Google has reportedly shipped prototypes of the Nexus 8 tablet to India.
At least that’s what it seems like, according to Indian import tracking website, Zauba.
GSM Arena notes that the record says the tablet was shipped from the United States, so it could have been shipped directly from Google, and not from a manufacturer’s country. Oddly enough, the record does not carry Google’s name.
Here is what it says:
30-Jun-2014 NEXUS8 PROTOTYPE TABLET SIMILAR TO NEXUS(7) United States Banglore Air Cargo
Here is a screenshot of imports of Nexus devices with Google’s name mentioned clearly. One more thing to note here, is the price of the tablet. The Nexus 8 is valued at Rs 16,484 , which is about $275 USD.While there are chances that it could not include taxes, the Nexus 7 2013’s import records shows the price as Rs. 16,870, while it retails at Rs. 16,999. So the Nexus 8’s price could be the same.
If that is the case, then the Nexus 8 would probably not be the high end Volantis tablet. Check the specifications of the Nexus 9 (listed below) and you will see the logic.
Display | 8.9" Display at 2048x1440 (281ppi) |
Processor | NVIDIA Logan 64-bit processor (Tegra K1) |
RAM | 2GB |
Storage | 16/32GB internal storage |
Cameras | 8MP OIS rear camera, and a 3MP front facing camera |
Dimensions | 8.91"x5.98"x0.31" |
Weight | 418g (or 427g with LTE) |
Other | Aluminum zero-gap construction, Stereo front-facing speakers |
It is unlikely that Google will sell this tablet for $275. According to a leak two weeks ago, price of the Nexus 9 was, $399 for the 16 GB version.
So will there be two Nexus tablets this year? It appears so.