Aesthetic makes the iPad Mini a winner and Google's Nexus 7 2, based on a new concept, is serving the same visual delight with generous accents of industrial and metallic appeal.

Designed by Poliana Feliconio, the tablet render very much adheres to the basic build of the first 7-inch Nexus slate - rounded edge plus bezels that sustain the 2012 Android tablet profile.

Symmetry, at the same time, is observed to the minute details by the concept, resulting to a device that exudes an appeal that is both conventional and futuristic. If picked up by Google, this Nexus 7 2 will give a tough fight to the class-leading (small tablet) iPad Mini, which Apple wrapped in anodised aluminium.

The metal-clad Nexus is gorgeous in all angles, according to Concept Phones, and seems to maintain the Asus signature that was established with the 2012 edition.

The design author, however, allows users to connect the Nexus 7 2 with brands of their choice, which is a decision that is in line with the one thing that is known about the stock Android - no maker can lay claim to the product.

Asus though has the inroads in actually producing the slate that experts said is the next best thing in the compact tablet competition, the first being the iPad Mini.

As such, preliminary specs of the tablet are presently based on the Asus tablet codenamed K009, which Android watchers assume is the Nexus 7 2.

It sports a quad-core Snapdragon chip and a 720p screen resolution that some analysts said will easily best that of the iPad Mini's Retina-laced display screen.

Yet unlike the K009, which delivers complete camera mix of 5MP on rear and 1.2MP on front, this tablet render reveals no provision for a rear-facing shooter.

Another notable deviation is the speaker placement that in the concept appears to be on the bottom edge and occupies quite a stretch of the same tablet portion, suggesting of a different audio-delivery scheme from the old make.

Out of the box, Jelly Bean 4.3 will run the Nexus 7 2 show, the staging of which is likely to take place between late July and early August - the same period pegged by analysts as the latest Android serving release date.