Pixel Tablet by Google
Google’s latest Pixel smartphones are garnering critical acclaim and commercial success. However, one of the long-awaited updates seems to be cancelled. Those expecting a second Pixel Tablet will be disappointed that the direct sequel to last year’s Android tablet has been cancelled.
Writing for Android Authority, Kamila Wojciechowska reports on this the now canceled Pixel Tablet 2 specs. There were some welcome upgrades from the first Pixel Tablet, as well as some sought-after accessories. However, the specs make one thing clear: the Pixel Tablet 2 was more of an “S” update to the original hardware than a full “next-gen tablet” to follow the Pixel Tablet.
Possible Pixel Tablet 2 upgrades
The Pixel Tablet was sold as part of Google’s smart home suite. Given this, the low refresh rate of the LCD screen was seen as a weak point of the package. While the LCD side of the equation would have remained the same, the Pixel Tablet 2 was set for a 120Hz display, along with a ten percent increase in brightness.
The Pixel Tablet 2 was expected to launch with the Google Tensor G4 system-on-chip. This is the same chipset found in the latest Pixel handsets (the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold). The G4 is set to deliver the best AI software on Android, including Google’s Gemini AI. The original Piel Tablet came out before Google’s big public push for Google AI, so the Tablet 2 would be the first Pixel Tablet to be unequivocally “designed for AI.”
Traveling with the Pixel Tablet 2
One of the key upgrades was going to be connectivity. While the first Pixel Tablet was Wi-Fi only, the Pixel Tablet 2 was planned to offer both a Wi-Fi model and a Wi-Fi+5G model. Although the Pixel Tablet was introduced as part of a connected household, the lightweight design makes it attractive as a portable option.
Cellular connectivity wasn’t the only productivity upgrade we were hoping for. Unlike other tablet makers, Google hasn’t released a keyboard that works with the Pixel Tablet. Resourceful users could use a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard, but an all-in-one solution is preferred. The now-cancelled Pixel Tabelt 2 was set to launch alongside the Pixel Keyboard. With Google bundling a Pixel Tablet speaker into the first retail unit, a keyboard could have been bundled with the tablet.
The wider impact of the Pixel tablet
Perhaps the biggest impact of the Pixel Tablet 2 cancellation is on the ecosystem. Android’s support for large-screen devices falls short of Apple’s efforts to keep the iPad’s hardware closely tied. With the launch of the Pixel Tablet, Google made a strong statement of support to its Android partners that tablets were part of its thinking. Canceling the Pixel Tablet 2 reduces this commitment.
Google is likely working on its next tablet, what was once thought to be the Pixel Tablet 3. There’s a good chance that whenever the next Pixel Tablet is released, it will be marketed as the Pixel Tablet 2. For now, Google’s upgrade to The bigger Pixel—whether it’s the small Pixel Tablet 2 step up or a Pixel Tablet 3-esque one—remains locked in Mountain View.
Now read the latest Android news, including the Pixel Tablet competition, in Forbes’ weekly Android Circuit news roundup…
