HTC to build Google Nexus 9in Android L tablet

Hopes Flyer follow up will get off the ground

Google has ditched its more established Nexus partners, Asus and Samsung, and has chosen HTC to build its next Nexus tablet, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that an unnamed source "familiar with the matter" said HTC engineers are already working at the Googleplex campus in Mountain View to create the 9in Nexus tablet.

Google declined to comment on the reports, while HTC had not responded to V3's request for a statement by the time of publication. The move would, however, be a marked strategy shift for both Google and HTC.

The last Nexus device HTC built was the Nexus One in 2010 and it all but gave up on the tablet market in 2011 after its first and last tablet the HTC Flyer failed to sell.

Since then, despite releasing critically acclaimed handsets, such as the HTC One M8, sales of the Taiwanese firm's smartphones have also dropped.

Details of the new Nexus tablet remain unknown, though leaked specifications suggest it will feature a 9in display and run using the next generation Android L operating system.

Google unveiled Android L in June and lists it as the most enterprise-ready version to date. The version comes loaded with a number of new security features including advanced data-privacy controls and a killswitch function that lets users disable any device running Android L if it is lost or stolen.

It also includes direct integration with Samsung Knox, a sandboxing service originally debuted on select Samsung Galaxy devices. The feature lets users or IT departments set a separate password-protected and encrypted work area on the device.

Samsung partnered with Centrify to create a sweep of upgrades for its Knox security service on 10 September.