Google is set to launch a new Nexus tablet later this year.

Rumors of a second-generation Nexus 10 have been swirling for months, but the internet giant remains mum on the future of its 10-inch slate.

Latest rumors suggest that HTC will manufacture Google's next tablet, slated for release on Q3 this year. Whether the Taiwan-based company will be helming the production of the Nexus 10 2 tablet or an entire new line of tablets is unclear.

Google's Nexus 7 tablets remain popular, but it is rumored that Google will be moving on from its 7 inch models to a slightly bigger 8 inch slate – dubbed the Nexus 8.

The purported Nexus 8 tablet is set to arrive this summer packed with a powerful 64-bit processor. Google's move to ditch the 7 inch tablet to a larger 8 inch could be part of its efforts to rival the iPad Mini, which remains a popular choice among consumers.

Both the first and second generations of the Nexus 7 tablets were manufactured by ASUS, and the company is expected to manufacture the Nexus 8 tablets as well. However, LG has also rumored to produce the 8 inch slate.

The next-generation Nexus tablet may pack an all new 2.33 GHz Intel Moorefield processor rather than the usual Snapdragon or Qualcomm.

Google's annual I/O Developer Conference will take place in San Francisco from June 25 to 26. The upgraded Android 4.5 operating system is expected to launch at the time, but we will have to wait and see whether it will come preinstalled in any of the predicted Nexus 8 or 10 2 devices.