2nd Generation Nexus 7 expected in May

Google is to launch the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet at the annual Google I/O in May. Google I/O is an annual developer-focused conference held by Google in San Francisco, California. Google I/O features highly technical, in-depth sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS, Google APIs, Google Web Toolkit, App Engine, and more.

The tablet will be one with HD screen and will be manufactured by Asus as the initial model. The resolution will go up from the current 1280 x 800 pixels to a 1728 x 1080 pixels, or the more conventional 1920 x 1080. The new tablet will sport a different design with a thinner bezel and is also likely to be lighter than the 340gm first-generation model. The new Nexus 7 will be loaded with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The price of the new 7-inch tablet is expected be the same as that of the first-generation model—between $199 to $249.

The report states that the combined shipments of the company's Nexus 7 (both first and second generation) are expected to reach 10 million units in 2013, based on estimates by suppliers. The first-generation Nexus 7, which was manufactured by Asus, has been an immensely popular tablet thanks to its quad-core processor and sub-$200 price tag. In Japan, the tablet has surpassed the iPad as the most popular tablet. The tablet is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset, has 1GB of RAM and a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.2GHz. It runs Jelly Bean (Android 4.2.1) and is available in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + 3G options. It is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB variants, and comes equipped with an NFC chip.

Google is also planning a refresh for the Nexus 10, the 10-inch tablet manufactured by Samsung. The tablet will get its processor upgraded from the existing Exynos 5 dual-core chipset to a more beefy multi-core SoC. Bright Side of News reports that the GPU will be refreshed too—the Mali-T604 being replaced by an 8-core Mali-T628 GPU. The Nexus 10 already has a Full HD screen, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, and a pixel density of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). It was also the first tablet to be launched with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.