While the Nexus 10 2 release date mystery is yet to be solved, one more question nags the Android world: Will Samsung build the 10.1-inch slate or will Asus emerge as the chosen one?

Looking closely, history favours the Galaxy device maker from South Korea. The company assembled the first Nexus 10 so for the sake of smooth continuity it could end up handling the upcoming Nexus tablet manufacturing duties.

Also, more crucial factors are working for Samsung. For one, it has a deep collection of Galaxy tablets that Google can pick from and to be used as base-model of the next Nexus 10. And if the Internet search giant is aiming to start fresh, it should be no problem for the Asian tech titan.

Like Apple, Samsung enjoys favourable dealing with its supply partners and cooking up a Nexus 10 2 as specified by Google will not be an issue at all. For sure, Samsung can supply the best components available for the Nexus project and keep the price point accessible, if Google should wish to.

However, there is one thing that could bump off Samsung from the Nexus 10 2 consideration - the first Nexus 10 was not exactly a commercial success. So in starting afresh, Google may want a new player.

Enter Asus from Taiwan, which is not really a stranger to Google. The device maker moulded the Nexus 7, the 2012 and2013 versions, into reality and while the compact tablets were far from being perfect they are hugely popular.

Asus' records speak volume and there is reason to believe that the company's relative success in the small tablet market could be extended into the full-sized segment. But the manufacturer has no device model on its current catalogue that can be used as template for the Nexus 10 2.

Starting from scratch could be good but the effort required could eat up too much time that the already delayed tablet will lose much of the interests it generated before it gets to actually come out of the box.

Therefore, while Asus is not a bad choice at all, good business dictates that Samsung is the safer if not better choice.

Another candidate, LG, is considered a dark-horse. Known for putting together the Nexus 4 in 2012 and the Nexus 5 in 2013, LG is definitely capable but is hampered by the same issue that hobbles Asus.

LG will have to start from zero if it is tapped by Google to assemble the second Nexus 10. As time is of the essence, as far as Android fans are concerned, the company will have to be written off. Besides, it already has a quasi-Nexus device - the 8.3-inch LG G Pad Google Play Edition.

So will it be a Samsung-made Nexus 10 2 on release date? Or Google, even in this late hour, has other players in mind.