We haven’t officially been given much detail about the Google Pixel tablet yet, other than that it exists and will be released in 2023. Unofficially, leaks fill some of the gaps as to what we can expect from this plate.
As reported 91 cell phones (opens in a new tab) and Kuba Wojciechowski (opens in a new tab)The Pixel tablet has apparently now entered the Engineering Validation (EVT) testing phase which means it has moved beyond the prototype stage and is now being internally tested.
When it comes to specs, 128GB and 256GB memory options are apparently on the way. The tablet is also expected to support Wi-Fi 6 and will come with a 10.95 inch display – which is definitely a large size for what we believe will be an inexpensive tablet.
Putting the pieces together
Some of the features reported in the latest leak have already appeared before: there is said to be a Google-manufactured stylus for the Pixel tablet, for example, and we previously heard that the slate will come with stylus support.
Earlier rumors pointed to the appearance of a tablet with 4 GB of RAM. Add the first-gen Tensor chipset, which Google has confirmed will power the device, and it looks a lot like something at the more affordable end of the scale.
Consumers who want the premium option may also have a lot to wait for as the Pixel Pro Tablet Tips have been spotted in Android’s code. It is possible that more than one model will be available on the market by the end of 2023.
Analysis: Budget Tablet Wars
Ignoring the rumor about the Pixel Tablet Pro for a moment, from what we’ve heard so far, it sounds a lot like an inexpensive Android tablet – something cheap and fun to use with multimedia, check email, and browse social media.
You may have noticed that Amazon has just updated its Amazon Fire HD 8-inch tablet lineup, which offers a good enough tablet spec for little money. Standard Tablet Edition with 32GB of storage will set you back $ 99 / £ 99.
There are also many other contenders in this area. The 8-inch Nokia T10 was announced earlier this year and provides 32GB of storage for £ 129 in the UK (that’s around $ 140 / $ 215 with a simple conversion).
This is a market that Google is entering with its Pixel tablet, and it hopes that the combination of elegant hardware, clean software, and an attractive price will be enough to carry a serious number of these devices.