ASUS and Samsung built Google's first-generation Nexus tablets. ASUS was chosen to build the new Nexus 7 and a new report claims it will take over for Samsung and build the new Nexus 10 as well.
Google began its Nexus brand with smartphones and added the first tablets to its lineup last year with the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10. The Nexus 7 was an instant hit due to its low-price, impressive specs and, since it was a Nexus, its guarantee to receive updates to Android whenever Google released them. There's no need to wait around for a manufacturer to test out the new operating system and decide if and when it will release the update to consumers. Google hired ASUS to build the first Nexus 7 and was impressed enough with the partnership that it had the company once again build its new Nexus 7 tablet.
Google added its second Nexus tablet, the Nexus 10, a few months after it launched the Nexus 7. The company planned to offer the tablet at a reasonable price, just as it had done with the Nexus 7. Google partnered with Samsung to build the Nexus 10 and both companies had their sights set on the iPad when building the tablet. The tablet's standout feature would be in its display. The Nexus 10 shipped with a 10-inch 2560 x 1600 high-resolution display, higher than the iPad's Retina Display, which comes in at 2048 x 1536. It also gave Google bragging rights of having the world's highest-resolution tablet display.
At Google's Nexus 7 event the company confirmed that it would be releasing an updated Nexus 10 in the future. It was believed that Samsung would be chosen to reprise its role of building the tablet. Geek.com, however, is now reporting that Samsung has been ditched for ASUS. The site points out that ASUS proved to Google that it is capable of keeping up with the speed of Android by creating hardware that allows Google to keep the price of the devices close to last year's pricing. The site was sent the above retail inventory screenshot, which lists ASUS as the manufacturer of the Nexus 10.
The new Nexus 10 is expected to be released sometime in the fall.
