Google’s I/O developer conference back in May brought with it various new devices we were expecting, and one that no one was – the Google Pixel Tablet. Here’s what we know so far, including new details from the Pixel 7 launch event.

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. The Nexus 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?

2023

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.

Will there be a Pixel Tablet Pro?

Even though the Pixel Tablet is still a way away, there are already rumours of a Pro version. 9to5Google has delved into the Android 13 code now the latest version of the OS has dropped and discovered something named ‘tangorpro’.

The regular Pixel Tablet is codenamed ‘tangor’ so it stands to reason that the code is referring to the Pixel Tablet Pro. More evidence was found as Google shortened ‘tanfor’ to ‘t6’ and the Android 13 code also mentions ‘t6pro’.

The site says this may also arrive next year and that it will have a better rear camera than its vanilla stablemate. You’d expect the Pro model to come with some other differences, perhaps a larger and more technically capable display, for example, but it’s anyone’s guess at the moment.

How much will the Pixel Tablet cost?

With the Pixel Tablet still a 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?

Tensor G2 chipQuad speakersPOGO pin connector for speaker dockUSB-CDual 8Mp cameras

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.

Thanks to Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch launch event, we now have new details about the Pixel Tablet.

Google has now confirmed that the Pixel Tablet will be powered by the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones.

On paper, this isn’t a huge jump from the original Tensor from the Pixel 6 as it has the same Cortex-A55 cores on the small size (lower clock speed for efficiency) and only jumps from Cortex-A76 to A78 for the performance cores.

This means it stays on the Armv8 architecture whereas rivals like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chips use the newer Armv9. Still, Google doesn’t really set out to win on benchmark scores and instead aims to offer clever and useful features by way of AI and machine learning.

What exactly the Pixel Tablet will offer in this area remains to be seen but it should be similar to that of the Pixel 7 phones. Google simply said it would mean you get the same video calling, hands-free Assistant and photo editing.

The other new information about the Pixel Tablet is that it will have a ‘magnetic speaker dock’ (possibly an optional extra) which will not only keep the device charged but turns it into a smart display very much like the Nest Hub Max so you can do all kinds of things like easily control smart home devices around the home and use the display as a digital photo frame when it’s not in active use.

This reveals what the POGO pin connection on the back is for we’d already spotted and although we’ve seen efforts to do something similar like the Lenovo Smart Tab P10 and Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus, Google’s looks like the slickest implementation yet.

Google also talked about how Android with Material You is at the core and the firm has worked with developers to make sure apps make use of the larger display such a split-screen and stylus support.

We also got a look at a new colourway alongside the previously shown green model, which looks like a pale beige/peach sort of tone. Google said it is using premium materials and finishes with smooth rounded corners.

A ‘nano-ceramic’ coating is inspired by fine porcelain and sees ceramic particles infused into the coating which is applied onto the aluminium body, which like the Pixel 7 phones, is 100% recycles.

We didn’t get any detailed specs, but from the brief preview that Google gave us earlier in the year, 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.

We also potentially know, via Kuba Wojciechowski on Twitter, that the Pixel Tablet’s cameras will both be Sony IMX355 sensors. That’s the same 8Mp shooter found on the Pixel 6 at the front.

Wojciechowski also reported via 91Mobiles that the tablet will have a 10.95in display. That size means it could be very close to the same dimensions as Apple’s iPad Air, and the design Google showed off backs this up with round corners to the screen.

Wojciechowski said the tablet will have WiFi 6 support and come with either 128GB or 256GB storage. They also spotted the existence of a Google-made stylus.

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 has a bezel around the edge and there appears to be a quad-speaker sound system with two drivers on each end of the slate. There’s also USB-C port, of course.

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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