HTC expected to launch new 8.9-inch tablet dubbed ‘Volantis’

23 Jun 2014

The supposed images for the Volantis tablet, via Android Police

The first details of HTC’s new 8.9-inch tablet dubbed the ‘Volantis’, which is reported to be the next product to come in the Google Nexus range, have been leaked.

According to Android Police, the source that has provided this information is reliable and has offered a number of photos and specifications for the upcoming tablet and claims that internally within HTC, the tablet is referred to as the Nexus 9, which could suggest it is to be a part of the continuation of this line of Google devices.

This would prove interesting given that Google has previously said it was looking to scrap its Nexus programme in favour of the upcoming Google Silver range as its replacement but this tablet could prove to be the last hurrah for the range, which has been available on the market for more than four years.

In terms of the spec, the tablet is expected to be a pretty standard tablet in terms of capabilities, with its screen providing a HD resolution of 2,048 x 1,440 and a 8MP main camera along with a 3MP forward-facing one.

As for the processing power, the Volantis will have an NVIDIA Logan 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM and between 16GB and 32GB of internal storage depending on the model. Its design will come as an all-aluminium construction weighing about 418g.

The first suggestions for the price of the supposedly newest product from the Taiwanese manufacturers will start at US$399 (€293) for the 16GB, going up to US$499 (€366) for the 32GB model, and an even further expensive LTE model, although sources consider a fourth-quarter release this year as highly likely.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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