Google Pixel Tablet 2023

The new Google Pixel Tablet 2023 has elevated this Android tablet to new levels of useability with its new speaker/charging dock, Pixel UI, Pure Android 13 and Google TV and Home integration.

Android tablets are useful – every home needs at least one if only to have an instant-on resource to find recipes, look up movie ratings and more. So Google said, “How can we evolve a tablet into a must-have home item?”

The result is an 11” tablet – Goldilocks size (just right) and a speaker/charging dock that offers more than most other tablets at a pretty reasonable price. There is a lot to like about this tablet.

Or, as I prefer to think of it – an Android tablet with smart display benefits.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

Google’s design style is growing on me. The tablet and its charge dock come in Porcelain (pinkish white) or Hazel (more grey than green). When docked, it looks like an oversize Google Nest Hub Max.

It has a 10.95” diagonal display in a 258 (W) x 169 (H) x 8.1mm (D) x 493g tablet. There is a camera on the front and rear, power and volume buttons on the top, four speakers (landscape – two per side), and a rear 100% recycled aluminium rear panel with AED/nano-ceramic coating. It feels solid and good in the hand.

It sits on a charging/speaker dock. But the thing I like most is the optional Google tablet silicone case (265g) in Porcelain or Hazel that has an infinitely adjustable kickstand (tablets need a kickstand). But only some will buy it at $139. There will be lots of lower-cost, third-party accessories soon.

Too many tablets have the bare minimum processing power and ram to do the job. Google Pixel Tablet 2023 uses its Tensor G2 System on a Chip (SoC made by Samsung and based on the 4nm Exynos 2200) and its M2 security co-processor. It has a fast custom TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) for onboard AI. It is the same SoC as the Google Pixel 7/Pro/a smartphone.

It marries with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. Unfortunately, no micro-SD – Google wants to sell you cloud storage.

The result is fluid performance and no lag. Multi-tasking is more about the operating system, and Android 13 allows side-by-side apps.

Tests

You cannot ask for more.

It is a 2560 x 1600, 276ppi, 16:10, 500 nits (typical), 1500:1 contrast, 16.7m colour, HDR10 capable, 60Hz touchscreen IPS display. More important is the reasonably anti-smudge coating so necessary for tablets. It supports USI 2.0 stylus popular on Chromebooks.

It is IPS/LCD instead of AMOLED simply because the screen, when docked, has a 24/7 Google Hub display, avoiding potential burn-in issues.

Google does not state screen protection (likely GG3), so you should look for a decent screen protector.

Tests

Perfect for content consumption.

It has USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, WHICH SHOULD BUT DOES NOT support Alt DP 1.4 audio/video. This lost opportunity means you cannot use a USB-C to HDMI cable to a dumb monitor. It does support Chromecast to a smart device, and when docked, you can cast to it (Netflix will not).

It has a magnetic dock base with Pogo pin charging. The tablet lifts off easily yet is quite secure.

The dock has a 24V/1/15A/30W plug-style wall charger and passes 15W to the tablet. The tablet will charge to 90% on the dock and discharge to 20% to prolong its life.

When docked, the tablet becomes a Pixel Hub, and you can Chromecast to it – use the screen as a display from any Chromecast smartphone. The Always on Display only works when docked.

It has a single mono 43.5mm full-range speaker (same as the Nest Hub Gen 2) and an amplifier (not specified, but we think about 5W). When docked, the four tablet stereo speakers are disabled and play through the mono dock. While it adds some bass, we can’t see the logic of disabling the stereo tablet speakers – a backward step for video content consumption.

The dock does not have Wi-Fi, BT, or Ethernet and does not function as a standalone speaker.

We will look further at Google Home Hub and Google TV later.

It has a 7020mAh, 27Wh battery. Google claims about 12 hours of typical use.

The dock has a 24V/1.25A/30W charger (a little too wide for a standard double power point), delivering 15W to the tablet.

You can also use a USB-C PD charger (needs 15W or greater for a ‘fast’ charge).

Tests

This has a respectable battery life (the Samsung Tab S8 Ultra has an 11,200mAh battery and delivers 11 hours of video loop and 8 hours on PC Mark). As is typical of the Tensor/Samsung Tensor SoC drain under full load is higher than a Qualcomm SoC, so this is not for heavy users.

It has four landscape speakers (2 amps) with excellent stereo separation and Left/Right directionality. The sound stage is a little wider than the screen. When tested with Dolby Atmos content (it does not decode this), we could hear distinct height sound from the top of the tablet.

The tablet has a ‘bright vocal’ signature for vocal tracks and string instruments but can make them slightly harsh at volume.

It is a shame you can’t use the tablet speakers when docked – it reverts to mono, albeit with decent bass.

The Dock adds mid-and-high bass, but the treble is choppy and harsh. It is more of a warm and sweet signature for music, but as it is mono, it loses the depth and sound stage of the tablet.

Maximum volume is 82/86dB Tablet/Dock.

Our advice – if watching video content or listening to audio content, do not use the dock.

There are two far-field mics, with a third for noise reduction – these work well out to 5 metres to summons OK Google and are great for hands-free use.

You either love or hate Google Design ques. I don’t mind them. This comes in Porcelain or Hazel over an aluminium frame/back plate covered with an AED/nano-ceramic coating. It feels good in the hand. It has no IP rating.

Google does not state the glass protection (I suspect it is GG3), so buy a screen protector.

I would buy the overly expensive Google Silicon case with a kickstand.

It is first an Android tablet with a 2-year warranty and a fantastic five-year OS and security update policy. It does everything a good Android tablet should. Google works continuously on ‘feature drops’, so its functionality will improve over time. Excellent.

It is second, a Google Hub and dock with a Pixel UI. This is optimised for dock us in landscape mode, and there are a few rough edges. For example, Google Home (OK Google), entirely rewritten for Android, subtly differs from Google Nest UI. I suspect feature drops will attempt to make this experience more seamless, but if you use a Google Nest, you may be frustrated at the differences.

Google has updated most of its apps, such as Chrome, Maps, Gmail, Google News, Photos, Files, Google Home, weather, and others, with landscape tablet-specific designs. But too many other apps only work in portrait (smartphone) mode.

It is like the Nest Hub but has lost some of the Hub features. For example, gesture navigation and content formatted for the hub, like recipes. Instead, it only shows Google Search results.

While the Hub is available on the lock screen, most things require you to unlock (fingerprint or pin) the device to allow the App to work. It is a work in progress.

I like Google (nee Android TV) and know every nook and cranny setting. This Google TV has none of that. Instead, it appears to be a portal for buying movies and streaming to a nearby Chromecast TV.

It does not have an Apps button to load Google TV Apps like streaming services. Instead, you must use Google Play and load Android apps. Catch 22 – they are not part of Google TV and its interface. Sorry WFT?

It has a fingerprint scanner on the power button. You can have eight different profiles and five different prints each. It is accurate.

However, as it is not designed to use Google Pay (no NFC), apps that you can usually enable fingerprint access (like LastPass) don’t have that option.

It has identical Front and rear cameras – 8MP f/2.0, 1.12um, 84° FOV, FF, 1080p@30fps.

It is likely a Sony IMX219 (used in Pixel 6/Pro/a) or Samsung S5K4HA/7/8, as all are 1/4″ with 1.12um pixels.

Let’s say that happy snappers will be satisfied, and it is not too bad at getting text off a white/black/paper board.

The Tensor G2 allows AI features including:

I like this device, yet after spending a week with it and running over 70 tests, I can see both the beauty and the beast.

As an Android Tablet, it is at least a 9/10. But you really need an overly expensive Google Silicon case with a kickstand and additional glass protection – ouch.

The dock annoys me. It both lifts this tablet above others, but it has limited use. Why add a mono speaker and disable the four stereo tablet speakers? Surely it simply could have acted as a woofer or dialogue channel. And being a well-versed Nest Hub user, I will not be swapping to this tablet version anytime soon. The interface and display formatting results are quite different. Let’s not even start on the so-called Google TV.

The good thing is that Google takes feedback, and you get regular feature drops. Just as the Pixel 7/Pro had rough edges at launch, it is now a great smartphone, deserving of its impressive market share ascent IDC 2022/23 Australian smartphone market – declining sales.

Its main rival is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1, 8/128GB, and 11” IPS screen at $1099. On paper, these are equally matched. So at $899, including a dock, the Google Pixel Tablet 2023 comes out ahead.

It is well above Samsung’s Tab A series, and Lenovo does not offer a high-end processor in an Android tablet.

So yes, I would buy it without hesitation.

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.7 (E&OE)

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