Rumors have been building for a while now that Google will be introducing a new Nexus 7 this year. It will reportedly launch in May and feature a full HD display. Beyond that, we don’t know much else about the rumored hardware, but a recent report provides a few more details.

Pacific Crest analyst Michael McConnell recently said that the next-generation Nexus 7 will be ditching Nvidia’s Tegra chip in favor of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro. The change in processor appears to be motivated by Qualcomm offering Google a better deal, as well as the S4 Pro featuring better integration with 3G/4G modem technologies.

So, what does this mean for Nvidia? We’ve already heard rumors that OEMs were not committed to Tegra 4, and that Nvidia’s new mobile chip might be facing a hard time with adoption. At the time, I said the next-generation Nexus 7 may help the Tegra 4 get a leg up on the competition, but that may not be the case anymore. As for its financial impact, McConnell says that Nvidia stands to lose about $200 to $250 million if its booted out of the Nexus line.

Still, all of this is rumor for now, and we won’t know anything for sure until the next-generation Nexus 7 is officially announced. When will that announcement be? McConnell backs up previous rumors by saying it will be announced at Google I/O in May, and start shipping shortly after.

[h/t: ZDNet]