Google may have let the cat out of the bag when it comes to its next Android slate in the shape of a mystery tablet that cropped up alongside two other Google products in Android L documentation.
Related: Nexus 9 tech specs spilled, 64-bit Tegra K1 chip on board
The image, which shows the unidentified tablet next to the Nexus 5 and a Chromebook, has sparked feverish speculation that it is in fact the first render of the rumoured Nexus 9 slate.
It comes from the fact the shape is too dissimilar to be the Nexus 10 and comparing its size to the Nexus 5 shows that it is in fact too large to be the Nexus 7. This is in addition to other reported differences including the placing of the front-facing camera and a new front-facing speaker.
The front-facing speakers have pointed towards a slate made by the front-speaker friendly folks over at HTC and this would marry up with the rumours the firm will manufacture it and slap a Google Nexus logo on the back.
Specification-wise the tablet is expected to have an 8.9in screen with a 2,048 x 1,440 resolution display, an NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM, internal storage options that range up to 32GB, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 3-megapixel lens on the front.
It will reportedly have aluminium “zero-gap” construction, be 7.9mm tick and weigh in at 418g.
Related: Google Nexus 8.9 could arrive later this year
Android Police has already mentioned pricing that will start at $399 [£235] for the 16GB model and rise to $499 [£295] for the 32GB version, and the same site believes that we won’t get to see the new tablet until at least the fourth quarter.