Today, at its annual I/O conference, Google briefly teased an upcoming Pixel-branded tablet. There were practically no hard details; all we know for sure is that it'll be powered by a Tensor CPU and that Google intends to launch it next year. But we also got a look at renders of the tablet, and it bears a striking resemblance to existing Nest devices. This has to be the rumored "detachable Nest Hub" we heard about this spring, and I'm excited it'll be a real product — sneaking back into the market with a smart home-focused device might be Google's ticket to actually selling some tablets.
Even absent any substantial information about this new Pixel tablet, its announcement is significant. Google's made a number of tablets in the past, but following the critical and commercial failure of the aspirationally premium Pixel Slate, Google left the tablet market altogether. That was in 2018; by the new Pixel tablet's planned release in 2023, it'll have been five years since Google's last tablet hit store shelves. Its competition hasn't sat the intervening years out. The latest Galaxy Tabs and iPads are outstanding devices from brands people already trust for hardware; Google's Pixel phones have some dedicated fans, but the Samsungs and Apples of the world probably wouldn't have much to worry about in Google's answer to, say, the iPad Pro.
Google hasn't explicitly confirmed that this Pixel-branded tablet is the hybrid smart home hub we heard about in March, but all signs point that way. Superficially, the tablet looks a lot like Nest Hub devices — right down to the very questionable white bezels. On stage today, Rick Osterloh said it "bridges your on-the-go life with your at-home life," in what seemed like a nod to the dual functionality we're expecting. It also has magnetic connectors on its backside, which could be used to attach it to a charging dock.
By positioning its new device not only as a tablet, but also a smart home hub, Google's setting the stage to be able to sell it to a much broader audience. If the Pixel tablet (bundled with a charging dock) sits above the Nest Hub Max in Google's smart home lineup, iPad or Galaxy Tab owners looking for a high-end smart display — something neither Apple nor Samsung currently offers — could end up with a Google tablet in the house. In an ideal version of this scenario for Google, those people would come to like its tablet so much that they'd want to buy all their future tablets from Google, too. That's sure to actually happen sometimes; as a satisfied iPad owner, I'm excited to try Pixel-flavored Android on a tablet (iPadOS is not something I especially like about my iPad).
The chances of Google lighting the tablet market on fire here are pretty slim; similar offerings from Lenovo have failed to shape the greater tablet landscape, and the Pixel tablet's gaudy white bezels are sure to put off more than a few potential buyers (here's hoping there'll be other colorways available). All the same, it's heartening that Google seems to be trying new things in its return to tablets. There are plenty of great Android tablets already, but more competition is seldom a bad thing — and a smart home-integrated approach might give the Pixel tablet the edge it needs to really compete.