The wait for Google’s latest tablet is over and the Pixel Tablet, complete with its docking station turning it into a smart display, is here.
Announced at Google I/O alongside the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold, the tablet is Google’s first own-brand offering in many years (since 2015’s one-off Pixel C) and it is highly anticipated, to say the least.
A tablet that converts into a smart display has been seen before by the likes of Lenovo but Google might have created the best hybrid of the two the market has seen to date.
When is the Pixel Tablet release date?
Now we have the final details for the Pixel Tablet via the Google I/O developer conference, we can tell you that the slate will go on sale on 20 June.
Those eager enough can pre-order it now in countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.
How much does the Pixel Tablet cost?
Prices for the Pixel Tablet start at $499/£599 and this includes the Charging Speaker Dock. You can buy additional docks if you like at $129/£139 each but it’s not currently possible to buy the tablet on its own.
That’s more expensive than the $449/£499 10th-gen iPad, Apple’s current ‘standard’ model.
Accessories will include the official Pixel Tablet Case which is compatible with the docking station and has a polished metal ring stand (see below). It costs $79/£89.
The base price of $499/£599 will get you a 128GB model but there’s also a 256GB option if you need more storage, though it costs an extra $100/£100.
What are the Pixel Tablet specs and features?
We’ve known a few things about the Pixel Tablet for a while since Google teased it at I/O last year, but now everything is out in the open so we can fill you in on all the detailed specs and how the device works with its bundled docking station.
Although you can’t purchase it solo, let’s start with the tablet itself which has an 11in screen, although it’s technically 10.95in due to its rounded corners. It’s an LCD panel (so no OLED of any kind) with a 2560×1600 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and an anti-smudge coating.
The Pixel Tablet has a typical 500 nit brightness and like the Next Hubs, has an ambient light sensor so it can be automatically adjusted, along with colour, with Ambient EQ.
That’s plenty of real estate for viewing content and you should be able to hear it loud and clear thanks to four speakers – two on either side when in landscape orientation.
Under the hood is Google’s own Tensor G2 processor with Titan M2 security chip seen in the Pixel 7 phones. There’s 8GB of RAM and a choice between 128- or 256GB of storage. There’s no microSD card slot for adding your own.
Said hood comes in two colours – in the UK at least – with a choice of Porcelain or Hazel. The provided spec sheet also mentions Rose so I imagine this will be available in selected markets. Note that the front bezel is white for the Porcelain colourway and black for Hazel.
The main body has a nano-ceramic coating and is made with over 30% recycled materials (based on weight) and the aluminum in the enclosure is 100% recycled. It’s 8.1mm thick and weighs 493g.
A fingerprint sensor resides in the power button and, as per the original teasers, four metal contacts on the back form a Pogo pin connector for use with the docking station. The Pixel Tablet also has three far-field mics which is unusual for a tablet, but are needed to turn it into a smart display when docked.
Oddly, despite having an 8Mp front-facing camera (and the same at the rear), the Pixel Tablet doesn’t appear to have the Face Match feature found on Google’s Nest Hub Max – its larger smart display.
This can recognise different users so you get personalised experience (eg your calendar events) and also gestures such as holding up your palm to pause music. The tablet also seems to lack a physical switch to mute the mics and turn the cameras off.
Back to the cameras briefly and Google says they are optmised for video and Meet with continuous framing, focus, auto lighting adjustments and 360-degree virtual backgrounds.
Rounding off the core specs are a 12-hour battery life (for video streaming), USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. As rumoured, it has an Ultra-Wideband chip but Google only comments on this as being for “accurate ranging”.
It’s also worth noting that the device comes with Android 13 and a promise of at least five years of OS updates so Android 14 is guaranteed, plus a few more beyond. The Pixel Tablet is the first Android tablet to come with Google Cast meaning you can cast content to it from your phone, or indeed another tablet.
The caveat here is that it does have to be in Hub Mode, though there’s little need for casting when it’s not docked anyway. Note that the Pixel Tablet runs full Android, unlike the Nest Hubs which have a custom Fuchia OS so there will be differences in the way they work.
This leads us to the aptly, does what it says on the tin, Charging Speaker Dock. It’s a docking station that charges the Pixel Tablet and also has a speaker built-in. When attached (via magnets), essentially turns the tablet into a Nest Hub smart display.
Since you can buy additional docks, the tablet can move around the house with you for different situations – eg a bedside clock, a recipe book in the kitchen, a jukebox in the living room and a calendar in the office.
Google says “when the tablet is in Hub Mode it turns into a helpful home device you can use even hands-free. Use it as a smart home controller, music and entertainment player, voice-activated helper or digital photo frame.”
The Charging Speaker Dock can charge the tablet at up to 15W and has a 43.5mm full-range driver which means “four times the bass of the Pixel Tablet alone” and seamless transition of audio when you dock the tablet.
Pixel Tablet key specs
- Android 13
- 5 years of Pixel updates
- 10.95in LCD screen, 2560×1600, 16:10
- Tensor G2 chip
- 8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage
- Quad speakers
- 3 mics far-field
- Fingerprint Unlock with power button
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Ultra-Wideband chip for accurate ranging
- Google Cast
- Pogo pin connector for speaker dock
- USB-C
- Dual 8Mp cameras
- 12 hours video streaming
- 8.1mm
- 493g
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Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor
Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.