After years of speculation, Google finally revealed the Pixel Tablet at its annual I/O conference in May 2022. Google was pretty vague at the reveal and has remained tight-lipped when it comes to giving official details about the upcoming tablet.
Luckily, there have been plenty of leaks and rumors about the Pixel Tablet that help paint a picture of what fans can expect when it finally launches later this year. Here’s everything we know about the Google Pixel Tablet.
Google Pixel Tablet: design
The design of the Pixel Tablet is pretty standard in terms of what most people have come to expect from mainstream tablets. It sports a rectangular shape that measures 11 inches long and roughly 7 inches tall.
As is the case with a lot of recent Android tablets, the Pixel Tablet seems to default to being used horizontally rather than vertically, thanks to the front-facing camera that sits in the center of its longest side.
Currently, we’ve seen three color options for the Pixel Tablet. In official renders, Google shows off a gray design, as well as a white/very light pink color. We’ve also seen a Pixel Tablet in a more charcoal-black color in some leaked images from someone reportedly selling a pre-elease version of the tablet on Facebook Marketplace.
While tablet color options are usually pretty bland, Google tends to feature at least one fun color for each of its devices, so we’re still hoping that we see something bold from Google as we get closer to launch.
Google Pixel Tablet: specs
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the specs for the Pixel Tablet. We haven’t heard much from Google, so most information comes from leaks, speculation, or logical reasoning.
The one thing Google has confirmed is that the Pixel Tablet is powered by its Tensor G2 chip — the same one that’s inside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. That means it should be plenty powerful for most apps/games, in addition to supporting the powerful AI features you expect on a Pixel smartphone.
Other than that, one report says that the Pixel Tablet will support Wi-Fi 6 and give buyers the option of between 128GB and 256GB of internal storage, with both options sporting 6GB of RAM. So far, the rumored specs for the tablet seem to be putting it relatively on par with the 2022 base iPad. There’s still information we’re missing that could make the Pixel Tablet look better (or worse,) so it’s best to reserve final judgment until more is known.
Google Pixel Tablet: docking station
What it may lack in groundbreaking specs, the Pixel Tablet should make up for that with its unique docking station. In October, Google announced that the Pixel Tablet will work with its “Charging Speaker Dock” accessory that should effectively turn the Pixel Tablet into a Nest Hub smart display.
Using a series of pogo pins on the back of the Pixel Tablet, it’s able to dock onto a fabric stand. When you do this, a few things happen — the Pixel Tablet charges, you can use hands-free Google Assistant commands, and larger speakers allow you to listen to music and videos with more fidelity.
Google will (presumably) sell the charging dock as a separate accessory alongside the Pixel Tablet, and as of right now, we aren’t sure how much it’ll cost.
Google Pixel Tablet: software
Depending on when it launches, the Pixel Tablet will either be running on Android 13 and then upgrade to Android 14, or it’ll launch alongside/after the launch of Android 14, so it’ll just run on that.
Google’s most recent OS updates have focused a lot on optimizing Android for larger screens, so the launch of the Pixel Tablet will be telling about how well the company is able to actually put that into practice with a first-party device.
Google Pixel Tablet: release date
So far, all we’ve heard from Google about the Pixel Tablet’s release date is that it’ll be launching at some point in 2023. That’s a little vague, so it’s tough to nail down when exactly we should expect to find the tablet on store shelves. It’s probably safe to say that the Pixel Tablet won’t be coming until at least May since that’s when Google’s next big showcase, I/O 2023, will be held.
There are two possibilities here. Google could fully launch the Pixel Tablet at Google I/O 2023 on May 10, or it could simply offer more details and wait to release it later this fall — potentially alongside the Pixel 8 series in October.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Google is also gearing up for the release of the Pixel Fold, its first foray into the world of foldable smartphones. There are two schools of thought on Google’s release calendar for 2023 as a result: launch the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel Fold together to show just how much the company is doubling down on its focus on bigger screens, or launch them separately to give both devices their time in the sun.
Either way, it feels like we might see at least one of the devices at I/O 2023. If not, then it seems likely that they’ll both be coming in the fall.
Google Pixel Tablet: price
Google hasn’t said anything regarding the Pixel Tablet’s price, but based on its specs, it’s safe to assume that it’ll retail for somewhere around the $400 to $500 range.
Google’s previous tablets have been sold for similar prices, but Google has also been known to overcharge for hardware with less-than-premium specs. Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure until the company makes an official price announcement.
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