Google’s I/O developer conference brought with it various new devices we were expecting, and one that no one was – the Google Pixel Tablet so here’s what we know so far.
It’s true, an own-brand Google tablet is finally on the way, almost a decade after the firm launched the Nexus 7 with some help from Asus. It is one of the best tablets of all time but can the search giant replicate that success under the Pixel branding?
When is the Pixel Tablet release date?
Although Google confirmed its return to the tablet market, there’s a wait in store for fans as the device won’t even arrive this year.
At I/O, the firm simply said that it will share more details in 2023. On stage, Rick Osterloh said “We’re aiming to make it available next year,” which doesn’t rule out it arriving in 2024 but we hope it doesn’t come to that.
Assuming Google doesn’t run into problems, we’d expect it to get a proper release at Google I/O 2023 (likely May again) or the usual October event where Android 14 – and probably the Pixel 8 – should arrive.
How much will the Pixel Tablet cost?
With the Pixel Tablet still a long way away, it’s no surprise that Google hasn’t said how much it will cost.
During the I/O keynote, the device was referred to as “premium” which could refer to the cost or possibly the hardware.
From what we know so far, it certainly doesn’t seem like a rival to the
iPad Pro range or
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra so it would be wise for Google to target an affordable price. The Pixel Slate range was too expensive and the
Pixel 6 phones have been successful largely due to competitive pricing.
For the Pixel Tablet to succeed, it should be priced close to or undercut the
iPad 2021 which is £319/$329.
What are the Pixel Tablet specs?
A preview this early means we don’t have much in the way of information for specs and features. The only thing we know for sure is that the Pixel Tablet is powered by Google Tensor, the firm’s first ever system on a chip (SoC) which you can find inside the
Pixel 6a smartphone, for example. And, of course, Android.
However, by the time the tablet arrives, it’s likely to be a newer version of the Tensor chip.
From the brief preview that Google gave us, we can gather that it has front and rear cameras for starters. New information from version 8.5 of the Google Camera app for Pixel smartphones, as spotted by 9to5Google, gives us the first bits of information about the tablet’s cameras.
The app code mainly indicates what the Pixel Tablet won’t have starting with 4K video recording at 60fps and quite possibly no 4K at all. It looks like the device also won’t offer Audio Zoom, Slow Motion videos, and Action Pan photos.
The Pixel Tablet is “built to be the perfect companion for your Pixel phone, our tablet will blend into your day-to-day routine and help connect the moments you’re on the go with the moments you’re at home,” said Google.
The display looks to be around 10-11in – with sizable bezels – and there appears to be a quad-speaker sound system with two drivers on each end of the slate.
There’s also USB-C and four metal contacts below the ‘G’ logo on the rear are likely a POGO pin connection to use with things like keyboard cases meaning you don’t need to connect an accessory with Bluetooth.
Something which has emerged since I/O is that the Pixel Tablet could support USI (Universal Stylus Initiative). A Google tablet codenamed ‘Tangor’ has been USI certified, as spotted by
NuGiz.
Whether Tagnor is a different device is impossible to say but it seems unlikely. It’s also unclear whether this means Google will ship the Pixel Tablet with a stylus or not is also hard to say.
The USI certification means the device will work with any USI-certified stylus so perhaps not. Google has been part of USI since 2018 and it’s supported in Chrome OS but not Android as yet.
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