For all of the buzz around Google finally making another tablet, it’s the non-tablet features that excite me the most.
Source: Google
Google I/O 2023 kicks off tomorrow, and there are going to be a plethora of announcements, from new software features in Android 14, the Pixel 7a, and the highly anticipated Pixel Fold. Of course, there’s also the Pixel Tablet, which is the first tablet from Google since the Pixel Slate back in 2018. It’s also the first Android tablet Google has made since the Nexus 9 all the way back in 2014.
A lot has changed since Google was last in the tablet game. Its hardware division, which was once considered by many to be an afterthought for the company, has really taken off in the past couple of years, mainly due to the release of the Pixel 6 line of smartphones and the custom Tensor processors. So it feels like the Pixel Tablet will be a great addition to the Pixel family, but not for the reasons you may think.
I’m not much of a tablet person (I tend to lean towards thin Chromebooks for casual browsing or just use my phone), but that doesn’t mean I’m opposed to the idea of Google jumping back into this space. What has me most excited about the Pixel Tablet is not necessarily its function as a tablet, but how it can also be used as a smart home hub.
The Pixel Tablet will be the smartest tablet on the planet
Source: Google
The Pixel Tablet is rumored to have a 10.85-inch display with some POGO pin contacts on the back that are designed to dock it with a special dock accessory. In the pictures that Google has shown off since back at the Pixel 7 event in October 2022, the Pixel Tablet setup looks a lot like the Nest Hub Max smart display when it’s docked.
I’ve been using the Nest Hub Max since it was released back in 2019. It is a 10-inch display on a cloth-covered base with a speaker built in. While it looks quite nice, it always just looked like a tablet stuck to a base. Now, with the Pixel Tablet, that’s exactly what we’re getting.
But why does the idea of taking the display off the base so interesting to me? Well, I have been getting back into tablets after using the OnePlus Pad, one of the best Android tablets. More simply, the Pixel Tablet system is looking to be the most powerful smart display yet.
We’re expecting some solid specs for the Pixel Tablet. Not only will these internals make the device a smooth operator as a tablet but they’ll also aid in it handling queries and smart home tasks. The Nest Hub Max is the most premium offering in the smart speaker space from Google, but it was never a high-end device on paper in terms of specifications.
In true Google fashion, the smart display leaned on software wizardry to stand out. The Pixel Tablet will have to do a bit of that as well since it is likely to have two modes, one for tablet use and one when docked. But the beefy hardware will help in managing those modes hand-in-hand with the software — specifically, the Tensor G2 processor if it’s indeed inside the device.
The Tensor G2 processor handles a variety of tasks, much like many of the other high-end mobile chipsets like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But what separates Google’s processor from others is the focus on AI and machine learning. It’s because of this approach to both hardware and software that the Pixel Tablet could be the most capable and powerful smart home hub on the market.
The Pixel Tablet is a smart home hub that doubles as a tablet
With the first Tensor processor, Google proved that it was invested in hardware that is capable of being intuitive. The second-generation processor in the Pixel 7 series expanded on that. So, it only makes sense to put that same approach to work in the Pixel Tablet and its dock.
Will I leave the tablet on its base and never take it off? Of course not. Even though it’ll likely be a fantastic smart display, the same things that will help it achieve that status are also going to help make it a great Android tablet. One of the caveats to that statement is that it is still running Android, which is expected for the tablet but not as a smart display from Google since those now run on Fuchsia.
Though I am an Android fan, it hasn’t been great on large-form screens like tablets. Google did make some strides in that department with Android 12L, but after reviewing the OnePlus Pad, it was clear there is still work to be done. But, the optimistic part of me is holding out hope that since Google is finally releasing a tablet for itself, there will be improvements. However, I’ll care less about that when I’m enjoying it in the docked mode.