Is this Google's much-rumored Nexus 8 tablet?
Leaked photos show just the screen. Scuttlebutt, meanwhile, claims that the anticipated tablet would be equipped with Android 4.5 and a Qualcomm 64-bit processor.
Google's much-rumored Nexus 8 tablet may have just popped up online via a couple of spilled photos and some key details.
Photos leaked by Chinese website Mydrivers.com show what is purportedly the Nexus 8 tablet wrapped up snugly in an outer case, according to G for Games. Most of the tablet's exterior is obscured by the case, but the screen can be seen sporting a host of large icons.
Further, details picked up by Mydrivers' sources claim the Nexus 8 will run Android 4.5, come with 3GB of RAM, and be powered by a Qualcomm 64-bit ARM processor. If the processor bit proves true, that would run counter to previous reports pointing to an Intel Moorefield 64-bit chip, according to G for Games.
The Nexus 8 would be the first 8-inch tablet for Google, which currently offers the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 . Since introducing the first Nexus 7 in 2012, Google has run into increased competition from slightly larger and higher-quality small tablets, notably Apple's iPad Mini (with a screen that measures 7.9 inches diagonally). An 8-inch Nexus tablet reasonably priced could be just the ticket to lure back more customers.
Of course, the photos and details leaked by MyDrivers are decidedly unconfirmed and so should be taken with the usual grains of salt. A report from the folks at DigiTimes in January claimed the Nexus 8 would launch sometime this summer. A more recent report out last month indicated that Google has been testing a new tablet.
Responding to CNET's request for comment, a Google spokesperson said the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
Still, we may not have to wait much longer to find out if the Nexus 8 is real. Google's I/O 2014 conference starts on June 25. That would certainly be the right time and opportunity to announce a new Nexus tablet, just as Google has done in the past.