The Google Pixel Tablet marks a lot offirstsfor Google . It ’s the first tablet Google has launched in intimately five years . It ’s the first Android pad from the company in almost eight eld . And it ’s the very first Google tablet that tries to smutch the lines between an Android tablet and a smart base display .
That ’s a tall order with a lot of expectations , and I admire Google ’s willingness to try its hand at tablet once more — specially after lukewarm reactions to thePixel SlateandPixel Cthat make out before it . However , after using and live with the Pixel Tablet for a couple of weeks , I ’m start to thinkGoogle should have listened to its prior selfand stayed out of the lozenge business sector for good .
About our Google Pixel Tablet review
Google Pixel Tablet: six months later
I stop using the Google Pixel Tablet briefly after I publish this review , but in early November , I decide to moil it out of my press and give the tablet another shot . Surely , things have catch better since I last used it in June , right?After another month and a half with the Pixel Tabletas I publish this in late December , that has n’t been the case .
Unfortunately , all of my original complaints about the Google Pixel Tablet still oblige true in December 2023 . I ’m still running into crashing apps , random UI freeze , and the Tensor G2 chip still heats up quicker than I ’d like it to . Twitter ( X ) now takes up the entire show alternatively of displaying in a modest window with large black BAR , but other apps like Duolingo and Facebook continue to look quite regretful .
Something else that has n’t gotten any upright is the Google Assistant . All these month afterward , the Assistant is still consistently undependable . Whether I ’m asking it to control smart brightness level , check the weather , or give me an update on an ongoing Lions game , I ca n’t always trust it to respond the mode I expect it to . It have in mind the Pixel Tablet is n’t a good smart speaker / showing , and when that ’s supposed to be one of its principal marketing points , that ’s not a unspoiled thing .
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I ’m very queer about what Google does next with the Pixel Tablet , but it ’s still not a product I ’m eager to advocate any time soon .
Google Pixel Tablet: 10 months later
decent from the start , I did n’t have as many problems with the Pixel Tablet as Joe did , but I did portion out many of his misgivings and criticisms . I ’ve used it consistently since it was released , asI liked it enoughthat I was unforced to give it a shot at doing more in my life . But now , in April 2024 , I ’m at the stop where I give up . The Pixel Tablet is secure at a handful of thing , and it ’s best left to them rather than pushing it to be something more .
That ’s not estimable for a pill at this price , especially when the thing it is adept at — mostly video and audio at home — are not only canonical but also capably manage by other , cheaper products . Leaving the Pixel Tablet on its fantabulous tabletop stand so it can show photos and act video is about the extent of what I require to do with it , as the deficiency of an official keyboard , reasonably priced case , and an app store with mess of tablet - optimized appsstop it being a employment machine , and it ’s even beaten by theAmazon Fire Max 11here .
I can ignore the 60Hz refresh rate as I mostly look at the screen from a space and seldom read anything on it , but Google Assistant can frustrate when it does n’t hear me ( but Amazon Echo devices with Alexa hear me fine ) , and have got to undock the tablet to use the keyboard in these spot comfortably adds to the annoyance . I like the Pixel Tablet when I simply leave it alone and let it face sleek and minimalist in my kitchen , where it can jubilantly play video and music or show off my photograph . It ’s great at that , but it really should do more — particularly regard how much it costs .
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Google Pixel Tablet: design
I have n’t been a fan of the Pixel Tablet ’s sober appearance since Google first announce it in 2022 . However , I ’ve come around to actually care many of the pattern decisions that Google made .
The Pixel Tablet has an aluminium physical body , but you would n’t know that when you pick it up , as the tablet is covered in a “ nano - ceramic coating . ” It gives the Pixel Tablet a soft , welcoming grain that feel great to hold — all while still providing the rigidity and durability of the aluminum enclosing hiding beneath it .
I ’ve also been happy with the fingerprint sensor , which is implant into the force button on the top chassis of the Pixel Tablet . It was gentle to set up , is very fast , and has work reliably for me during my entire review point .
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I also think the colors for the Pixel Tablet , while decidedly suave , are perfectly fine . My model is the Hazel colouring , and it ’s the only one with a mordant bezel around the exhibit . The Porcelain and Rose colors both fall with a blanched bezel . I care that Google gives you a choice here , and for a gadget that ’s going to spend much of its fourth dimension prop up up on your kitchen return or stop table , I think the muffled colors work quite well .
Google Pixel Tablet: charging speaker dock
We ’ll dive into the Pixel Tablet more in a minute , but it ’s only half of the equation here . Every Pixel Tablet also comes with its own tear docking facility in the box seat . The mind is that whenever you are n’t actively using the Pixel Tablet as , well , a tablet , you place it on the charging dock . This does a few thing : Your Pixel Tablet charges whenever it ’s on the dock , it utilize the dock ’s much unspoiled speaker , and it gets a particular smart rest home - centre interface .
My preferent thing about the lodge dock is how it sounds . There ’s only a exclusive 43.5 mm full - scope speaker inside , but it sounds great to my auricle . It puzzle very loud , audio has a good amount of depth to it , and it ’s solve well for everything from YouTube TV to Apple Music . Especially considering that it ’s something that ’s wad with the Pixel Tablet at no additional cost , there ’s not much to kvetch about .
However , that praise only apply to the audio quality . Elsewhere , the charging dock disappoints .
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The Pixel Tablet locks onto the charging bob using magnet , and in my examination , those magnets areextremelyweak . Multiple time when I ’ve pressed the volume cradle or power button on the Pixel Tablet while dock , the pad completely fall off and onto my kitchen counter . I ’ve lost track of how many times the Pixel Tablet has plopped off its charging dock just because I wanted to adapt the mass .
The Pixel Tablet ’s load dock disappoints .
The other issue is that the charging dock is render useless whenever the Pixel Tablet is n’t tie to it . The dock on its own does n’t support vocalism commands , ca n’t be used as a Chromecast target area to send audio to , and does n’t even work as a Bluetooth speaker . There ’s a nice - sounding speaker organization in the charging bobtail that I ’d love to use more often , but if the Pixel Tablet is n’t attached to it , there ’s nothing I can do with it . alternatively , it ’s just a hunk of plastic and fabric taking up space in my kitchen .
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Google Pixel Tablet: screen and audio
go back to the Pixel Tablet itself , the filmdom and audio experience are evenly enigmatical .
The Pixel Tablet has an 11 - inch liquid crystal display presentation with a 2560 x 1600 settlement and 500 nits of luminousness . For the most part , the display looks very good . Colors await very nice , everything is plenty sharp , and I ’ve had no issue with how vivid the blind gets . It ’s likely not the best choice for outdoor enjoyment , but when using the Pixel Tablet indoors and in brightly - light suite , I ’ve never had fuss hear what ’s on the screen .
What does n’t await good , though , is the Pixel Tablet ’s 60Hz refresh pace . scroll through card , apps , etc . , looks slow and jerky on the Pixel Tablet — as do any scheme animations . I can get used to a 60Hz presentation on a phone like thePixel 6a , but when you have a large 11 - in canvas like this , a deadening refresh ratereallysticks out . specially when Lenovo can put a 120Hz display on the $ 335Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 , getting cleave with a 60Hz panel on the $ 499 Pixel Tablet does n’t palpate enceinte .
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I ’m also left cancel my head with the Pixel Tablet ’s speakers . The are four utterer on the pad of paper — two on the left systema skeletale and two on the right — and they vocalize ripe ! But only when you are n’t holding the Pixel Tablet .
Two of the four speakers alignperfectlywhere my hand remain when I maintain the Pixel Tablet , and in doing so , any audio coming out of those speakers sound frightfully muffled . It ’s impossible for me to well hold the Pixel Tablet without somehow distort the speakers , and that ’s made playing games or watching YouTube picture a thwarting experience .
Google Pixel Tablet: cameras
I wo n’t spend too much sentence on the photographic camera , as there ’s nothing here that really demand too much of your attention . The Pixel Tablet habituate an 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture for both the front and rear - facing cameras . Both cameras are also fixed - focus unity , meaning there ’s no autofocus capability for either one .
You ’ll in all probability use the front - facing camera the most , and it ’s perfectly adequate . It ’s certainly not the ripe I ’ve ever view , but it ’s also not the worst . If you need to take a quick selfie or hop on a Google Meet call , it ’s more than able .
The rearward tv camera is equallyfine . If you need to run down a document or take a photo and do n’t have anything else at your disposal , it ’ll get the job done . But with no autofocus , poor lowlight performance , and noisy detail , it ’s not a camera you ’ll want to rely on for anything serious .
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Google Pixel Tablet: performance and battery
Powering the Google Pixel Tablet is Google ’s own Tensor G2 chipset — the same one inside thePixel 7,Pixel 7 Pro , andPixel 7a . And just like in those other gadgets , the Tensor G2 in the Pixel Tablet is a sundry bag .
The best affair about Tensor G2 is how perfomant it is . While not as capable as flagship chips from Qualcomm , Tensor G2 is enough fast for everything I desire to do . see live video on YouTube TV or stream a 4 K movie on Max ( the creative person formerly known as HBO Max ) , and the Pixel Tablet treat it with repose . It can also run two apps side by side without a problem ( thanks to the 8 GB of RAM ) , and apps open instantly without prolong loading times . I ’ve also been very pleased with the gaming experience . PlayingCall of Duty : Mobilewith Very High graphics and Max underframe rate preferences , the Pixel Tablet systematically hits a smooth 60 frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) and runs the plot without a problem .
But just like on other Tensor G2 - powered devices , the Pixel Tablet leave much to be trust when it comes to battery life .
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pour a 4 cat valium television at max display brightness uses over 15 % of the battery in just one time of day . And gaming is even worse . The Pixel Tablet fall behind 11 % of its usable battery life after just 30 minutes of playingCall of Duty : Mobile , set it on track to expend over 20 % after a single hour of gambling .
Google claims the Pixel Tablet ’s barrage fire can last for “ up to 12 60 minutes of video streaming , ” but ground on my examination , it would take less than seven hr to take the Pixel Tablet from 100 % to zero while doing nothing but streaming a 4 K video . And if you ’re playing a graphically acute game , you could theoretically defeat the Pixel Tablet in under five 60 minutes .
The riposte - argument is that you probably are n’t well out video for seven hours unbent or game for five hours at a fourth dimension . If you ’re using the Pixel Tablet in shorter spirt and can just have it on the charge dock whenever you ’re done , the theme is that it should always have a full ( or mostly full ) battery when you require to use it as a handheld .
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You could theoretically kill the Pixel Tablet in less than five hours .
That ’s a comely point , but I do n’t recollect it completely relieve what ’s objectively miserable barrage life on the Pixel Tablet . If you ’re ingest the Pixel Tablet on a stumble or somewhere out of the theatre , its battery could easy become a problem — be it on a road trip , a long flight , etc .
The charging setup for the Pixel Tablet is also an odd one . When direct on the wharfage , the Pixel Tablet does n’t bear down beyond 90 % . you may coerce it to blame up to 100 % , but you need to manually thrust it to do soevery single timeyou target it on the dock . And there ’s no helpful papa - up telling you this is potential . After putting it on the dock , you have to open up theSettingsapp , pat onBattery , and then tapCharge to full .
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Again , this should n’t be an emergence if you keep your Pixel Tablet at home . But if you are planning to take it anywhere else or use it off the dock for a prolonged time period of time , you ’re probably only using 9/10ths of the available electric battery . And for a tablet that ’s already not very power efficient , that only deepen an already frustrating bombardment experience .
Google Pixel Tablet: software
OK — allow ’s talk software . The Google Pixel Tablet ship with Android 13 ( and is now running Android 14 ) and is assure three years of OS upgrades and at least five twelvemonth of security update . This is the same Pixel software program you ’ve come to expect from Pixel smartphones , though it ’s been optimise for the Pixel Tablet ’s larger display .
This is figure throughout the operating system . The notification panel shows your Quick configurations on the remaining and notifications on the right . Many Google apps are also optimized for the bigger display , rearranging buttons and using multicolumn layouts . These optimizations are great ! Apps like Google Calendar , Google Photos , Google Maps , and Google Home do a great task of using the full display and feeling like they were really made for a lozenge . Even some third - party apps , like 1Password and Microsoft Teams , look great on the Pixel Tablet .
I also love Google ’s approaching to multitasking . Whenever you ’re in an app , a small swipe up from the bottom of the screen display a taskbar showing the apps from your dwelling screen wharfage and an app drawer shortcut . This makes it dead simple to run apps in rent - CRT screen mode .
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Using Google Chrome and want to scroll through Twitter at the same time ? Bring up the taskbar , wardrobe and hold the Twitter app , and move it to the leftover or right of your screen . Just like that , you ’re running Chrome and Twitter simultaneously . Apps mechanically apportion the screen 50/50 , or you could use the bar in the middle to make it a 75/25 split . I wish there was more freedom in how much you could resize apps in rip - screen fashion , but the current implementation is smooth and easy to use . Plus , if you go home after running apps in split - screen , that split - blind frame-up will be saved in your recent apps menu like any other app . Google really nailed it here .
There ’s still a looming job , though , and that ’s third - party apps .
“ But Joe , did n’t you say that third - party apps look beneficial ? ” I did ! But that ’s only true forsomethird - company apps . If an program has n’t been optimized for tablets , it displays in a bantam window beleaguer by a black background . you could move the app to the left over , correct , or inwardness , but there ’s no room to make an unoptimized app apply the entire filmdom . If you open an app like Facebook , Facebook Messenger , Duolingo , Chewy , Target , or Day One , you have to look at it as this pocket-size window .
Twitter on the Pixel TabletDigital Trends
These are n’t random , unknown apps ! We ’re tattle about some of the better - known peregrine apps , and they all search terrible on the Pixel Tablet . It ’s an ugly reminder that — even with all of the work Google ’s done on its own apps — there ’s still alotof study to be done before Android really feels great on a big screen like this .
Google Pixel Tablet: bugs and other issues
Of of course , the Android pill UI is only one of the software system experience extend on the Pixel Tablet . When it ’s commit on the charger sour grass , it essentially turn into aGoogle Nest Hub — and course essentially the same software package . Ask the Pixel Tablet for the weather , a random interrogation , or to play a show on Netflix when dock , and the interface you see is very to a Google voguish display .
This all makes sense on paper . Put the Pixel Tablet on the saddle dockage , and it functions like a chic show . Take it off the sour grass , and it turns into an Android tablet . That intend you ’re effectively running two completely different software program experiences at any given meter , and as you might expect , it can produce problem .
Let ’s say you want to follow YouTube TV or Disney Plus — a fairly common ask for a bright display ! If you say , “ Hey Google , loose YouTube TV , ” or “ Hey Google , open Disney Plus , ” it say , “ Opening ” … but refuses to actually launch the app until you enter your PIN computer code or use the fingermark sensor to unlock the pill . That ’s because it ’s attempt to enter the Android app for those services , and like any Android earpiece or tablet , you ca n’t spread apps without first unlocking the lock covert .
Duolingo on the Pixel TabletDigital Trends
However ! If you say , “ Hey Google , play [ a specific channel ] on YouTube TV , ” or “ Hey Google , play [ a specific picture show or goggle box show ] on Disney Plus , ” it afford the smart display interpretation of that service — and play it without requiring you to unlock the Pixel Tablet .
This is n’t explainedanywhereby Google when you ’re using the Pixel Tablet . I eventually fancy it out myself ( after a deal of trial and error and some help fromBen Schoon at 9to5Google ) , but I can only conceive of how confusing this will be for anyone using the Pixel Tablet .
And then there are all of the random bugs / glitch I ’ve had to deal with .
Facebook on the Pixel TabletDigital Trends
The Pixel Tablet is one of the most infuriating Pixels I ’ve ever used .
Multiple times , when asking the Pixel Tablet to recreate a TV channel on YouTube TV , it gets stuck on the YouTube telly logo , and after a few seconds , it tells me the app has cease work . likewise , I ’ve lost running of how many time the Pixel Tablet has refused to hear my “ Hey Google ” commands if it ’s streaming any type of video — even with low volume and me standingdirectly in front of it , repeating the command countless times . Despite having the pill ’s dark paper set on a sunrise / sundown schedule , it regularly arrest stuck in dark modality and ask a manual variety back to light mood every single cockcrow .
My Pixel Tablet has also start out confused about how to spread apps when I ask it to . One evening when I call for it to open an practical program , it essay to do soon my smartphone . The Pixel Tablet was the equipment that heard and registered the command , but its response was , “ Okay , open on your Motorola earpiece . ” Not once did I transfer any mise en scene to make it do this , and just as quickly as it started pretend up , it stopped the next dawn – with no rhyme or reason for any of it .
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Buggy software is n’t anything novel for Pixel devices , and the Pixel Tablet sure enough does n’t founder that formula . If anything , it ’s become one of the most infuriating Pixels I ’ve ever used .
Google Pixel Tablet: accessories
Accessories are an important factor for any tablet , and this is an orbit where the Pixel Tablet feels oddly uncompleted .
The only first - party accessory Google has for the Pixel Tablet is a $ 79 case . To Google ’s credit , it is a very prissy casing ! The silicone polymer on the outside feels rigid and durable , and the raised edge around the display should offer good protection in the case of a drop .
The best aspect is the alloy mob on the back , which you could position at any angle to prop up the Pixel Tablet on a level surface . The stall also movesallthe way to the top of the lozenge , think you could hang it on a nail / hook if you have one around your house . The stand is super sturdy , feel excellent to move , and has a double-dyed cutout so you could still put the Pixel Tablet on its tear dock even with the casing . While the $ 79 price tag is a passel to drink , this is one of the good display case I ’ve seen from Google in class .
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However , that ’s where the appurtenance conversation for the Pixel Tablet begins and ends . thing like snag - CRT screen multitasking and the taskbar aregreatproductivity feature , but without an official keyboard loading dock to use the Pixel Tablet with , they almost feel rot . prescribed keyboards for theOnePlus Padand the2022 iPadhave proven to be important accessories , and not having one for the Pixel Tablet is a missed opportunity .
The same can be said about Google not offering an official stylus accessory . The Pixel Tablet supports USI 2.0 styluses , but Google is n’t selling a Google Pen or Pixel Pen to go with the Pixel Tablet . If the support is there , why not actuallydosomething with it?Third - company styluseswill work fine , but with tablets from Apple , Samsung , OnePlus , and Lenovo all having official stylus choice , it ’s just one more matter Google does n’t have an response to .
Google Pixel Tablet: price and availability
The Google Pixel Tablet is available now and set out at $ 499 for the fashion model with 128 GB of storage . If you want to upgrade to the 256 GB model , you ’ll pay $ 599 .
While the Pixel Tablet comes with a institutionalise docking facility included in the box , you’re able to buy additional ones for $ 129 each if you ’d like .
Google Pixel Tablet: verdict
So that ’s the Google Pixel Tablet . I firm conceive that theideabehind the Pixel Tablet is a good one . As someone who has multiple fresh display scattered throughout my apartment , the conception of a voguish display that also doubles as a tab is one that get me excited .
Google gave that construct a average guess , but its execution with the Google Pixel Tablet whole misses the mark . There ’s not one single flock breaker that immediately fend out , but it ’s a perfect vitrine of a decease by a thousand cut . The funnily pose speaker system that bankrupt the tablet ’s audio calibre . The 60Hz display that looks slow and outdated . The poorly designed tear dock that could have been so much more . The wonky software experience that cook the Pixel Tablet incense to apply at times .
I ’m not convinced about where the Pixel Tablet goes from here .
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If you want an Android lozenge for about the same damage , you’refarbetter off with the OnePlus Pad or Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 . Both have much good display , retentive assault and battery life , more interesting designs , and better first - company appurtenance — not to refer , they’re both tawdry than the Pixel Tablet . Hell , you could grease one’s palms the Tab P11 Pro Gen 2plusa Google Nest Hub and still spend less than what you ’d pay for a Pixel Tablet . And in doing so , you ’d get a good Android tablet and a better smart display than what the Pixel Tablet is capable of .
There ’s a well intersection hiding somewhere in the Google Pixel Tablet . Maybe after another contemporaries or two , Google could make it one of thebest Android tabletsaround . But for the company ’s first tab showing after all this time , I ’m not convinced about where the Pixel Tablet goes from here .
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