Google to launch new Nexus 7 tablet in July for $229: Report

Google managed to make a big splash in the tablet market with the launch of its Nexus 7 tablet last year. It was expected that the company will be unveiling its successor at this year's Google I/O but that did not happen.

A recent report by CNET claims that Google is very close to launching its next generation of Nexus 7 tablet. The website has got this bit of information from market research company IHS. The report also illustrates that Japan Display and AUO have been roped to manufacture the display second generation Nexus 7. In addition to this, Quanta is the company that is making the tablet itself.

Another news report by DigiTimes claims that this Nexus 7 tablet will indeed start retailing in the month of July. This report adds that Google will price the 16GB version of Nexus 7 successor for $229. The report adds that the price of this tablet has been deliberately kept higher than its predecessor so that the company is not competing directory with the low-end tablet makers.

The other rumoured specifications of the forthcoming 7-inch tablet from Google include a 1920 x1200 display, with a pixel density of 323 pixels per inch. It is expected that this tablet will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor rather than the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor on-board its predecessor. This tablet from Google is likely to compete head on with next generation iPad mini and Kindle Fire HD tablets from Apple and Amazon.

The Nexus 7 tablet was made by Google in collaboration with Asus. The tablet sports 7-inch IPS display screen with a 1280x800 resolution. The other features of the tablet include 1GB of RAM, 1.2-megapixel front camera and 4,325 mAh battery. This tablet is available on Google Play for $199.

It will be interesting to see if Google indeed prices its second generation of Nexus 7 tablet at a higher price and if the move hurts sales.