Report: Next Nexus 7 Tablet to Favor Qualcomm Over Nvidia

By Tomshardware
published

Google’s Nexus 7 2 features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon over Tegra 4 in favor of 4G/LTE Support

The new Nexus tablet, rumored to be called the Nexus 7 2, has had another interesting change rumored. The previous Nexus 7 tablet featured a Tegra 3 SoC (system on chip), so it was to be expected that the new Google tablet would feature the Tegra 4/4i. However, earlier DigiTimes reported that Google is considering Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC instead of Nvidia’s Tegra 4/4i.

The issue behind the Tegra 4 is that it does not support 4G/LTE service, and while the Tegra 4i is said to fix that (read more about the Tegra 4 family here), the release date is apparently not soon enough for Google. According to independent sources, Nvidia might lose up to 8 million shipments because of this decision.

The tablet will be most likely be unveiled in May during Google’s annual I/O developer conference.

Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback

Tomshardware
Tomshardware

Tom's Hardware is the leading destination for hardcore computer enthusiasts. We cover everything from processors to 3D printers, single-board computers, SSDs and high-end gaming rigs, empowering readers to make the most of the tech they love, keep up on the latest developments and buy the right gear.

18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Memnarchon
    Negra 4i? Oo
    Reply
  • darkchazz
    If true, then good news!
    Let's face it, tegra 3 was nothing but overhyped weak SoC. even at the time it was released.
    Extra A9 cores that made zero difference in real world performance.
    Battery saving 5th core used as marketing material but barely saves any juice. Some custom kernel devs disable the fifth core.
    weak GPU and completely bottlenecked by slow single-channel memory.
    And, of course, the dick move of paying off devs for exclusive games and effects for this weak chip to support their "console quality gaming" bullshit marketing.

    After tegra 3, I don't believe anything nvidia has to say. They can keep tegra 4. not interested one bit.
    Reply
  • blazorthon
    While it's not news to read about the Nexus 7's successor using Snapdragon instead of Tegra (we've been reading about that for a while now), I thought that Tegra 4 does have the integrated modem.

    MemnarchonNegra 4i? Oo
    That's one helluva typo in the paragraph below the picture. I hope that Tom's fixes it quickly.
    Reply
  • dragonsqrrl
    darkchazzIf true, then good news!Let's face it, tegra 3 was nothing but overhyped weak SoC. even at the time it was released.Extra A9 cores that made zero difference in real world performance. Battery saving 5th core used as marketing material but barely saves any juice. Some custom kernel devs disable the fifth core.weak GPU and completely bottlenecked by slow single-channel memory.And, of course, the dick move of paying off devs for exclusive games and effects for this weak chip to support their "console quality gaming" bullshit marketing.After tegra 3, I don't believe anything nvidia has to say. They can keep tegra 4. not interested one bit.We can always count on darkchazz in a Tegra article.
    Reply
  • IndignantSkeptic
    Does Nvidia try to make aspects of games exclusive to Tegra chips like they try to make the physics of games exclusive to Nvidia chips by encouraging developers to use a physics program module that happens to work only on their Nvidia chips?
    Reply
  • killabanks
    IndignantSkepticDoes Nvidia try to make aspects of games exclusive to Tegra chips like they try to make the physics of games exclusive to Nvidia chips by encouraging developers to use a physics program module that happens to work only on their Nvidia chips?yes
    Reply
  • renz496
    so will this new nexus 7 use snapdragon 600 or 800? on another new i already heard rumors about nexus 5 will be using snapdragon 800.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    darkchazzIf true, then good news!Let's face it, tegra 3 was nothing but overhyped weak SoC. even at the time it was released.Extra A9 cores that made zero difference in real world performance. Battery saving 5th core used as marketing material but barely saves any juice. Some custom kernel devs disable the fifth core.weak GPU and completely bottlenecked by slow single-channel memory.And, of course, the dick move of paying off devs for exclusive games and effects for this weak chip to support their "console quality gaming" bullshit marketing.After tegra 3, I don't believe anything nvidia has to say. They can keep tegra 4. not interested one bit.It probably has more to do with the fact that Tegra4 is not going to be available for quite some time still (IIRC, August was the earliest slated time for product launches using it--that's a long time...).

    Tegra4 has proven to be very promising in benchmarks; faster than almost every other mobile processor out now. I'm a fan of Qualcomm's mobile processors (and I agree, Tegra1-Tegra3 have been overhyped beyond belief), but I still think T4 can give a run for money--if it comes to market fast enough. Nvidia is playing it pretty slow this time...
    Reply
  • blazorthon
    10536962 said:
    so will this new nexus 7 use snapdragon 600 or 800? on another new i already heard rumors about nexus 5 will be using snapdragon 800.

    I've read that it'll be Snapdragon 600, but I make no guarantee that it will hold true. It might be 800.
    Reply
  • blazorthon
    10536970 said:
    darkchazzIf true, then good news!Let's face it, tegra 3 was nothing but overhyped weak SoC. even at the time it was released.Extra A9 cores that made zero difference in real world performance. Battery saving 5th core used as marketing material but barely saves any juice. Some custom kernel devs disable the fifth core.weak GPU and completely bottlenecked by slow single-channel memory.And, of course, the dick move of paying off devs for exclusive games and effects for this weak chip to support their "console quality gaming" bullshit marketing.After tegra 3, I don't believe anything nvidia has to say. They can keep tegra 4. not interested one bit.It probably has more to do with the fact that Tegra4 is not going to be available for quite some time still (IIRC, August was the earliest slated time for product launches using it--that's a long time...).

    Tegra4 has proven to be very promising in benchmarks; faster than almost every other mobile processor out now. I'm a fan of Qualcomm's mobile processors (and I agree, Tegra1-Tegra3 have been overhyped beyond belief), but I still think T4 can give a run for money--if it comes to market fast enough. Nvidia is playing it pretty slow this time...

    I agree with you. Tegra 4 looks much better than the previous Tegra SoCs from what I've read about it and its lateness is probably the deciding factor here.
    Reply