Nvidia’s upcoming Shield tablet has appeared in a global certification database. The Global Certification Forum (GCF) website is listing the tablet, as the ‘SHIELD Tablet’, manufactured by Nvidia Corp. 

The device was certified on June 27 2014. However, the listing does not reveal a lot of new info, other than the fact that the Shield, or at least some versions of the tablet, will feature 3G and 4G connectivity.

When is the Shield tablet due?

We originally broke the news back in May, reporting that Nvidia is working on a Shield branded tablet, powered by the new Tegra K1. The tablet was leaked on Nvidia’s Tegrazone in June, confirming our initial report. 

The latest listing indicates the tablet is ready for certification, which means it could launch soon, but we can only speculate at this point.

The elephant in the room is HTC’s new Volantis tablet, which is powered by the 64-bit (Denver) version of the Tegra K1. This particular device is rumoured to be Google’s next Nexus tablet and the first Android device to ship with a 64-bit processor and a 64-bit operating system.

So, does Nvidia’s new Shield tablet share the same DNA? Or is it a more frugal design, like the Xiaomi Mi Pad? 

Shield leaks raise more questions than answers

Nvidia’s first tablet, the Tegra Note 7, was not a huge market success, but it was not a bad device. It offered great performance given its price and it shipped with a decent stylus.

The company’s decision to use Shield branding for its upcoming tablet is a bit puzzling. It is possible that Nvidia is using the Shield brand to denote Gamestream compatibility, which would be an interesting differentiator, as it would make the tablet a bit more appealing to millions of PC gamers hooked on Nvidia cards.

But what about the Note? Does this mean Nvidia is killing the Note series, or does it plan to use it for value tablets, something closer to the Xiaomi Mi Pad than the premium HTC Volantis? It seems likely but we still don’t know for sure and it will be interesting to see what Nvidia does, as it has already made that it is shifting its Tegra strategy and moving away from the handset market, after failing to score high-profile design wins over the past couple of years.