Google is hyping up its October 4th event for the new Pixel phone unveiling, but there may be a crazy #onemorething happening too. As we reported earlier today, Google is working on a new Android-based OS codenamed Andromeda that integrates some features from Chrome OS, making it more suitable for use on a laptop-like device. This might be previewed at the event. Now, 9to5Google reports that Google's first Andromeda device will be that long-rumored 7-inch Huawei-built "Nexus" tablet.

There are a few interesting, and somewhat confusing things about this rumor. For one, they're calling this a Nexus tablet, but we're under the impression that Google is moving away from Nexus branding. 9to5 hedges its bets here—the branding might change. Previous leaks from Evan Blass pointed to this tablet launching by the end of 2016, but that would be far too soon for a full Andromeda release, as far as we're aware.

It's possible that all parties could be right about this tablet, at least in some limited fashion. The 7-inch Huawei tablet could come out later this year, but run Android at first. Andromeda could be available as a developer preview, and as a developer-focused device, it could retain the Nexus branding. In this version of the future, only Google's consumer-focused devices would become Pixels. Running Andromeda on a 7-inch device doesn't necessarily seem ideal from what we know of the platform, but perhaps the tablet will offer video out, making it an ideal way for developers to test Andromeda on larger displays. This is all just speculation, but we might know more come October 4th.

Source: 9to5Google