Google’s first tablet in five years is a fully-fledged Android tablet, smart home display and speaker all wrapped into a sleek package.
With a shaky reputation when it comes to its tablets (think Nexus and Slates), Google needed a win – and the Pixel Tablet might redeem it.
Shipped with a bundled speaker dock, the tech giant plays to its strengths by building on the success of the Google Nest Hub and Pixel smartphones.
A tablet is an accessory not a necessity and even for the most online of us, having a tablet on top of a smartphone, PC and laptop can be overkill in terms of screen time.
It’s why many of our tablets collect dust when the initial novelty wears off.
Google has tried to solve this issue by turning the Pixel Tablet into a smart home display and speaker when docked in addition to a tablet that you can unhook for ultimate convenience.
Connected to the speaker dock using four magnetic Pogo connectors, it’s a satisfying experience to be able to pick it up when needed and pop it back on the charging station where it easily snaps into place.
The aluminium body covered with a nano-ceramic coating makes for a good grip and comes in Hazel and Porcelain colours.
As with other Pixel products, the Tablet looks and feels great. It’s also built with the latest Android features and has the same Tensor G2 chip that’s in Pixel phones.
At 10.9-inches the display is the same size as a 2022 Apple iPad, which along with four built-in speakers, is great for a cheeky Netflix session when you’re making your WFH lunch.
With its 2,560×1,600 pixel resolution (276 ppi) and 500 nits of brightness, it makes for a great viewing experience.
Weighing 493g, the Tablet has a touchscreen display but also supports USI 2.0 stylus pens.
It’s not a tablet that you’ll be tempted to take outside for extended periods with its slightly underperforming battery life. However, the Pixel Tablet is a versatile device that travels easily from the living room, home office, kitchen and bedroom.
I’ve loved using it for video calls on Google Meets and even answering WhatsApp video calls from the kitchen when my phone was in another room.
On Google Meet it has a cool AI trick called continuous framing that keeps you centered in the frame as you move around. Great for multitasking and the automatic lighting adjustments make you look good while you’re at it. This is turned on by default when the Tablet is docked.
The Pixel Tablet has an 8-megapixel front and rear camera that comes with our favourite photo editing features from the phones like Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur.
It’s also great for multitasking on splitscreen mode, letting you use multiple apps at the same time.
You can’t talk about the Pixel Tablet without mentioning the Charging Speaker Dock that keeps your tablet charged and doubles as a great-sounding speaker for music with its crisp treble and rich bass.
Note that when you dock your tablet the battery protection limits the charge to 90% to optimise battery lifespan, but you can change that in the settings.
Plus, when the tablet is docked it goes into Hub Mode, making it a helpful virtual assistant you can use hands-free.
The Pixel Tablet is also the first tablet with Chromecast built-in, so you can cast videos or music from your phone to the tablet when it’s in Hub Mode.
Unlike Apple’s iPads it would be hard to use the Pixel Tablet as a laptop replacement, but it works infinitely better as a smart home device.
You can set up profiles for up to eight people in your household with their own apps and content, protected by their PIN or fingerprint – great if you’re living in a houseshare like me.
The fingerprint unlocking can be a bit tricky if you’ve set it up for one finger and dock it on the opposite side. Thankfully, you can set up to five fingerprints per user profile so it’s best to set up both index fingers for easy access.
If you have children at home, you can also set up a child account, which lets you manage settings like blocked apps and screen limits.
Who knew that a charging dock was just what a tablet needed so we’d use it more?
My lazy self is only sad that I don’t have multiple speaker docks throughout the house, so I can pop it on when I’m done and have a smart display in any room.
That’s still an option but it will cost you £139 for each additional dock. That’s way more than a standalone Nest Audio smart speaker considering the speaker dock becomes obsolete when the Pixel Tablet is removed. You can’t broadcast to the dock, play music or use it for Google Assistant, which is a shame.
Prices start at £599 for the Tablet and charging dock, which is not bad considering some of the best smart displays alone can cost you around £200. It’s a better deal for US users where it’s priced at $499.
Pixel Tablet(2023): the details
Name Pixel Tablet
Price The Pixel Tablet bundled with the Charging Speaker Dock starts at £599.
What’s good
- Charging dock that doubles up as a speaker
- Great for video calls
- Separate accounts for everyone in the house
What’s bad
- Charging dock becomes obsolete when the Pixel Tablet is removed
- Slow to charge – and doesn’t have the best battery life
Where can I buy one? The Pixel Tablet is available here.
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