases, etc), so they have to take a higher share of the pie when you buy the device itself. Google stands to make more by giving you a cheaper device, and giving you access to other services you’re likely to pay for. No OEM can match this, with out running their own content ecosystem like what Amazon has done – which is why Amazon can put out its Kindle tablets pretty much at-cost, as well.
All of which, while being perfectly true, does not explain why you disagree on the fact that “it will light a fire under other low-cost tablets”. It won’t force their prices below a certain point(as you explained), but they certainly will “burn”(take some sort of hit from it regardless of whether or not google’s strategy is completely different)
If you produce product A, to sell, and I come along and produce a very similar product (B), and sell it at a price point you can not match, what do you do?
Do you pour more money into R&D and try to “beat” me with design and engineering, justifying your higher price tag (while driving costs of production/R&D up for you, making you less money), or, do you lower your price (making you less money), or do you pretend I don’t exist, and hope I don’t target your customer base, in the hopes you don’t increase your costs, and that your revenue stream doesn’t take too big a hit?
Most people will go for option 3…
See, that’s the thing. Everybody tries to beat Google on price, so what we end up with is about 800 different, craptastic Android tablets on the market, and none of them are really any better than what Google is offering. The only two exceptions I can think of is the Asus Transformer and Galaxy Note 8.0.
So true, but the Note 8 is what $330?? And ASUS outside of the Nexus tablet market is not a big seller in this years market. Yes, the original Transformer sold well, and the newer one less so.
This is the definition of a loss leader, somewhat common in the food service industry where the real money is in the drinks. Try this. Go to McDonalds, or wherever, and order a Coke. Do they ask if you want a burger, fries, salad? Then go in and just order food. They’ll always ask if you want a drink. They charge $2 for something that costs them pennies. Bars serve food because it keeps you in the place longer and makes you thirsty so you’ll order more drinks.
sounds good, if this is true, google will get a headstart on the “retina” ipad mini.
This would be amazing. Hopefully the bump in specs means it’ll have 2GB RAM. Front speakers would be nice. Maybe they’ll take a page from the Nexus 10. My main issues have been storage (only 8GB here), slowness if playing a game and other apps have been open, no rear camera, single rear speaker, and no video out option.
I’m hoping the refresh has Miracast and maybe Google gives us an option to utilize this in a proper Google TV device. I know MHL was left out of N7 because of costs, but I’d pay a little more for some kind of video out.
a nice “little” update?? you guys are never pleased.
So the Nexus 7+ will likely crush the Nexus 10 on pure performance? Also, seeing the issues with lack of usable space on the Galaxy S4(8GB on 16GB models, and UNABLE to be expanded for Apps via SD-Cards) and offer the Nexus 7+ with 32GB and 64GB of storage. I have a 32GB one and would love to spend $400 on a 64GB one, or even $500 on a 128GB version.
I’m all for narrower bezel as long as its not awkward to hold without touching unintentionally touching the screen. As is now, I sometimes accidentally turn the page when reading on kindle app. Of course “narrower” can mean anything from half an inch to a pixel.
That’s nice and all, but IMO if Google doesn’t announce a Nexus phone at I/O, the entire event was a failure.
Just sayin’.
I am with you! I would like to see a Verizon nexus 4 even. But I realize that won’t happen!
Bootloader unlocked, stock Android GS4? Close enough!
I would of like to see a an 8” nexus tablet. Nexus 7 is not big enough compared to my Note 2. I’d feel silly having a tablet that’s 1.5” bigger than my phone.
they have something called the nexus 10
No $ hit, got any other great advice? I find 10″ too big to lug around. I like 8″
I can understand price. Now I’m not being condescending here, is there that much of a difference between 7 and 8?
Thats not what she said.
Lol I was waiting for someone to say it. And I actually adjusted my phrases to minimize the amount of that’s what she saids
Well played. I walked into that one lol
Well it’s not really the price. I tried a nexus 7 and ipad mini (8″). I thought the ipad mini was more what i was looking for in size.
I think the specs got misconstrued somewhere, it was reported to be coming with a snapdragon S4 pro (APQ8064) not a S800. Posted the screenshot below:
I’m throwing money at the screen by my Nexus 7 still has sh!tty dpi.
No way in hell will this have a Snapdragon 800 series. If that is the case than, all the cell phones and devices that will carry this will have no excuse not to be dirt cheap.
+1, I’d be surprised if it were even a Snapdragon 600 series.
I’d be very surprised if that thing had the 600 series myself.
i dont think the processor is the biggest cost in a smartphone/tablet. Plus google always sells hardware for little to no profit margin. Other companies cant afford Google price matching
Samsung can easily match Google’s specs and low price, but instead we get the shitty Galaxy Tab 3. Samsung could easily make up for a low hardware margin with their Samsung App Store.
My wish list for the Nexus 7 (assuming the refresh rumors are actually true) includes 2gb ram, a higher resolution display (if it was like the Nexus 10, that would be fab!) MORE STORAGE, like 64gb or even 128gb onboard (ssd costs have come down enough that this is doable). I would like to see a front facing camera, too, and front facing speakers. I would love an external sd slot, but I know I’m really dreaming on that one.
And what I really wish Google would pay attention to is ACCESSORIES, or the absence of them. Google could really set the agenda and create some user excitement by stepping up efforts to work with companies to create a whole suite of accessories just for the Nexus tab series. Maybe special Google – endorsed cases, wireless keyboards, wireless speakers, more and different docks, etc. And they need to be in colors other than black.
Samsung is the only Android manufacturer that can match Google’s price and performance, but instead we get the crappy Galaxy Tab 3 and the overpriced Galaxy Note 8.0
They can excede Google but can’t price match them, as a previous poster explained. I own a N7, very happy with it. But the Note 8 is a superior device. Samsung (and others) profits from device sales and it ends there.
But Samsung has their own app store to make up for low hardware margins, just like Google and Amazon.
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If Google makes a tablet with those specs, and the minimum storage level is 16GB, it will sell like hotcakes. Period. The only other thing I would want is a 64GB version.
mhl or micro hdmi please