The Google Pixel Tablet was a good foundation, but it needs to improve either with new accessories or a sequel in 2024.
2023 saw Google’s first push into bigger screens in its Pixel lineup and with that, some growing pains. As 2024 beings, it’s the Pixel Tablet that Google has the most room for improvement on out of its current lineup, and arguably the one that needs it the most.
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In our Google Pixel 2023 Year in Review last week, I called the Pixel Tablet the “one you probably forgot,” because really, it feels like Google’s first Android tablet since 2015 should have been a bigger deal. The Pixel Tablet is the product I think is most underrated out of what Google put out in 2023, but it’s also the worst product the company released this year.
It’s pretty easy to point out the bad with the Pixel Tablet, so let’s start with the good.
Google’s efforts with this device took a different approach from the competition. Instead of just throwing out a big screen running Android, the Pixel Tablet integrated the core ideas of the Nest Hub series, one of Google’s most successful products. And, while it can be a little buggy, I think this was well-executed and a smart play. Having the Pixel Tablet docked and serving a function when not in use as a tablet gives the product way more utility in the home, somewhere that other tablets really seem to struggle.
But, at the same time, that added utility leads to the biggest downfall of the Pixel Tablet. Google’s focus on this new use case led to the company ignoring a lot of the reasons people actually buy tablets. People buy tablets to consume media at home, definitely, but they also buy this form factor for productivity.
