Nexus 8 Prototype Spotted Again in Shipping Import Data

Recently, there were speculations that Google is allegedly phasing out the Nexus program. The company officially denied all such claims. Now fresh rumours confirm the existence of an 8in Nexus tablet as the device was reportedly spotted in shipping import records via Indian import export database, Zauba.com.

It was earlier believed that Google was secretly developing the next-gen Nexus tablet in partnership with HTC as leaked internal documents pointed to an 8.9in device codenamed 'HTC Volantis' in the making.

According to the leak reported by Android Geeks, a couple of Nexus 8 Prototype units have been shipped to India from the US on 4 July with a price tag of Rs. 16,649 ($275). The database also mentions another shipment which arrived in India from the US on 30 June.

The Nexus 8 seems to be more expensive than the Nexus 7 (2013) which is understandable given its larger display and superior hardware specifications.

The legitimacy of the report cannot be confirmed as there is no official word from Google about the tablet's exact release date or launch date.

If the rumours are true, the Nexus 8 aka HTC Volantis will ship with the following specifications: 8.9in screen running at 2048 x 1440 pixel display resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio, 3GB of RAM, 16 and 32GB storage variants and powered by Nvidia's 64-bit Tegra K1 chipset.

In addition, the Nexus 8 tablet is widely speculated to run Android L software out of the box and incorporate HTC's aluminium zero-gap technology.