Previous rumors have said that Google is targeting an early release fir some of its Nexus flagship lineups, including a refreshed version of its Nexus 7 tablet. However, some observers are not that keen on the idea of a new Nexus tablet appearing before an anticipated smartphone flagship.
According to Yibada, the new Nexus 7 tablet may appear at this year's Google I/O Conference. This means that fans will not have to wait that long as the event is happening on May 18 to 20. The new Nexus 7 is said to be co-engineered by either HTC or Huawei.
The tech manufacturer that Google has partnered with is still unconfirmed, as both HTC and Huawei are plausible candidates. It was previously reported that HTC has already entered into a three-year partnership with Google, and the company has been tasked to spearhead the 2016 editions of the Nexus lineups.
Meanwhile, Huawei is known to be a successful Google partner, thanks to the current-gen Nexus 6P flagship. Reportedly, Google has been more than satisfied with how the top-tier smartphone turned out to be and it tasked Huawei with doing the same for a new Nexus 7.
However, now all observers agree that a new Nexus 7 will come out, at least in the early half of the year. According to Tech News Today, Google will not include a Nexus 7 announcement at this year's I/O. The industry follower even believes that Google may do the opposite and announce the discontinuation of the Nexus tablet lineup.
One indication of this is that Google has quietly scrapped the Nexus 9 tablet from its lineup. The Nexus 9 is the most recent tablet iteration in the lineup, released in 2014. The first Nexus 7 versions, meanwhile, were rolled out in 2013.
Google has yet to come out with particulars on the 2016 I/O conference, so whether or not there really is a Nexus 7 is yet to be seen.
