Contrary to speculations, the second-gen Nexus 7 skipped out the I/O 2013 event held last week by Google, leaving everyone guessing when exactly the Android tablet is breaking out.

The strongest possible date points to a July launch, which was the same month last year that Google unleashed the first Nexus small tablet. But knowing the tech giant's unusual practices, details of the Nexus 7 second coming remain a mystery, in the process rubbing on further consumer interest.

Notwithstanding the uncertainty surrounding its release date, numerous reports have provided sufficient information for watchers to conjure up an image of how the new Nexus 7 will look and what the powers that rest on its slim and thin profile.

The list below unlocks three possible specs and features of the stock Android tablet.

Improved body design for the 1080p device

The idea behind the first Nexus 7 is to undercut iPad's dominance and apparently Apple felt the challenge that it was forced to issue the iPad Mini. Now on its second version, the Google tablet is expected to work on one dominating agenda - kill the Mini.

Along that line, it seems automatic that Google and Asus will work on a Nexus refresh that is sexy - easily a delight to look at and use at the same time. Being an eye-candy, the Nexus 7 2 will likely shed significant heft and go for the smallest footprint possible for a 7-inich device. That should mean less bezel around the screen area plus a unibody make that creates a vision of seamless fusion between different case materials, that is of glass and polycarbonate shell.

Also from a 720p resolution seen in the first Nexus, the version 2 will jump to 1080p, further cementing the image it gained last year as the best Android tablet for media playback, e-book reading and even gaming.

A compact powerhouse with a Snapdragon CPU

Apple is said to deploy faster processor with the iPad Mini 2 and to counter this move, Google will employ one of the latest Qualcomm chips called Snapdragon 800, to be rendered in a quad-core speed.

Qualcomm touts the CPU as a muscle-car minus the gas-guzzling effect. With the chip powering the Nexus 7 2, users are assured of mighty operations plus the bonus effect of staying alive for more hours in a single charge.

An iPad Mini-busting Nexus 7 2 price tag

The strongest point of the Nexus 7 is Google's willingness to retail device at a very reasonable price point. The first edition sold for $US199 for the basic configuration and $US249 for the higher specs, which are from Google Play Store. When packaged with products and services offered by telcos and distributors, the tablet is dangled for free. It's almost a given that the same model will be in play once the Nexus 7 2 hits the market worldwide.

Likewise, the iPad Mini 2 is expected to carry over the sticker price of its older sibling, which was released last year with a $US329 mark. For that asking price, buyers will get the basic Mini, which is $US80 more expensive compared to the top-of-the-line Nexus 7.

When confronted with this glaring difference, the choice is obvious for most consumers.