HTC hasn't made a tablet since 2011 or a Nexus device since 2010, but pretty soon both lacunas will be brought to an end by the launch of a new device: the Nexus 9. Rumored over the summer and confirmed by The Wall Street Journal's sources today, the Nexus 9 tablet will mark a revival of the Google-HTC partnership that produced the original Nexus One device. The Journal says that HTC engineers have been flying back and forth between Mountain View and their Taiwanese base as the two companies collaborate on the development of the new 9-inch device.

Earlier this month, a patent lawsuit filed by Nvidia against Qualcomm and Samsung mentioned that "the HTC Nexus 9, expected in the third quarter of 2014, is also expected to use the Tegra K1." Once that note was spotted, however, the document was swiftly revised to expunge the Nexus 9's name, with the current complaint on Nvidia's website carrying a later stamp of September 11th. Even without the WSJ's corroboration today, therefore, there's sufficient evidence of the Nexus 9's existence and upcoming release. Knowing that it'll be powered by the K1 processor also suggests that it'll be closer in nature to the high-end Nexus 10 built by Samsung than the more budget-conscious Nexus 7 line from Asus.

Just in time for Android L, here comes a high-end tablet to make the most of it

The imminent release of the Nexus 9 has also been confirmed by sources speaking to The Verge. No further specs or details are known for sure just yet, but it's reasonable to expect Google will unveil its new tablet alongside the full public release of the big Android L update. Announced at Google I/O in June and scheduled to be available in the fall, Android L marks a major visual redesign for Google's mobile OS, and the Nexus 9 — designed by HTC and underpinned by a very capable processor — sounds like a fitting device to show off the new software in all its glory.