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by Josh Teder
When Google launched the Pixel Tablet in June of 2023, it seemed like they had finally cracked the code for making an excellent smart home display that could also act as a tablet. But after multiple reports suggesting that Google has cancelled its successor, I’ve got some thoughts on why that might be happening and why I think abandoning this category would be a huge mistake.
What Made the Pixel Tablet Special
What made the Pixel Tablet so innovative wasn’t just its hardware. Yes, being able to remove the tablet from its speaker dock is incredibly smart, but just as important was, unlike the similarly sized Nest Hub Max, the Pixel Tablet uses full Android. Having Android on this device was a game-changer for the smart display category. Thanks to the Tensor G2 chip inside, performance didn’t suck. You could run basically any app you wanted to. YouTube finally worked well on it, and you could load recipe apps. Running Android on the Pixel Tablet delivered the software experience that the Nest Hubs frankly should have had from the beginning. It eliminates all those weird workarounds Google had to create to expand their smart displays’ capabilities. Want to make a video call? Well, no need for custom integrations—just download Zoom from the Play Store. Or to browse the web, you’ve got full Chrome, not some stripped-down browser.
The second innovative thing the Pixel Tablet brought was the speaker dock integration. Unlike the Nest Hub Max, you could remove the Pixel Tablet whenever you wanted, but when left on the speaker dock, you also got better audio and, probably the biggest benefit, your Pixel Tablet would always be fully charged. But here’s the thing: my guess is that for most people, this feature isn’t actually that important because they keep their tablet docked most of the time. This is because, as a digital photo frame running Google Photos, which is what I use my Pixel Tablet for 99% of the time, this device is great for that. The aspect ratio is perfect. The display is also noticeably better than the Nest Hub Max and Nest Hub. It has a higher resolution, can get brighter, and has more saturated colors.
Where the Pixel Tablet Falls Short
But as an actual tablet, that’s where things get a bit awkward. The aspect ratio is just odd—too tall and narrow in portrait mode and too wide and short in landscape. This device is really just a better Nest Hub Max rather than a true competitor to an iPad. At more than twice the price of a Nest Hub Max and kind of a mediocre standalone tablet because of its aspect ratio, you can see how people might not think the price justifies what you ultimately get, why sales have reportedly been sluggish, and why Google has reportedly cancelled the Pixel Tablet 2.
The Path Forward for Google’s Tablet Strategy
But here’s the thing: I think Google leaving this category altogether would be a massive mistake. There are too many good ideas here to just go to waste and cede the market to Apple. So what should Google do? I think they need to make two distinct products.
First, they need a high-end tablet that can actually compete with an iPad. Give it a tablet-first aspect ratio, but design it so it can attach to an optional speaker dock so you get the hub mode, the Google Photos slideshow, all that kind of stuff. And then you would also want to design a really good keyboard for it as well. If they did all of those things, I think they’d have a clear winner.
The second device they need is a low-priced successor to the Nest Hub Max, but this time it runs Android, has an upgraded display, and features a Tensor processor, which would help cut down on software development costs and keep the device running snappy. And this device would be priced around $299 to $349.
Final Thoughts
I think this two-pronged approach would help Google stay competitive in both the photo display as well as the tablet markets. But I could totally be wrong with this strategy.
What do you think? Should Google continue investing in this category, or is it right to cut its losses? Would you prefer to see a true iPad competitor from Google, or is a better smart display what the market really needs?
For current pricing on the Pixel Tablet, I’ve listed that above in the Featured Products sections. You can also see our complete in-depth analysis of the Pixel Tablet’s performance after extended use in our comprehensive 6 Months Later Review, which can be found in our Related Videos section below:
