Google is rumoured to be preparing a fundamental relaunch of the Pixel Tablet just a year on from the original release, this time with added stylus and keyboard option.
Online tipster @MysteryLupin, who has been on the money with a number of info leaks, has made an interesting claim about Google’s tablet plans. Posting to X (formerly Twitter), the tipster claimed that Google will “relaunch” the Pixel Tablet without a dock on May 10.
What’s more, they claim that this second generation Pixel Tablet will be supported by both stylus and Bluetooth keyboard accessories. You know, like an actual tablet.
These accessories will apparently cost around €100 (about £86) each, and will come in Hazel and Porcelain.
It’s pure coincidence that Apple delayed their iPad launch to three days before Google will “relaunch” the Pixel Tablet (without dock) together with a Pen and Bluetooth Keyboard. Both will come for around €100 in Hazel and Porcelain🍊 https://t.co/7ZDT4DpPcd— Arsène Lupin (@MysteryLupin) April 24, 2024
The original Pixel Tablet was (and indeed is) a curious beast, caught half way between a full-sized tablet and a Nest Hub Max smart display.
It paired a fairly basic 10.9-inch LCD screen with a docking station that also served as a speaker. Despite the clear hybrid potential, we weren’t entirely convinced in our 7 out of 10 review.
While its hub functionality helped it stand out from the crowd (most ‘normal’ Android tablets get lost in the scrum, and practically all fall short of the iPad), it felt slightly underbaked, underpowered, and overpriced.
We’d be somewhat sorry to see that hybrid speaker dock premise ditched so soon, if that’s the plan. Hopefully Google keeps compatibility with the Charging Speaker Dock, which is already available to buy separately on the Google store.
At the same time, the thought of a competitively priced, no-nonsense Google tablet with the company’s peerless software and a proper accessory ecosystem holds undoubted appeal.
