Next-gen Google Nexus 7 specs 'confirmed'

NEW DELHI: It has been just over a year since the launch of Google Nexus 7, which was unveiled at Google I/O in 2012, and became an immediate success. As the 2013 I/O drew near, market expected that the internet giant will unveil the second generation Nexus 7 tablet at the conference. However, Google didn't do so and the specifications and looks of the upcoming device remained unclear.

But Google's secrecy around the device has come undone, thanks to an Asus support executive. The support representative inadvertently leaked the specifications of the next-generation Google Nexus 7 tablet in an online chat. A thread on tech forum XDA-Developer gave screenshots of a chat between the executive and a prospective buyer who posed a query about Asus K009. This is the model number of the Asus tablet that has been spotted at the US Federal Communications Commission and the Bluetooth certification body.

In response to the question, the customer care representative gave details of hardware specifications, Android version and even the tentative launch timeframe.

As per the conversation, the next-gen Google Nexus 7 will have a 7-inch LED touchscreen with full HD display (1920x1080p resolution) and run on the upcoming Android 4.3 OS. It will pack the Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB RAM under the hood and have 32GB internal storage.

On the back of the phone will be a 5MP camera, while the front unit will have 1.2MP resolution. Powered by a 4,000mAh battery, the tablet will have connectivity optionsWi-Fi, 4G, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. During the chat, the executive also said that it will be launched before the end of July.

When askedthese specifications came , the customer care representative of Asus replied, "This in internal specs, but it is not available to the public as yet. Because I know you are eager, so I just forwarded it to you."

The timing of launch for the device is in line with Chinese tech news website Digitimes, which recently reported that the device will hit the stores in July at starting price of $229. The current Google Nexus 7 is priced at $199 for the base variant and starts at Rs 15,999 in the Indian market the company's Play Store.