Current Google Nexus 7 model. Image credit: Flickr

A new report says that AU Optronics (AUO) will provide 7-inch panels for the new Nexus 7, with the device expected to be launched in the third quarter of the year.

The news comes from Taiwan via DigiTimes, and while we do expect a new Nexus 7 model to be unveiled at some point in the near future, we would advise you to take it with a grain of salt considering the publication’s not-always-accurate track record when it comes to rumors based on local supply chain sources.

While AUO would not comment on customers and orders, the publication says that “the new tablet will pack 7-inch low-temperature poly silicon (LTPS) panels, produced mainly by AU Optronics.”

Talking about new Nexus 7 mass-production, DigiTimes notes that approximately one million units would be made in May, with up to eight million units to be made this year. The device will reportedly start shipping towards the end of the second quarter, and launch thereafter.

A release date for the second-generation tablet is not available at this time, but we’ll remind you that recent reports suggested that the handset would launch in July with Android 4.3 on board, with at least another rumor from Taiwan confirming that launch window.

Just like its predecessor, the new Nexus 7 is said to be made by Asus. Including the new Nexus tablet, the company is expected to ship 12 million units this year, almost twice the number of tablets shipped in 2012.

Without getting too technical about LTPS panels, we’ll tell you that the technology would allow device manufacturers to make higher-resolution displays that are also thinner (and therefore weigh less) and more durable.

A previous rumor did say that the new Nexus 7 would feature an LTPS panel with 1920 x 1200 resolution, but mention only JDI as a supplier. The current Nexus 7 generation features a 7-inch 1280 x 800 HD IPS display.