Nexus 7 2 with Jelly Bean 4.3 to Hit Google Play Store This Week at $229; Unveiling Likely on July 23 En Route to a July 31 Release Date
The purported iPad Mini killer, Google's Nexus 7 2, is likely to appear on Google Play Store anytime this week as new reports suggest the Jelly Bean 4.3-powered device will be sitting on U.S. store shelves by July 31.
In an updated report, Engadget said that version 2.0 of the Nexus 7 should begin its U.S. distribution between July 24 and July 31. Specifically, American retailer Staples will stock the hot device on the last day of the month.
That should mean that the Play Store availability of Nexus 7 2 will go live early this week, probably over the next 72 hours just in case Google plans to synch the tablet's online debut with that of mortar and bricks outlets.
The same Engadget report also indicated that Google has opted for a slight price increase - from $199, the 16GB model will be priced at $229 while the 32GB configuration is at $269.
And as insisted by Android experts, Jelly Bean will make its first tablet appearance via the Nexus 7 2, which will be fired up by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor, likely of the Snapdragon 600 or 800 class.
An image provided by the report showed that the native Android slate will offer a 5MP rear-facing camera, paired with a 1.2MP front snapper. As widely reported, screen size remains at 7-inch with 1080p HD resolution.
One surprise feature is Google's apparent decision to enable wireless charging capability on the second edition of its small tablet flagship. While no specific details were offered for this functionality, using the QI standard would make the Nexus 7 2 compatible with a host of wireless charging accessories already available in the market.
Touted as the killer of Apple's second iPad Mini build, one of the core attractions of Nexus 7 2 would be its bumped up screen resolution, likely to hit a high of 1980 x 1200 display pixel or almost double from the Mini's anaemic rendering of 1024 x 768 with pixel density of only 162ppi.
However, its replacement, the iPad Mini 2, should be coming out by October this year and with Retina display panel at that, courtesy of LG Display, according to DigiTimes. This suggests that screen brightness of Mini 2 will be boosted by twice as much from the first make and probably with more processing muscles.