Google Pixel Tablet is finally here: Price, specs, features, dock, and more

Google has finally launched the Pixel Tablet at Google I/O after a year of teases, info drops, and leaks. It marks the first time since 2018 that the company has offered a tablet, as well as the first time since 2015 that it has launched an Android tablet.

From pricing and availability to specs and that Charging Speaker Dock, here’s everything you should know about the Google Pixel Tablet.

Google Pixel Tablet price and availability

• Pixel Tablet (8GB/128GB) with Charging Speaker Dock: $499 / £599 / €679 / CAD $699
• Pixel Tablet (8GB/256GB) with Charging Speaker Dock: $599 / £699 / €799 / CAD $799

Google’s Pixel slate will be available in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, the UK, and the US, but misses out on regions such as India and Taiwan. Pre-orders started on May 10, with general availability by June 20.

In any event, the Pixel Tablet starts at $499 in the US, £599 in the UK, €679 throughout selected other European regions, and CAD $699 in Canada for the base 128GB model, with this price tag including a dock accessory. The slate isn’t available without a dock. Consumers will also be able to choose from three colorways, which include Hazel, Porcelain, and Rose. However, there will be a fourth unannounced black option added to the collection eventually.

Nevertheless, you can buy an extra Charging Speaker Dock for $129 / €149 / CA$179, while the Pixel Tablet kickstand case will set you back $79 / €99 / CA$109.

Pixel Tablet features

Unquestionably, the most notable Pixel Tablet feature is the docking functionality via the included Charging Speaker Dock accessory. Place the tablet on this dock, and your Pixel Tablet essentially turns into a Google Nest smart display of sorts.

The dock allows you to charge the Pixel Tablet while also offering more powerful speakers than those built into the tablet. In fact, docking the Pixel Tablet enables a so-called Hub Mode. This mode offers features like digital photo frame functionality, the ability to use Google Assistant without unlocking the tablet first, and a persistent home panel for smart home controls. In a neat touch, you can also cast content from your phone to the docked tablet, albeit not to the tablet when it’s undocked.

The one major downer is that users can’t wirelessly connect to the dock to make use of its powerful speakers (not even via Bluetooth). So you might want to buy a cheap Bluetooth speaker instead if you want that capability.

Performance

The Pixel Tablet is effectively in line with the Pixel 7 series in terms of horsepower, bringing a Tensor G2 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of fixed storage.

The Tensor G2 isn’t quite as powerful as rival chips like last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 family and the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. But it should still deliver speedy performance in everyday use and in demanding apps.

Furthermore, our own Pixel 7 series testing found that the Tensor G2 beat some Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 series phones when it came to sustained performance. We’re also expecting slightly better performance here thanks to the larger form factor enabling improved cooling.

Display

The display is a key part of any tablet, and the Pixel Tablet totes a large 10.95-inch screen (2,560 x 1,600, 16:10). This is an LCD panel rather than an OLED screen, but this choice isn’t uncommon in the high-end Android tablet space as devices like the vanilla model Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and OnePlus Pad offer LCD screens too.

In any event, the Pixel Tablet screen delivers 500 nits of typical brightness and supports USI 2.0 stylus pens. So artists and/or those who prefer handwriting over typing should be happy with the latter capability. However, you’ll have to buy a third-party stylus as Google isn’t offering an official pen.

Design and build quality

The Pixel Tablet delivers an aluminum frame and a nano-ceramic coating that’s inspired by porcelain. When you combine this design with the dock that makes it look like a Nest Hub, you’ve got two products that pair well with each other (literally). In fact, the tablet and dock look more like Nest products than Pixel products.

In terms of I/O, you can expect a four-pin connector on the back for the Charging Speaker Dock, the power button (with integrated fingerprint scanner) and volume keys at the top, and a USB-C port on the left.

Battery

The Pixel Tablet has a battery capacity of 7,020mAh. As far as tablets go, this is quite low. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, for example, has a battery capacity of 8,000mAh, and the newer OnePlus Pad clocks in at 9,510mAh. Of course, this lower-than-average battery capacity can probably be forgiven since the Pixel Tablet is primarily designed to stay at home and attached to the dock whenever it’s not in use.

Speaking of which, it charges at 15W using a USB-C cable and an appropriate charger (not included in the box). When you snap it onto the dock, it charges at that same 15W speed. There is no wireless charging supported.

Google points out that, on a full charge, you can expect 12 hours of video streaming over Wi-Fi (via YouTube at 1080p).

Camera

You shouldn’t expect a top-tier photography experience from the Pixel Tablet, given that it’s a tablet, after all. But you’re still getting an 8MP camera (ƒ/2.0, 1/4-inch sensor, 1.12μm, 84-degree FoV) on each side of the slate.

Both cameras are fixed-focus affairs too, but there are still a few solid features here. For one, the front-facing shooter offers an Apple-style continuous framing feature, keeping you in the center of the frame as you move around during video calls. This feature is restricted to the docked setup, though.

The Pixel Tablet camera app also offers features like Night Sight, Long Exposure, Top Shot, and Live HDR+ previews. So it’s relatively flexible if you’re in a pinch.

Google Pixel Tablet specs

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