I’m an unapologetic Android fanboy and have purchased many Android tablets, mostly from Google. The Nexus 7 (both generations), the Nexus 9, and even the ill-fated Pixel C and Pixel Slate. But I resisted the urge to buy the generically named Pixel tablet, and you would too if the last two high-end Google tablets you bought turned out to be one-off duds. Fortunately, it seems Google has a little more confidence in its latest iteration.
Android Authority cites a leak about an upcoming Google-designed Tensor G6 chip that will enable dual USB-C ports, one of which is designed specifically for external displays on tablets. They’re calling it “Pixel Tablet 3,” but I don’t have much confidence that that’s close to the official moniker for any device using this chip, if only because we haven’t seen any indication of ‘a Pixel. Tablet 2. But this indicates that Google is working on new proprietary tablet hardware and working to make it interesting and distinct in a sea of iPad clones.
Despite my hesitation to buy it, I have to admit that the Pixel Tablet is pretty good. It avoids the mistakes of the Pixel C (not enough software support) and the Pixel Slate (way too expensive for ChromeOS), and carves out a specific niche and selling point with its cool docking station accessory. Leveraging Google’s strong market position as a smart home vendor to generate more interest in a new tablet was a smart move, and expanding it to include more support for external displays would be one. other.
Google Pixel Tablet with Charging Speaker Dock Lifestyle Photography
I could see the next Pixel tablet marketed as a device that sits next to your TV as an entertainment center in addition to a smart home controller. Why not? It is much more powerful and efficient than any Roku or Apple TV. You could even take another shot at bringing Android gaming to the TV… although if Nvidia failed to do that and had to rebrand the Shield as a high-end media machine, I could understand why Google might hesitate. Still, serving as a tablet and Android TV/Google TV provider would be yet another way to create a value play for consumers.
We’ve heard rumors that Google will expand its foldable phones and tablets with an alternative interface for more laptop/desktop-like usage, something very close to Samsung’s DeX and various other tools. It’s not a rumor, the code was spotted in non-public builds, although this alternative UI did not appear in the final version of Android 15. Still, it’s worth keeping this in mind. mind as we hear about chip designs that might not arrive for two or three years. Android Authority estimates that the Tensor G6 is on track for 2027 – this year’s Pixel 9 uses a Tensor G4.
These two pieces of information indicate to me that Google is not going to abandon its first-party tablets like a hot potato, as it has done in the past. Which makes me excited to see some interesting new tablet hardware for the first time in a while. I miss the days when Android tablets were all about experimentation, like the Asus Transformer line, or Lenovo’s often ridiculous setups with integrated handles and pico projectors.
lenovo.com
Sure, these were often design dead ends, but they were definitely worth exploring. Lenovo’s dedicated Dock-Slash speaker for the Smart Tab was a very obvious source of inspiration for Google and the Pixel tablet.
There’s some cool stuff on tablets coming from Google, and I haven’t been able to say it in a while. It’s nice. Maybe next time I’ll buy one.
