I’m an unabashed Android fanboy, and I’ve purchased lots of Android tablets, principally from Google. The Nexus 7 (each generations), Nexus 9, even the ill-fated Pixel C and Pixel Slate. However I resisted the urge to purchase the generically-named Pixel Pill, and you’ll too if the final two high-end Google tablets you acquire turned out to be one-off duds. Fortuitously, it appears to be like like Google has just a little extra religion in its newest iteration.
Android Authority quotes a leak on an upcoming Google-designed Tensor G6 chip that may allow double USB-C ports, considered one of which is particularly designed for exterior shows on tablets. They’re calling it the “Pixel Pill 3,” however I don’t have lots of religion in that being near the official moniker for no matter system makes use of this chip, if solely as a result of we haven’t seen any indication of a Pixel Pill 2. But it surely does point out that Google is engaged on new first-party pill {hardware}, and dealing on making it attention-grabbing and distinct in a sea of iPad clones.
Regardless of my hesitance to purchase it, I’ve to confess that the Pixel Pill is fairly good. It sidesteps the errors for the Pixel C (not sufficient software program help) and Pixel Slate (method too costly for ChromeOS), and carves out a selected area of interest and promoting level with its cool dock accent. Leveraging Google’s stable market place as a sensible house vendor into extra curiosity for a brand new pill was a sensible transfer, and increasing it into extra fleshed-out help for exterior shows could be one other one.
Google Pixel Pill with Charging Speaker Dock
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I might see the subsequent Pixel Pill marketed as a tool that lives subsequent to your TV as an leisure hub along with a smarthome controller. Why not? It’s much more highly effective and succesful than any Roku or Apple TV. You can even take one other swing at increasing Android gaming to the TV…although if even Nvidia couldn’t land that one and needed to rebrand the Protect as a premium media machine, I might see why Google is perhaps hesitant. Nonetheless, doubling as a pill and an Android TV/Google TV supplier could be one more technique to make a price play for shoppers.
We’ve been listening to rumblings about Google increasing each folding telephones and tablets with an alternate interface for extra laptop computer/desktop-style use, one thing very akin to Samsung’s DeX and varied different instruments. This isn’t a rumor, the code has been noticed in private builds, although this alternate UI hasn’t proven up within the remaining model of Android 15. Nonetheless, it’s price protecting that at the back of your thoughts as we hear about chip designs which may not arrive for 2 or three years. Android Authority guesses the Tensor G6 is on observe for 2027 — the Pixel 9 for this yr makes use of a Tensor G4.
Each of those tidbits point out to me that Google isn’t going to drop its first-party tablets like a scorching potato, because it has prior to now. Which will get me excited to see new and attention-grabbing pill {hardware} for the primary time in a very long time. I miss the times when Android tablets went all-in on experimentation, just like the Asus Transformer line, or Lenovo’s typically ridiculous setups with built-in handles and pico projectors.
lenovo.com
True, these have been typically lifeless ends by way of design, however they have been positively price exploring. Lenovo’s devoted dock-slash-speaker for the Sensible Tab was a really apparent inspiration for Google and the Pixel Pill.
There’s cool pill stuff coming from Google, and I haven’t been capable of say that for some time. It feels good. Possibly subsequent time I’ll really purchase one.