Google Pixel Tablet: news, release date and price rumors

After years of speculation, Google finally revealed the Pixel Tablet at its annual I/O conference in May 2022. Google was pretty vague at the reveal and has remained tight-lipped when it comes to giving official details about the upcoming tablet.

Luckily, there have been plenty of leaks and rumors about the Pixel Tablet that help paint a picture of what fans can expect when it finally launches later this year. Here’s everything we know about the Google Pixel Tablet.

Google Pixel Tablet: design

The design of the Pixel Tablet is pretty standard in terms of what most people have come to expect from mainstream tablets. It sports a rectangular shape that measures 11 inches long and roughly 7 inches tall.

As is the case with a lot of recent Android tablets, the Pixel Tablet seems to default to being used horizontally rather than vertically, thanks to the front-facing camera that sits in the center of its longest side.

Currently, we’ve seen three color options for the Pixel Tablet. In official renders, Google shows off a pale green design, as well as a white/very light pink color. We’ve also seen a Pixel Tablet in a more charcoal-black color in some leaked images from someone reportedly selling a prerelease version of the tablet on Facebook Marketplace. According to a report from 9to5Google, the Pixel Tablet will be offered in four colors total, although the publication doesn’t give specifics on what colors to expect other than the white and green options shown in Google’s marketing material.

While tablet color options are usually pretty bland, Google tends to feature at least one fun color for each of its devices, so we’re still hoping that we see something bold from Google as we get closer to launch.

Google Pixel Tablet: specs

There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the specs for the Pixel Tablet. We haven’t heard much from Google, so most information comes from leaks, speculation, or logical reasoning.

The one thing Google has confirmed is that the Pixel Tablet is powered by its Tensor G2 chip — the same one that’s inside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. That means it should be plenty powerful for most apps/games, in addition to supporting the powerful AI features you expect on a Pixel smartphone.

Other than that, one report says that the Pixel Tablet will support Wi-Fi 6 and give buyers the option of between 128GB and 256GB of internal storage, with both options sporting 6GB of RAM. Another report agrees with the storage capacity options, but claims that the Pixel Tablet will have 8GB of RAM instead of 6GB (contrary to what previous reports have claimed). Because of the conflicting reports, it’s tough to know exactly what to expect memory-wise when the tablet launches, but it seems safe to expect it to have at least 6GB of RAM. If it turns out to sport 8GB, we certainly won’t be complaining.

A recent stop at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also revealed that the Pixel Tablet will have UWB (ultra-wideband) connectivity. So far, the rumored specs for the tablet seem to be putting it relatively on par with the 2022 base iPad.

There’s still information we’re missing that could make the Pixel Tablet look better (or worse,) so it’s best to reserve final judgment until more is known.

Google Pixel Tablet: docking station

What it may lack in groundbreaking specs, the Pixel Tablet should make up for that with its unique docking station. In October, Google announced that the Pixel Tablet will work with its “Charging Speaker Dock” accessory that should effectively turn the Pixel Tablet into a Nest Hub smart display.

Using a series of pogo pins on the back of the Pixel Tablet, it’s able to dock onto a fabric stand. When you do this, a few things happen — the Pixel Tablet charges, you can use hands-free Google Assistant commands, and larger speakers allow you to listen to music and videos with more fidelity.

There have been rumors that the charging dock will be included in the box with every purchase of a Pixel Tablet, however, a now-removed Amazon listing for the dock suggests that it might be sold separately for $129. Just because Google will be selling the dock separately from the tablet doesn’t confirm that it won’t also be including them with every tablet purchase, however, it does start to suggest that Pixel Tablet buyers may need to spend a little extra if they want to get the most out of the tablet.

Google Pixel Tablet: software

Depending on when it launches, the Pixel Tablet will either be running on Android 13 and then upgrade to Android 14, or it’ll launch alongside/after the launch of Android 14, so it’ll just run on that.

Google’s most recent OS updates have focused a lot on optimizing Android for larger screens, so the launch of the Pixel Tablet will be telling about how well the company is able to actually put that into practice with a first-party device.

Google Pixel Tablet: release date

So far, all we’ve heard from Google about the Pixel Tablet’s release date is that it’ll be launching at some point in 2023. That’s a little vague, so it’s tough to nail down when exactly we should expect to find the tablet on store shelves. It’s probably safe to say that the Pixel Tablet won’t be coming until at least May since that’s when Google’s next big showcase, I/O 2023, will be held.

There are two possibilities here. Google could fully launch the Pixel Tablet at Google I/O 2023 on May 10, or it could simply offer more details and wait to release it later this fall — potentially alongside the Pixel 8 series in October.

Right now, it’s more likely that the former of those two possibilities is what will happen. In early April, the Pixel Tablet officially passed through the FCC — signaling that Google is gearing up to launch the tablet any day now. It also seems like Google may have accidentally leaked the release date of the tablet in an Amazon listing for the tablet’s charging stand. The now-removed listing said that the charging stand would be available on May 10, the day of Google I/O 2023.

It seems like more than a coincidence that all of these prerelease signs are pointing toward a May launch for the tablet. While there’s still no official word from Google, it seems to be all but confirmed to be launching during Google I/O.

Google Pixel Tablet: price

Google hasn’t said anything regarding the Pixel Tablet’s price, but based on its specs, it’s safe to assume that it’ll retail for somewhere around the $400 to $500 range.

Google’s previous tablets have been sold for similar prices, but Google has also been known to overcharge for hardware with less-than-premium specs. Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure until the company makes an official price announcement.

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