The Nexus 10 2 release date chatter takes another surprising turn this week as new reports suggest the big-screen tablet from Google will be no more. In its stead, the Nexus 8 will be rolled out soon.

In his freshly-leaked snapshot of what appeared as a Nexus slate service manual, popular gadget news leaker @evleaks declared via Twitter that "the LG V510 tablet is indeed a Nexus Device." The tweet did not specify on device dimensions, leaving to debate if Nexus 10 2 remains a possibility or it is getting the axe treatment.

However, Android watchers are quick to note that LG V510 is definitely related to a device with the codename LG V500, which as we all know by now is the recently released LG G Pad.

While Google and LG have yet to officially comment on the matter, the idea that there'll be no Nexus 10 refresh this year seems to gain traction and with supporting reasons.

For one, the holiday season is already upon us and Google has yet to signal anything concrete that it actually plans a second coming of the full-sized vanilla Android tab. Experts say it is simply too late for the Nexus 10 2 if indeed the plan is to make life a little difficult for Apple's hot-selling iPad Air.

Another thing, the first Nexus 10 was not really a hit that Google had hoped it would be so why build another that chances are be easily routed by the redesigned and now sexier and more powerful 9.7-inch iPad Air.

So a challenger named Nexus 8 appears more viable and should the tip coming from @evleaks prove true (and most likely it will), Google's re-gear to the compact tablet arena should deliver the following specs and features:

§ An 8.3-inch LCD display panel that the LG G Pad first showcased with a stunning 1920 x 1200 screen resolution and 273ppi of pixel density

§ A quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip that is tapped into 2GB of RAM (or more) with an Adreno 330 providing the graphic muscles

§ A camera mix of 5MP on rear and 1.3MP on front

§ A massive battery of 4600mAh that LG has also deployed with the G Pad

§ And KitKat 4.4 with the latest update patch (4.4.2) which is rumoured to filter out very soon

The Dec 8 tweet from @evleaks was silent on pricing although the LG G Pad carries a $350 price tag, which likely will be mirrored by Google's Nexus 8 build. Should that be the case, then it is a reasonable pricing considering the specs upgrade that buyers will be getting.

Release date remains a mystery but is should be known soon enough as soon as Google breaks it silence and clarifies if the Android world must wait for a Nexus 8 or Nexus 10 2. Or both, perhaps?