Google Pixel Tablet review: Should you buy it?

As tablets have change into bigger and extra highly effective, the main examples have all crept nearer and nearer towards the realm of laptops by way of design and performance. The Google Pixel Pill bucks that development fully.

Let’s begin with the Pixel Pill’s apparent differentiator: the dock. As an avid pill consumer, I’m assured in telling you instantly that it’s the one actual motive you may need to half with simply shy of $500 to purchase the Pixel Pill. That’s to not say the remainder of the deal isn’t fairly good, extra so that each one of its finest bits come up from its hybrid nature as each a transportable slate and a pseudo-Google Nest good show.

Undocked, the Pixel Pill is simply that: every little thing you’d anticipate from a Pixel telephone (largely), however bigger. However when hooked up to the pill-shaped face of the Charging Speaker Dock, the Pixel Pill swaps its already respectable quad audio system for the dock’s 43.5mm full-range speaker — the identical one discovered within the common Google Nest Hub. The audio can absolutely fill a room and provides respectable readability, although it’s noticeably much less punchy than the Nest Hub Max with its dual-tweeter setup.

The pill is held on the dock by pretty sturdy magnets. It’ll come free should you shake it — and generally while you press the amount keys — however the grip is tight sufficient that it gained’t come free even should you bump the sting with fairly a little bit of pressure. Aligning the magnets isn’t fairly as easy as Google’s demos led me to consider, however with some apply you’ll discover the candy spot. The princely official case ($79 at Google Retailer) actually helps right here because the metallic stand acts as a makeshift goal for the connection when closed, and whereas it’s costly, it’s exhausting to disclaim it’s the most effective Pixel Pill case you should purchase. Case or no case, I’ve discovered the simplest solution to detach the pill from the dock safely is to carry either side between your thumb and index fingers and use your little and ring fingers to push the again outward from the bottom.

Up to now so good for the Nest Hub/pill thought, however right here’s the primary problem I and lots of others have with the setup: when the pill is separated, the Charging Speaker Dock could have energy, however it’s a utterly useless brick. No Google Assistant, no Bluetooth audio, no Forged. Nothing. Worse nonetheless, when you get a dock included with the pill, placing a second dock on one other ground or in one other room will set you again a whopping $129. I can’t in all good conscience advocate anybody does this until Google points a firmware replace to make them do one thing and not using a pill hooked up, particularly when a Nest Hub or Nest Audio will be picked up for much less (with change).

Not that you just’d know the docked Pixel Pill wasn’t a Nest Hub within the first place at a fast look. The general soft-touch aluminum, pastel-shaded aesthetic is distinctly Google, and whereas the display screen is total roughly the identical measurement because the bigger Nest Hub Max, the thinner, black bezels and sharper display screen are an unlimited enchancment over Google’s good shows. These bezels aren’t precisely small for a pill, however they guarantee you may maintain the pill in portrait or panorama with out ghost touches on the precise show, all with out sacrificing an excessive amount of display screen actual property.

I historically err towards larger-screen tablets (the Galaxy Tab S8 Extremely is basically my dwelling’s moveable TV), however the Pixel Pill’s LCD panel is loads roomy for all meant functions, although the slender facet ratio isn’t as suited to studying books or scrolling social media in portrait orientation — this can be a media-centric pill, indisputably. Any grumbles about using LCD over OLED needs to be discarded because of the potential of burn-in when docked; Google picked the wise possibility right here, and although I do miss the deep blacks of Samsung’s premium-end tablets, it’s simply nearly as good because the common Tab S8 and the iPad Air, to my eyes. Brightness can be wonderful until you propose on utilizing it in direct daylight, however that’s true of principally all tablets except for the mini-LED-equipped iPad Professionals. In sum, it’s a good sufficient display screen for a pill, however a superb one for a sensible show.

The identical mantra is true of efficiency. Benchmarks from the Tensor G2 sit on the upper scale for Pixel gadgets, suggesting that is the flagship model of Google’s silicon, not the weaker configuration snuck into the Pixel 7a. It has sufficient energy to push on a regular basis duties with zero hiccups, although whether or not that’ll be true in three years’ time when software program help ends (not to mention on the five-year mark when safety patches cease) is one other matter. In comparison with the laptop-grade efficiency of the equally priced iPad Air M1, and to a lesser extent the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-equipped Galaxy Tab S8, the Pixel Pill can’t push as many frames or (mockingly) pixels in demanding video games or productiveness apps, and like so many Tensor-driven gadgets, extreme warmth turns into noticeable when put underneath even gentle stress.

The actual bummer, although, is that the Pixel Pill’s in any other case affordable efficiency usually feels sluggish because of the 60Hz-capped display screen refresh price. Animations in menus stutter relatively than glide, and wallowing in social media feeds isn’t as satisfying with out crisp doomscrolling. Once more, this isn’t a difficulty when docked, as there’s way more energy and fluidity right here than even the top-end Nest Hub Max. For pill customers, although, significantly these conditioned by trendy Android telephones, it’s a head-scratching choice to not not less than match Google’s personal base Pixel 7 and the price range Pixel 7a’s 90Hz refresh price, not to mention the 120Hz of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Tab S line.

What the Pixel Pill does uniquely carry to the desk is the total Pixel expertise on a bigger display screen — or not less than one which doesn’t price $1,800 just like the Pixel Fold. As somebody whose dwelling and cell ecosystem is sort of solely made up of Pixel and Nest gadgets, seeing the identical array of Google apps, Pixel-only options, and Materials You-fied look translated to the Pixel Pill’s model of Android 13 is reassuring in its familiarity and richness. There have additionally been some clear inroads towards bettering the Android expertise on a bigger display screen, evidenced by Google’s personal model of a taskbar and refreshed apps just like the endlessly pleasing Climate widget overhaul.

That optimization effort is clearly nonetheless in its infancy, nevertheless. Some apps, together with numerous Google’s personal, are blanketed in white area, and the dearth of a local methodology of stretching apps to panorama (Samsung, for instance, has its personal bespoke answer) means you’ll encounter some apps which is able to solely present in portrait view with large letterbox bars on both aspect. And whereas the inventory picture and video enhancing apps are enhanced by Google’s AI instruments like Magic Eraser, the absence of an official stylus or keyboard attachment considerably limits the Pixel Pill’s productiveness credentials. It’s technically appropriate with any USI 2.0 stylus and can settle for Bluetooth keyboards simply wonderful, however with no magnetic charging for a pen or a sublime means of attaching an enter machine, I’m undecided even the heavily-leaked official equipment due after launch will persuade me that the Pixel Pill is price it for something however informal use.

After all, the Pixel Pill isn’t actually designed to be a productiveness powerhouse. As an alternative, it desires to separate from the more and more crowded pill pack by wowing patrons with its good dwelling integration. However even right here, the Pixel Pill’s Hub Mode is discovered a bit missing to completely exchange a Nest Hub. The Hub Mode does an admirable job at changing the Nest Hub performance, although design-wise, it extra carefully resembles the redesigned Google Dwelling app. I’ve three Nest Hubs (two second gen fashions, one Nest Hub Max) dotted round my home, and the Pixel Pill carries over a number of my favourite options, such because the picture gallery, visible timers, and a Nest Doorbell feed for deliveries, guests, and recognizing the numerous pleasant cats that wish to cross my driveway. Chromecast help (albeit solely when docked) is favorable on Google’s slate because of the prettier show, too.

Nonetheless, the dearth of Continued Dialog help and a number of Voice Match customers instantly limits how good the Pixel Pill is as a sensible show, and the dearth of even a primary equalizer means audio customization is much behind the Nest Hubs, not to mention my Nest Audio or Google Dwelling Max. The place the Pixel Pill actually shines, although, is in primary duties that require an interface relatively than voice instructions. Bear in mind, that is full Android, not Google’s restricted model of Fucshia on its Nest Hubs. As an alternative of hoping my Nest Hub may decipher which area of interest, documentary-length video about speedrunning I wished to look at by way of voice recognition, with the Pixel Pill I simply wanted to click on the full-fat YouTube app, seek for Summoning Salt’s newest opus, hit play, whack the pill on the dock and I’m achieved; no disruptions within the video or audio except for a fragile chime. A devoted children mode additionally makes the Pixel Pill a superb decide for children, as long as you could find a good rugged case.

One other advantage of the dock-centric setup is that the Pixel Pill has a behavior of all the time being charged while you want it. I’m terrible at leaving my numerous tablets off cost, and in consequence, they’re all the time right down to zero juice after I understand I would like them. Sure, it’s solely 15W charging, so it takes a number of hours to get again to full from empty, however so long as you get right into a routine of reattaching the Pixel Pill (which you’ll), you’ll by no means discover. Battery life undocked can be pretty customary. I’ve seen some stories of sub-10-hour endurance, however my unit pushed by simply over 10 hours with typical use, akin to video streaming and net shopping. Plus, Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Charging ought to imply the Pixel Pill’s battery will burn lengthy, even when not all that shiny.

And eventually, don’t anticipate the Pixel Pill to dwell as much as the Pixel legacy within the digital camera division. The one entrance and rear shooters are each 8MP cameras that cap out at 1080p/30fps for video recording. Some Pixel DNA carries over with respectable coloration recreation and entry to options like Night time Sight, however element is sorely missing in each photos and video, irrespective of the lighting situations. The selfie digital camera will serve you wonderful for informal video chats with family and friends, however the low decision ought to rule it out for any severe video conferencing wants. Put merely, should you have been anticipating something on par with the Nest Hub Max’s stellar wide-angled digital camera, you’ll be sorely upset.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 ($629.99 at Samsung): The perfect Android different to the Pixel Pill, the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8 is a a lot less complicated affair with higher efficiency, a smoother show, and superior video digital camera high quality. You don’t get a bundled dock, in fact, however Samsung does present an S Pen for a higher emphasis on productiveness. With that mentioned, you may need to wait to see the Galaxy Tab S9 earlier than placing down your money.
• Apple iPad Air (M1) ($559 at Amazon): The ever-appealing iPad Air hit new highs with the M1-powered fifth-generation mannequin. Providing laptop-grade efficiency together with industry-leading app compatibility, each of which blitz the Pixel Pill in its present state, the iPad Air is the simplest sub-premium pill to advocate. It’s not excellent, although. The 64GB storage on the bottom mannequin is past stingy, it equally solely has a 60Hz show, and the spectacular Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard equipment that unlock its true potential are mega costly. There’s nonetheless no possibility for a number of customers, both, so don’t purchase one anticipating to share it with a associate or a baby until you’re wonderful with account sharing.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 ($179.99 at Amazon): For simply over $200 for the entry-level mannequin, the Galaxy Tab A8 is an impressively well-rounded low-cost Android pill that anybody can love. Plus, with all that saved money you should purchase a Nest Hub and nonetheless save a number of hundred {dollars}, or splash out on a Nest Hub Max and nonetheless have a bit bit of money left over.
• OnePlus Pad ($479 at OnePlus): The OnePlus Pad could have a number of tough edges in its software program, however the clean show, blisteringly quick charging, and respectable efficiency all make this an ideal possibility if you would like a fuss-free Android pill for underneath $500.