ASUS has been named as the vendor building Google’s long-anticipated own-branded tablet, which could be unveiled at the end of the month.

According to the Android Authority blog, which cites an anonymous ASUS source, the Android-powered device will be called Nexus 7. It will reportedly feature a 7-inch screen and be powered by Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 chip.

There has been much speculation that Google is planning a return to branded hardware with its own tablet in a direct challenge to the dominance of Apple’s iPad. It is now speculated that the ASUS-manufactured Nexus 7 could makes its debut at the Google I/O developer event in San Francisco on 27 June.

The ASUS executive also hinted at pricing, suggesting that the device will retail in the US$150-US$250 range, significantly below the iPad price points.