It appears that Google snuck an unannounced Nexus tablet into the I/O keynote and their Material UI supporting documentation last week.
The Bright Side of News site noted that the Google Design site, in a section about Responsive Principles contains a render of some devices showing how the same layout can function across desktop, table and mobile devices:
It’s pretty similar to the image at the top of this post, which seems to be a simplified version of the slide. That tablet looks a little too tall against the Nexus 5 to be the Nexus 7, though.
Not sure? Here’s an actual Nexus 5 up against an actual Nexus 7 for comparison:
No dice.
Perhaps it’s the rumoured-to-be-HTC-built Nexus 9, also known by the codename Volantis, and the subject of a recent round of rumours.
We went back over the Keynote presentation. Surprise, surprise – we found the offending device sitting there in a couple of other slides like the one shown at the top of this post, plain as day:
That tablet isn’t a Nexus 7.
It does seem to line up with Android Police’s recent mockup, though:
There’s a history of Nexus devices being “accidentally” revealed to the world, from early rumours through leaks in the manufacturing chain finding their way to folks like evleaks and seemingly accidental revelation through I/O slides, right up to Google showing someone holding the Nexus 5 in a video months prior to its release. Whether they’re controlled or otherwise, it does seem like Google likes to tease.
Current rumours have the Nexus 9 pegged for a release later this year, perhaps alongside the official Android L release.
Do you think it looks like Google’s hinting at a new Nexus tablet? Are you interested in the Nexus 9? Tell us in the comments!
I think that things like this are rarely mistakes. If Google wanted to hint at an upcoming 9 inch tablet then why not slip in a teaser like this? It’s got people talking. I reckon it’s the Nexus 9 and I also reckon its appearance is no accident.
Is it just me or is the ‘other’ phone a little wider than the Nexus 5, the the two ‘other slides’ images ?
Do we perhaps have both Nexus 8/9 and Nexus 6 phone shown ? Perhaps both will be released with ‘L’ later in the year and will be ‘wider’ aspect ratios of 4:3 ????
If this is real I sure hope it comes out soon cause I’d snap one up without hesitation.
Perhaps it’s a replacement for the aging Nexus 10. It better not be a Nexus 7 replacement.
You know, it could very well be the Nexus 9. If you zoom in to the image, you can see the top-mounted speaker on the device, above the front-facing camera. If the Nexus phone wasn’t in the way, there could possibly be another bottom-mounted speaker. Seeing as it’s supposedly being developed by HTC, dual-front facing speakers is not something foreign to them. Seems kind of strange they’d go ahead and include the speaker if it were just a generic placeholder don’t you think? Seeing as the Nexus 7 has rear-mounted speakers, there wouldn’t be a need to render the front-facing… Read more »
I think it’s just a mock of a generic 4:3 about 9″ tablet, but they clearly have Volantis in mind when including it everywhere. We can’t take it as final design until we start seeing photo leaks or actual press images.
Very possible, except the other devices aren’t generic in the design render.
Well, of course, because they’re released devices and therefore are fair game, plus they have official device shells for designers to use.
Well if the other devices are real, maybe this one is too?