HTC is returning to the tablet market with the Google Nexus 9

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.

After disappointing sales of the Flyer tablet in 2011, HTC’s executives said they’d swear off making tablets until they found a compelling reason to try again. They have one now. Google selected HTC over more experienced tablet makers like Samsung to make its upcoming 9-inch Nexus tablet, people familiar with the matter said. HTC engineers have been flying to the Googleplex in Mountain View in recent months to work on the project, they said. Google and HTC declined to comment on whether they are collaborating on a Nexus tablet. The choice may seem unusual, as HTC lacks a strong tablet track-record and focuses almost exclusively on smartphones. But Google’s decision to pick HTC reflects the software giant’s long-standing philosophy of building a broad base of partners. Google likes to change its partners from device to device to avoid any one manufacturer gaining a monopoly, said a person familiar with the matter. That’s why Google had been mulling HTC as a Nexus tablet partner since last year, the person said.