The Nexus 9, codenamed HTC Volantis, will be launched this Wednesday and will be the first device running on Android L, Google's latest version of the Android operating system, said an anonymous source close to Google in an interview with Forbes.

The source explained that while Google initially intended to hold an official event to launch the new tablet, the company decided against a "big reveal" since it was still fine tweaking Android L. Instead, the new tablet and a new handset manufactured by Motorola will be launched Wednesday through a blog post.

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Pre-orders for Volantis will be available on Oct. 17, and will be available to consumers on Nov. 3. Last-minute changes in the dates may still be made, however.

The 16 gigabyte version will reportedly retail for US$399 and the 32 GB LTE model will cost US$499. Both versions of the tablet have expandable memory slots.

On the other hand, no additional details about the Android L have been revealed.

Most of the rumors about the device are true, according to the source. The tablet will have an 8-inch in-plane switching liquid crystal display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 2048 and a pixel density of 281 pixels per square inch.

It will sport a 64-bit dual-core processor, an Nvidia Kepler GPU, a front-facing 3 megapixel camera and an 8MP rear facing camera.

Google and HTC have also chosen a "brushed aluminum" frame instead of an all metal design to keep the cost of the device down.

Some features found in HTC devices have migrated over to the tablet from Google, including HTC's dual front-facing speakers.

And additional "origami" magnet stand will also be released on the same day.

TagsNexus 9, Android L, HTC, HTC Volantis, Nexus, Tablet