Microsoft reportedly plans to launch an 8-inch Surface Mini tablet, which stomped plans for an 8-inch Nokia Lumia 2020.

Nokia committed to Windows Phone and made Microsoft's platform one of the three big players on the mobile OS market. Due to the success of the Nokia Lumia smartphones, Microsoft's Windows Phone OS is now enjoying the third spot, behind iOS and Android.

In an effort to expand its reach, Nokia entered the tablet market with its Lumia 2520 slate running Microsoft's Windows RT. The Nokia Lumia 2520 is very similar to Microsoft's own Surface 2 in terms of specs, software, accessories, and pricing, but many found Nokia's tablet to be superior.

Recent rumors have indicated that Nokia was working on an 8.3-inch Lumia 2020 tablet to cover the smaller-size tablet market, but a new report now claims that the Finnish company has nixed these plans to make room for Microsoft's upcoming 8-inch Surface tablet.

The 8.3-inch Nokia tablet was purportedly using the codename "Illusionist," as trusted tipster @evleaks revealed back in early November. The tablet was expected to launch in the first quarter of next year, sporting some popular specs found in the Lumia 2520, including a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, high-end camera, and full HD 1920 x 1080p display.

With Nokia's device division now owned by Microsoft, a new report from My Nokia Blog now claims that the Lumia 2020 will not make it to the market after all. According to the publication, a reliable source said that Microsoft and Nokia executives have ultimately decided to cancel plans for the 8-inch Lumia tablet.

While nothing is official, the general assumption is that the purported Lumia 2020 was canceled to avoid competition with Microsoft's own 8-inch Surface tablet, which is expected to launch in early 2014. Microsoft is still trying to assert its position on the tablet market and with Nokia's device unit now under its wing, it can decide which devices take priority and which are canceled.

As always with rumors, leaks, and speculation, however, it is advisable to take things with a grain of salt until official confirmation. Neither Nokia nor Microsoft have announced plans to launch an 8-inch tablet so far, but we'll keep you up to speed as soon as we learn more.