An entire year has passed since the launch of the original Nexus 7. We expected a successor to be announced before this year's Google I/O, and potential specifications have been floating around for longer than that. Imagine our disappointment then, when Google I/O's opening day keynote eschewed new hardware (and the Android version bump that customarily comes with new hardware) in favor of a series of impressive but smaller updates to many of Android's services and APIs. Hope springs eternal, though. Today, Android Central has gotten its hands on the clearest pictures yet of (what is probably) the newest Nexus.

The photographs show off an all-black slate emblazoned with both Asus and Nexus branding—the texture on the back and the silver trim around the bezel appear to have been jettisoned, though the power button, volume buttons, and micro USB port are all in the same place as they are in the current Nexus 7. A new 5MP rear-facing camera joins the 1.2MP front-facing camera—it's hard to tell, but it doesn't look like an LED flash is included. "Upper" and "lower" speakers are apparently present, meaning we should get an upgrade over the single tinny speaker grille present on the current Nexus 7.

As for the other specifications, it looks like the most recent leaks are still more-or-less correct. In all likelihood, we're looking at a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro similar to the one in the Nexus 4, 2GB of RAM and a 7-inch 1920×1200 display. Like all Nexus devices since the Nexus One, the new Nexus 7 appears to lack an SD card slot (no surprise there).

To add to the apparent legitimacy of these photos, Engadget has posted some internal OfficeMax memos that all mention a new Nexus 7 arriving in-store on July 20. If the documents are real, those stores will be carrying a $269.99 32GB SKU. Another supposed retail listing posted by Android Central points to a $229.99 price for the 16GB entry-level model, a $30 premium over the current 16GB Nexus 7. None of the listings mention a tablet with built-in cellular capabilities, but apparently the older Nexus 7 will continue to be sold at OfficeMax alongside the new one for a brief period of time. It's not clear whether this reflects Google's strategy or OfficeMax's plans to sell through its stock of the current Nexus 7.

The new leaks all coincide with some invitations Google sent earlier today, advertising a breakfast meeting with Android and Chrome head Sundar Pichai on July 24 at 9:00am PT. If I had to guess, I'd say that we'll find out more about this new tablet then, possibly alongside new information about the oft-rumored Android 4.3 (which is said to be running on the photographed tablet). We'll be covering the event and any announcements it brings next week, so stay tuned!