Google’s next Nexus tablet may be a model with an 8.9 inch display and an NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor. Android Police reports that multiple sources have told them about the tablet, and they have a photo showing an early (and possibly inaccurate) image.

The tablet is said to be manufactured by HTC, and it’s due out some time in the fourth quarter of 2014, when it will launch alongside the next major version of Android (with a dessert-themed name starting with L).

Google Nexus 9

Early models are reportedly already in the hands of some Google employees, and the company is apparently referring to the tablet as the Nexus 9, although that could change. It’s expected to launch for $399 and up… although that could also change.

According to Android Police, the Nexus 9 has an 8.9 inch, 2048 x 1440 pixel display, measures 0.31 inches thick, weighs less than 15 ounces, has 2GB of RAM, 16GB to 32GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, and a 3MP front camera.

It’s said to be powered by the 64-bit version of NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 processor.

Google is rumored to be phasing out the Nexus program in favor of something called Android Silver, which would have a handful of smartphone and tablet makers offering Googley versions of their devices in the future. So the Nexus 9 could be one of the last Nexus devices… if it’s real, and if it launches this year.

 

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29 replies on “Report: Google Nexus 9 is an HTC tablet with NVIDIA Tegra K1”

  1. awww their phasing out the Nexus line? Where else am I going to get a phone that can work on every network except for Verizon (verizon and ATT are too expensive anyways)? Other manufacturers are too carrier specific.

  2. 16gb shouldn’t even be an option on upper end tablets anymore. 32 minimum, 64 next step up. Also 3gb or more ram.

    1. With a 64-bit processor they can easily go past 4GB of RAM. In fact, the 32-bit Cortex-A15 can too with LPAE, but each process is still limited to a 4GB virtual address space (so probably 3GB userspace + 1 GB kernel space). But that would just confuse people.

  3. so basically something slightly inferior to the most recent Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 but at a higher price

    1. If you are going to call 2X the performance on benchmarks “inferior”, then yes.

      1. Well, running benchmarks is not my idea of a good time, so until a 64 bit processor shows me a “real world” way that it benefits me, I’m more impressed by the fact that last year’s Kindle HDX 8.9 still will have a higher resolution screen than this Nexus device, and other wise match it spec for spec.

        Honestly, I know 64 bit sounds magical and all….but if a tablet already performs instantly what I need it to do, what is the K1 going to do…….read my thoughts and activate before I touch the tablet?

        1. How about real Android out of the box with access to the play store?

        2. The first 64bit K1s are supposed to be dual-core Cortex-A57 level cores. I am not sure how Logan relates to Cortex-A57 but if they are similar, then the IPC of the K1 cores should be much higher than the A15s (~20%) which is the top 32bit ARM core at the moment. This means that it should handily beat the A15 clock-to-clock. Moreover, the second wave of A57s will be produced at 20-14nm processes so they may go to much higher clocks from the same power budget.

        3. Its not a spec for spec match. 32 vs 64 bit. 0.9MP front camera vs. 3. Front facing speakers. OGL es3.0 vs OGL 4.4. You don’t know what you’ve been missing in graphics quality. Just download the NVIDIA IRA face demo to see a comparison. Oh, wait – your tablet can’t handle that.

          The s800 CPU was already outclassed by the Tegra 4. And soundly trounced by the Tegra K1 32-bit. Ergo…

          Also, the roumor mill is that the new kindle fire will have a k1 too. If this is true, then Amazon obviously sees benefits you don’t.

          1. I think you miss my point. I understand that benchmarks show it faster than the Snapdragon800. I’m saying that in the real world, that means that a K1 tablet will display a page in half a second instead of a second…..Oh sure, the benchmark numbers look insane….but in the real world, it amounts to a difference of seconds or fractions of seconds. We’ve reached the point where fast is fast enough and great graphics are great enough. Unless you have some better reason to account for the levelling out of tablet sales, I think the sales numbers show that the public agrees with me. People have stalled in their tablet upgrades because they just don’t see a big enough improvement in the newer specs.

            From a real-world perspective, Google is just now catching up to Amazon’s tablet and not offering enough incentive to get something else.

            And before you’re tempted to use the “Amazon Fanboy” criticism, I’ll point out that I”m the proud owner of the best smartphone in the world, the GOOGLE NEXUS 5.
            (and sorry, I think I”m logged on with a different account now)

          2. Rich Brown I agree with your point that tablets capabilities are certainly plateauing. I have a TF701T with a Tegra 4 processor, and it absolutely screams. It’s the first tablet that I owned where there is zero OS lag. Web browsing is as fast as a laptop and nearly indistinguishable from desktop (although it is great to rotate the screen to portrait for long pages!). The 2560×1600 IGZO screen is beautiful. I also like that it is a convertible (with full mouse support!), which makes it really useful for company meetings, etc. In summary, I am quite happy with it!

            So what would induce me to upgrade? Well, here is what I’d like to see on my next tablet. Mostly its the best features from the Tegra Note 7 and the TF701Twith some K1 sprinkled in:

            * A keyboard dock with battery and extra ports (TF701T)

            * USB charging (TN7)

            * 2560×1600 IGZO screen (TF701T)

            * Standard Android with minimal bloat (both)

            * SD card (both)

            * Faster, Higher Quality FHD graphics: Yes, GT Racing 2 looks fantastic and generally runs great on the TF701T. But the FPS can drop in intense spots like multi-car collisions and start sequences (K1).

            * Better Cameras. Yes, the TF701T has cameras. And they mostly suck. I actually used my TF201 cameras because they were quite good.

            * Real-time HDR (TN7)

            * Front facing stereo speakers and bass resonance port (TN7)

            * Direct Stylus support (TN7). If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s arguably the best stylus experience on a tablet.

            * A sublime level of performance. Where everything just works near instantly – yes, 0.25s vs. 1s page loads. Everywhere. (K1).

            If this tablet has most of these goodies (and it’s confirmed it has some), then I
            might buy. I drive a sensible car so I can blow a few bucks on the best tech 😉

            BTW, I think Google was considering using the TF701T as the basis for their Nexus 10 replacement, and then backed away for some reason. The result is their N10 got passed by Amazon and just about everyone else.

  4. Doesn’t the picture look like an extremely blown up nexus 5? I don’t think this is how the final product will look.

  5. This would be…. The mergance I’ve been dreaming of, HTC, nvidia and Nexus. Yyyyyyyess please be true!

        1. Well thanks! That was totally necessary! Thank you for answering my question so thoroughly and wording it SO nicely.

  6. Hmm…I’ve always felt 6.4inch Ultra Z is still too small to be used as a proper phone.
    Now this looks promising.

      1. Yes no doubt, that’s the conclusion one can only draw. Still it’s good to see a device announced with the 64bit K1, I think this is the first , is it not?

          1. I believe the Mipad was announced with the quad Cortex A15 variation of the K1. The 64 bit Project Denver K1, supposedly won’t be ready until late in the year.

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