Pixel tablet
Google is giving tablets another try. Whereas the company’s short-lived Pixel Slate ran Chrome OS, the mysterious tablet teased at the company’s I/O conference is powered by Android. That isn’t too surprising given Google’s past failures and its recent Android 12L initiative, a software update specifically designed to improve the “big screen” experience on tablets and foldables. To that end, my colleague Florence Ion saw a render of the unnamed Pixel tablet running Material You widgets and used the word “enticing” to sum up her feelings.
Google hasn’t told us much about this upcoming Android tablet, only briefly teasing it at its I/O event. We know it will run on Google Tensor, the proprietary chip powering the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a, and that it is meant as a companion device for these smartphones, much like the Galaxy Tab is a partner to Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. The only image we’ve seen of the tablet shows a single camera setup and sloped edges; it looks, and excuse the comparison, somewhat like the entry-level iPad. Google hopes to ship the slate next year.
