iPad mini + Nexus 5 = the new Nexus tablet?


We’re now in that part of the year when the rumour mills are doing overtime with Google related stuff, thanks to the Google I/O that’s around the corner. Although there have been rumours about Google wanting to discontinue the super popular Nexus line of subsided Android smart devices, a new report that we came across today suggests otherwise, with a little extra.

A new tablet made by HTC is now a front runner to be the next Google Nexus tablet, according to a report published by Android Police. What this means is that Google ditched ASUS, OEMs behind the last two Nexus tablets, for HTC. It does sound like a well-thought decision; although HTC don’t have much of an experience making tablets, the company managed to roll out two of the most critically acclaimed smartphones in the past (M7 & M8).

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The tablet is expected to be called ‘HTC Volantis’ (could be a codename) and comes with an 8.9-inch 2048 x 1440p pixel display to churn out a respectable 281ppi. What’s more, there’ll be quite some grunt under the hood thanks to a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 chipset that’ll sit beneath the screen, along with 2GB of RAM. Speaking of grunt under the hood, a certain Onda V989 recently grabbed headlines after it scored over 48,000 points on AnTuTu. Anyway, you can take a look at the speculated specs that the Volantis is expected to carry below.

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Picture credits: Liam Spradlin

  • 8.9-inch 2048 x 1440p display
  • 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16/32GB on-board ROM
  • 8 mega-pixel rear, 3 mega-pixel front camera
  • 22.63×15.19×0.79cm in dimension
  • Optional LTE variant

Appearance wise, the Volantis reminds you of the very usable iPad mini and the Nexus 5 alike. Android Police also suggest that it might be a few months before we see the release of the device, and that its unlikely to happen at the I/O event.

We certainly like the idea of an 8.9-inch Nexus tablet (especially one that’s made by HTC), which will hopefully be as usable as the iPad mini, and as powerful and flexible as any of the older Nexus devices. What do you think?

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3 Comments

  1. Stef
    June 22, 2014

    Both the dimensions and the screen size are closer to ipad air, I think the headline needs to be changed. Ideal tablet anyhow, if only it had 4 gigs to make use of the 64bit processor it would had been perfect.

    • Ace
      June 22, 2014

      That’s not the entire point of 64 bit processors. 64 bit is currently an added bonus for current servers and future tablets, as of yet it’s irrelevant to the tablet/smartphone market.
      What does matter is the armv8 instruction set, a.k.a the reason the Apple A7 beats any other processor on the market.

  2. Filippo Dardi
    June 23, 2014

    MiPad+Nexus 5 I think