An Incredible Concept!

It’s no secret that we’ve been anticipating the release of the new Google Pixel Tablet for a very long time!

That wait finally came to an end yesterday when Google officially released the Google Pixel tablet during the Google IO event yesterday.

The truth of the matter is that the tablet is available for pre-order and won’t ship until approximately the 20th of June here in the UK. But you get the picture.

At this stage you’re probably thinking, oh great, he’s going to talk about another boring tablet release!

Here’s the thing, the Google Pixel Tablet is so much more, it’s a whole new concept and way of using and making the most out of your tablet.

I truly think it’s a revelation for the tablet industry!

Let me explain…

It’s Dockable!

You’ve read that right! The Google Pixel tablet is dockable! You can dock it to an optional docking station turning it into an epic device for your home! The best part is that Google is including the dock free with the tablet at the time of writing this article.

I think that this is a great idea!

For starters, our smartphones have become extremely powerful these days and they are the primary devices for many people and rightly so!

I mean I’ve grown up in a time before smartphones, back then people did most of their computing tasks on the family computer, but those times are long gone and you can do most of these tasks on a smartphone!

What’s that got to do with the fact that the tablet is dockable?

I don’t know about you, but from what I can see, people often forget that they own tablets as they are used to doing everything on their phones. It’s no different in my household!

I can’t remember the last time I saw my family use their tablets!

That’s where the Google Pixel Tablet comes in handy because when you’re not using it, you can simply dock it to the docking station turning it into a device you can use to control your smart home.

How cool is that!

The best part is that the dock will keep the tablet charged, so when you need to use it you don’t have to worry about it not being charged, you can just use it straight away!

The dock is also a speaker, meaning that you can use the tablet as an entertainment system as well. Judging by the size of the speaker, I would imagine that sound quality wise it will be similar to the Google Nest hubs.

Let’s talk about the specs!

For starters, the tablet has an 11-inch screen, which is actually a pretty decent size for a family tablet and speaking about family, you can actually set up accounts for different users which I think is a brilliant idea!

The tablet contains what Google claim to be a faster and more secure Tensor G2 processor, which for those who aren’t aware is Google’s chip.

The interesting thing is that Google has decided to include a built-in Chromecast which makes the tablet even better when it comes to family life. I mean it allows people to use the tablet as an entertainment device, almost a small TV.

At present, the Google Pixel Tablet is only available in Porcelain and Hazel and while I kind of like the Hazel colour, I’m actually quite disappointed that it only comes in two colours.

The tablet itself comes with 8GB of RAM and in terms of storage, you have an option of either 128GB or 256GB which for this day and age is pretty reasonable, I couldn’t imagine going lower with the storage space!

In terms of the cameras, there’s nothing too exciting here. The rear camera is only 8MP and so is the front camera. Now I don’t know about you, but I never actually use the cameras on my iPad other than for video calls, so this to me is actually perfectly acceptable!

Is it a Revelation or a Gimmick?

I know that this may just be another gimmick to some, but I think that it’s actually a really good idea!

It will allow you to get the most out of your tablet even if you’re not actually using it as a tablet! I know many that will choose to buy the Pixel Tablet just because of the fact that they can use it as a smart display.

I know I’m thinking about it! I think it would be a perfect addition to my Home Assistant ecosystem!

Who is it For?

This is another difficult question to answer because whether you buy it or not is a matter of preference.

But from what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think Google is aiming at people who want to use a tablet for professional reasons and work.

I mean if I was looking for a new tablet for work-related purposes, I would likely stick with an iPad of some variation, but that’s mainly due to the apps that I use on it currently. But if I was looking for home use or entertainment, the Google Pixel Tablet would be a very strong option.

I feel that this is a tablet aimed at home use, it’s a device aimed to be used by families as well as a smart home device.

Final Thoughts

It’s really difficult to talk about a product I haven’t used or seen with my own eyes, but I think it’s fair to say that I am a huge fan of this concept, especially for home use.

I mean a smartphone is enough for most people and when people do tend to get tablets, they don’t tend to use them as often as they use their phones, which leaves them just laying there, collecting dust. 

As someone who used to work in an electronics store, I can’t count the number of times a customer has told me that they have completely forgotten they had a tablet is unreal or that it’s just been sitting there unused.

Overall, I think that Google has found a pretty relatable problem with tablets and has created a pretty awesome solution, but how well will the idea sell? We’ll just have to wait and see!