The Google Pixel Tablet is a curious device, with Google’s first slate in a long time doing double duty as a tablet and smart home display.
That helps it stand out from the tablet crowd, and that’s a good thing too, because in many ways it falls short of the best tablets, even within its price range.
So, with that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of six things we want from the Google Pixel Tablet 2, so that it can excel as both a tablet and a smart display in the home. We’ve also included information on the probable release date, price, specs, and features, and will add to this article whenever we hear more.
Come to the point
- What is that? The second Pixel Tablet
- When does it come out? Maybe mid-2024
- How much will it cost? Probably at least $499 / £599 / AU$899
Google Pixel Tablet 2: release date and price
There are no Google Pixel Tablet 2 release date rumors yet, and since this is the first entry in a new product line, there’s no real story to look at here.
That said, many gadgets including Google’s Pixel phones see yearly launches, so if the same happens with the Pixel Tablet 2, then we could see it around May 2024, as that would be a year after the announcement of the original Pixel Tablet.
The price meanwhile will likely be at least as high, meaning at least $499 / £599 / AU$899 for a tablet and speaker dock combo (which is the only way to buy the original Pixel Tablet), but don’t be surprised if it costs more.
Google Pixel Tablet 2: news and leaks
There are no leaks on the Pixel Tablet 2 so far, but we can imagine it will use whatever is the latest of Google’s Tensor chipsets at its launch. If it launches in May 2024, that will almost certainly mean the Tensor 3 chipset we expect to see first in the Google Pixel 8 lineup.
It will certainly support a dock again, as the ability to connect the Google Pixel Tablet to a dock and use it as a smart home screen is one of its main selling points.
Beyond that, we can’t really predict what might be on offer and what might change, but as rumors emerge we’ll add them here.
Google Pixel Tablet 2: what we want to see
In our Google Pixel Tablet review we gave it 3.5 stars, which means it’s a good but not great device, so it has a lot of room for improvement. The key improvements we would like to see in Pixel Tablet 2 include the following things.
1. A bigger, better screen
In our review of the Pixel Tablet, we noted that despite being listed as 10.95 inches, the Pixel Tablet’s screen area is actually smaller than that of the iPad 10.9 (2022). So it’s as small as tablets, and it’s not really ideal for something that, given its included dock, is clearly designed primarily for use at home.
It’s also not a particularly special screen, being an LCD panel instead of a superior OLED, with a 60Hz refresh rate. So we would like to see big improvements in both screen size and quality on the Pixel Tablet 2.
2. A different material
The back of the Pixel Tablet has a soft touch finish, which while pleasant under the fingers, is also quick to pick up dirt and fingerprints. Therefore, we would like to see this fixed with the Google Pixel Tablet 2, so that we don’t feel the need to erase the whiteboard every time we touch it.
3. Better app optimization
Android has never felt quite right on tablets and that remains true here, with the main problem simply being that most apps aren’t well optimized for their larger (and mainly horizontal) screens.
Often, you’re only served stretched versions of phone apps, and somehow we found in our review that apps perform even worse on the Pixel Tablet than other Android slates, with the likes of Facebook and Instagram giving you a narrowed view when the tablet is in landscape orientation.
Software updates from Google or the app makers might fix this, but if Google is serious about supporting tablets, the Pixel Tablet 2 really needs great software and well-optimized apps from day one.
4. The ability to purchase it without a dock
You can only buy the Google Pixel Tablet with a dock, and while that’s probably how most people would want to buy it (since without the dock it’s nothing fancy), we’d love to have the option with the Pixel Tablet 2.
This would allow buyers to get a very affordable tablet if they choose to pick it up without the dock, and then they could always buy a dock later if they decide they want one.
5. A bigger battery
The original Pixel Tablet has a 7,020mAh battery, which isn’t particularly large for a 10-inch+ tablet, and indeed our reviewer found that it didn’t last as long between charges as many other tablets.
In fairness, this is a slate that will likely be docked most of the time and charges while docked, so battery life isn’t as important here as it would be with most tablets, but there’s still definitely room for improvement.
6. A better dock
Whether or not Google offers users the option to buy the Pixel Tablet 2 with or without a dock out of the box, we also wish the dock itself was better; more specifically they offer better sound quality.
The current dock is a perfect way to pump up sound, whether you’re watching a show or streaming music, but the sound quality is indicative of the larger, middling package. Also, the fact that the dock doesn’t work when the Pixel Tablet is undocked seems like a huge oversight on Google’s part.
Being able to connect to the dock wirelessly or connect it to part of the larger smart home setup would be a huge boon for those who already plan on having multiple docks in different rooms as a place to place the Pixel Tablet wherever they go, while also building a multi-room audio setup simultaneously.
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