Google may launch a new 8-inch tablet soon, as a pair of newly-leaked images claim to show a dummy unit of an upcoming Nexus 8 slate.
The latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow has gotten most of the attention lately when it comes to Google-related plans, but the company may have more surprises up its sleeve. Each new Android iteration launches alongside new Nexus devices that serve as its launch vehicles, and this year should be no different.
Leaks and reports regarding upcoming Nexus devices have been intensifying recently, mostly detailing a Huawei-made Nexus phablet and an LG Nexus 5 (2015) smartphone. Newly-surfaced information, however, now suggests that these two upcoming Nexus smartphones from Huawei and LG may also be accompanied by an 8-inch tablet, albeit its manufacturer remains unknown for now.
A couple of intriguing images surfaced on Chinese site Padnews (translated), as Romanian site Mobilissimo points out (translated). The images allegedly show a dummy unit of a yet-to-be-announced Nexus 8, offering a glimpse of its purported design and dimensions.
In the first image, the dummy tablet appears next to a ruler, revealing a length of roughly 200 mm (about 7.8 inches), which would translate to an 8-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Considering that Google already adopted this aspect ratio for its Nexus 9 tablet last year, it would make sense for the company to continue down this path for its next-generation Nexus tablet as well.
The second image, meanwhile, shows one of the device's corners, but it remains unclear just which one it is. Nevertheless, the image shows the device chiseled towards the end, along with what looks like a speaker grille. At the same time, this image suggests that the purported Nexus 9 tablet could rock a metallic build.
Padnews doesn't offer any additional details regarding the device's specifications, but points at previous leaks and reports for reference. Not too long ago, the purported Nexus 8 surfaced in a benchmark listing on GeekBench. The listing in question also pegged Android 5.1.1 as the software version, but that's unlikely. The listing could have been made early in the tablet's development, but the slate would surely launch with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Google is expected to take the wraps off its new-generation Nexus devices on Sept. 29 and this purported Nexus 8 could be part of the lineup. With no official confirmation, however, take all leaks with a grain of salt.
