At a look
Skilled’s Score
Execs
- Smooth & trendy design
- Stable efficiency
- Good battery life
- Chromecast obtainable when docked
Cons
- Dock has mediocre audio
- Lacking Nest Hub options
- Sluggish charging
Our Verdict
The Pixel Pill has downsides and sure issues can’t be mounted with a software program replace however now you should purchase it with out the docking station at an reasonably priced worth, it makes for a good-value Android pill alternative.
Worth When Reviewed
$399 (128GB) | $499 (256GB)
Finest Costs Immediately: Google Pixel Pill
After a protracted hole from 2018’s Pixel Slate, Google’s newest own-brand pill arrived in 2023. Nevertheless, it’s a greater purchase now than when it launched a yr in the past.
Android tablets have definitely had their ups and downs over time, from the highs of the Nexus 7 which Google constructed with Asus to the lows of appalling efforts from the likes of Alcatel.
They nonetheless have a spot out there however with iPads nonetheless being the standard go-to alternative, has Google give you a nifty method to stand out?
The Pixel Pill is undeniably fascinating, despite the fact that we’ve seen docking tablets just like the Lenovo Sensible Tab P10 prior to now. In some ways, the Pixel Pill is a Google Nest Hub Max the place the display comes off however it’s totally different in numerous methods too.
My authentic evaluation of the Pixel Pill described it as “one thing of a tough promote” on account of reality prospects had been compelled to purchase it with the docking station however the largest downside with the machine has now been mounted.
Replace Might 2024: We’ve up to date this evaluation to replicate Google’s resolution to let prospects purchase the Pixel Pill by itself, with out the Charging Speaker Dock.
Discover out what the Pixel Pill is up towards in our greatest tablets chart.
Design & Construct
- Pill attaches to docking station
- Matt nano-ceramic coating
- Three colors in some markets
On the entire, the Pixel Pill appears and feels as I anticipated since Google first teased it. In reality, it’s extra premium than I believed, largely due to its uncommon nano-ceramic coating.
This provides it a stunning tactile texture that feels good to the touch – it’s a bit just like the underside of a mug the place there’s no glaze however not as tough. Its matt end appears clear and trendy and offers the Pill a very good quantity of grip.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It’s suitably skinny and lightweight at 8.1mm and 493g, solely marginally greater than the most recent common iPad which has a equally sized display. Not everyone seems to be a fan of a bezel across the show however it’s loads smaller than the Nest Hub Max’s and offers you house to carry the slate with out interfering.
In reality, it’s extra premium than I believed, largely due to its uncommon nano-ceramic coating.
A fingerprint scanner resides within the energy button and works effectively for those who get a very good scan (I did mine a second time to enhance recognition). It’s price noting that there’s no bodily swap to disable the mics and digicam like on Google’s sensible shows so that you’ll want to make use of the short settings shortcut for every.
The Pixel Pill oringally got here bundled with the Speaker Charging Dock however now you possibly can select it with or with out which is nice information. The Dock is available in an identical color and is very like the bottom a part of Nest Hubs, lined in material and with a grippy rubber base.
Each are well-made and the pill is constructed with over 30% recycled supplies (primarily based on weight) and the aluminum chassis is 100% recycled.
Magnets enable the Pixel Pill to simply snap onto the dock and the 4 steel pogo pin contacts on the again of the slate join the 2 collectively seamlessly. It’s a neat system till you come to take the pill off.
Curiously, this isn’t one thing Google offers any directions for (exterior of the journalist reviewer’s information) so it was a little bit of trial and error for me till I developed a way. Merely choose the pill up and the dock comes with it, push it down and it slams into the floor it’s on. There are rubber ft on the underside fringe of the pill to put it aside from injury, although Google tells me they’re to assist with leaning it towards issues.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Ultimately, I discovered one of the best ways is to grip the pill on the highest edge within the center or with each fingers at both finish, and push away utilizing the highest of the dock as a pivot level. This enables the 2 to separate with out a lot drama. It could be good to carry onto the dock with the opposite hand, however it’s obscured behind the pill an excessive amount of.
This provides the phantasm of the pill floating whereas docked which is sort of good however isn’t essentially the most sensible. It’s additionally price noting that the angle of the display is extra upright than the Nest Hub sensible shows. I didn’t discover it an issue on my desk however it’s not excellent when it’s on a kitchen worktop when you’re trying down on the show.
If desire a extra versatile stand, you should purchase the Google-approved Wasserstein Adjustable Stand for Google Pixel Pill for $39.99. It means that you can swivel and tilt the dock and pill collectively. Google additionally has an official case full with kickstand which doesn’t must be eliminated to nonetheless use the dock for $79/£89.
Within the UK, the Pixel Pill is available in two colors: Porcelain and Hazel. I’ve examined the latter which I personally desire, largely as a result of it has a black bezel across the display slightly than white. Within the US, it’s additionally obtainable in a 3rd colourway referred to as Rose which I’d describe as pastel peach.
This provides the phantasm of the pill floating whereas docked which is sort of good however isn’t essentially the most sensible.
Display screen & Audio system
- 11in LCD panel
- Quad pill audio system
- Docking station offers full-range driver
As is turning into fairly frequent for tablets, Google has gone for an 11in show right here. It’s technically 10.95in while you take the rounded corners into consideration, however that minuscule sacrifice is price it for aesthetics.
It’s suitably crisp at 2560×1600 in decision and has a large 16:10 facet ratio. Different particulars embrace an anti-smudge coating and help for USI 2.0 stylus pens – that’s the most recent model from the Common Stylus Initiative.
Google has opted for an LCD panel right here slightly than OLED, which on paper isn’t pretty much as good however I’d say most customers received’t discover the distinction or be dissatisfied. The Pixel Pill a lot vibrant – I measured it at 523 nits which is greater than the five hundred Google quotes – wealthy and vibrant to supply an fulfilling expertise, even when OLED can present higher distinction and color replica.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
LCD tech additionally helps with battery life which I’ll come to later. Lastly, the Ambient EQ characteristic additionally discovered on Google’s Nest Hubs makes use of a light-weight sensor to routinely alter the brightness and color temperature primarily based on the environment and works very effectively.
By way of audio, there are two choices right here because the pill itself has a quad-speaker array with two drivers on both facet (when in panorama mode) whereas the docking station has a 43.5mm full-range driver.
The audio from the Charging Speaker Dock is affordable. It’s not ‘room-filling’ as Google suggests as a result of that will require pumping the amount and introducing loads of distortion and a harsh tonal shift.
I discover it too bass- and mid-range targeted, so it has a slight boomy sound and you may’t alter the tone. It appears like an affordable radio and I’ve examined loads of price range Bluetooth audio system that sound significantly higher.
It’s unusual as a result of contemplating the Nest Hub Max is actually the Pixel Pill however mounted to the dock, that machine has a a lot better sound system with two tweeters and a woofer making a fuller and extra dynamic sound. Google ought to have simply repurposed this right into a magnetic dock particularly given the asking worth of the Dock as a separate accent.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It’s price noting that when the pill is undocked, you possibly can’t use the docking station as a speaker, not by way of Bluetooth, Google Forged or in any other case. When docking and undocking, any audio taking part in will routinely transfer between the 2 audio techniques.
Specs & Efficiency
- Tensor G2 chip
- 8GB RAM
- 128- or 256GB storage
The Pixel Pill is powered by Google’s personal Tensor G2 chipset, the identical one discovered within the Pixel 7 smartphones. There’s 8GB of RAM and this mix is greater than as much as the duty of working issues each day.
It’s immensely extra highly effective than Google’s Nest Hub sensible shows and benchmarks effectively up towards premium rivals…
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The one alternative it’s important to make is whether or not to purchase 128- or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. With cloud storage (all Google customers get 15GB totally free) and streaming companies, I’d say most customers might be wonderful with the smaller quantity however have a give it some thought as a result of there’s no microSD card slot right here so as to add extra.
Elsewhere, there’s Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and an ultra-wideband chip “for correct ranging” although Google doesn’t clarify precisely what this implies. Be aware that’s there’s no 4G or 5G mobile mannequin.
It’s immensely extra highly effective than Google’s Nest Hub sensible shows and benchmarks effectively up towards premium rivals such because the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and OnePlus Pad. I’ve definitely not had any efficiency points with the Pixel Pill throughout my time with it.
On the pictures entrance, the Pixel Pill has entrance and rear 8Mp cameras and, they’re first rate sufficient for the sorts of stuff you’d use a pill digicam for. Colors are vibrant and there’s cheap element in good lighting except that you must crop right into a small part. The front-facing digicam has a portrait mode and when used for Google Meet, the software program routinely adjusts the picture for lighting and framing.
Battery Life & Charging
- 27Wh battery
- Mediocre charging pace
- No USB-C adapter/cable equipped
Contained in the Pixel Pill is a 27Wh battery and Google says you’ll get 12 hours of video streaming. That’s a pre-production take a look at streaming 1080p video by way of YouTube at a hard and fast 82% display brightness.
I haven’t discovered it to be fairly that good within the real-world however it’s not too far off. Utilizing it as a video child monitor for an hour appears to sometimes wipe off round 10% of the battery. In our regular PCMark for Android battery take a look at, the Pixel Pill lasted a powerful 14 hours and 19 minutes.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Charging is a barely difficult state of affairs right here. On the one hand, it’s easy because the Charging Speaker Dock – because the title provides away – will cost the machine each time it’s docked. It’ll do that at a reasonably sluggish 15W price supplying you with simply 21% cost from useless in half-hour.
The Pixel Pill does even have a USB-C port for conventional charging however there’s no wall adapter within the field and Google doesn’t state the charging pace of this methodology. The equipment part of the shop does recommend its personal 30W charger, however this doesn’t imply it would cost at that pace.
In reality, Google has instructed me that it’ll take an analogous time to the docking station (2-3 hours to full) and gave me a suggestion of an 18W charger.
Software program & Options
- Android 13
- Hub Mode
- Google Forged
As you’ll anticipate, the Pixel Pill ships with Android 13 (upgradable to Android 14) and, being Google’s personal pill, is the pure vanilla version at a base stage with the Materials You UI as per Pixel telephones.
There are a couple of additions which are particular to this machine that make it serviceable as each a pill and a Nest Hub-style sensible show. Fortunately that is extra than simply the Google TV widget that’s on the house display by default.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The principle ingredient is named Hub Mode; the standing the Pixel Pill is in when connected to the Charging Speaker Dock. There’s a satisfying animation and notification sound while you dock and undock.
It’s to not be confused with how the Subsequent Hub sensible shows work as they run Fuchsia OS as a substitute of Android. Maybe it’s as a result of I’ve three Nest Hubs dotted round the home and use all of them virtually each day, however I discover Hub Mode on the Pixel Pill a bit lacklustre.
Fuchsia OS is customized made for sensible shows and has an intuitive interface with tiles for every kind of data and content material in addition to fast entry to settings like display brightness.
A novel promoting level is that the Pixel Pill is the primary ever pill with Google Forged built-in.
Nevertheless, Google’s chosen to go down a distinct route right here by supplying you with a small collection of options, however then it’s basically an Android pill on a stand when you unlock it (which you’ll’t do along with your face, frustratingly).
One of many foremost issues Hub Mode does is offer you a screensaver with a alternative of choices together with Google’s climate forecast full with charming frog or Google Images integration turning it right into a digital picture body.
I discover it massively disappointing that some options discovered on the Subsequent Hub Max are lacking right here. They’re made potential on the Max utilizing its front-facing digicam so there’s no cause why the Pixel Pill shouldn’t be capable of do the identical issues.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
Ben Patterson/Foundry
Ben Patterson/Foundry
The Subsequent Hub Max can recognise customers with Face Match to offer you a personalised expertise and the digicam may also be used for gesture instructions resembling holding your hand as much as pause/resume music. In the meantime, the Nest Hub 2nd-gen has Sleep Sensing in-built by way of Soli radar which is nowhere to be seen on the Pixel Pill.
You do get hands-free Google Assistant – although that’s no large deal – in addition to sensible dwelling controls for devices like lights and thermostats when you’ve got them and that is accessible by way of a shortcut within the nook of the screensaver or lockscreen. It’s not way more than a shortcut to the Google Dwelling app, although.
A novel promoting level is that the Pixel Pill is the primary ever pill with Google Forged built-in. It means you possibly can ‘forged’ content material out of your telephone or different gadgets to be performed on the pill. Numerous apps are supported together with Netflix, Spotify and BBC iPlayer.
That’s what you’d anticipate from a sensible show, however it’s a disgrace Google limits this performance to when the pill is in Hub Mode. I’d positively discover it helpful in numerous conditions to forged to the pill when it’s elsewhere – resembling when my daughter is on my lap and I wish to put an episode of Bluey on the pill however can’t attain.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
General, it’s a disgrace {that a} large promoting level of the Pixel Pill – docking it and utilizing Hub Mode – is mediocre, particularly when it’s important to purchase the machine bundled with the dock, which is overpriced as a separate accent.
On the flipside, the very fact it’s working full-blown Android means you possibly can set up nearly any app you need, and Google has optimised a collection of apps for the Pixel Pill together with Meet, WhatsApp, Netflix, Spotify, Images and extra. You could possibly even feasibly get a Bluetooth keyboard and use it like a small PC.
One of many plus sides of going with Google is a minimal of 5 years of safety updates. You must also anticipate three years of OS updates, with Google’s replace web page for the pill displaying updates till June 2026.
Worth & Availability
When the Pixel Pill hit the market, you could possibly purchase it in two storage capacities and had to purchase the docking station with it. Costs had been £599/$499 for the cheaper 128GB mannequin and £699/$599 to double it to 256GB.
Quick ahead to Might 2024 and Google has determined to rejig issues so you should purchase the pill by itself or bundled with the dock, at diminished costs:
- Pixel Pill (128GB) – £399/$399
- Pixel Pill (256GB) – £519/$499
- Pixel Pill + dock (128GB) – £499/$499
- Pixel Pill + dock (256GB) – £619/$599
- Further dock – £139/$129
You should purchase it from Google and BestBuy within the US and Google and Amazon within the UK.
It’ll little doubt put loads of potential consumers off when you think about the most recent iPad (Tenth-gen) is £349/$399 – albeit with 64GB storage.
The excellent news, if you’re into the docking system and have a wholesome financial institution stability, is which you can buy additional docking stations for £139/$129. This implies you possibly can have them positioned across the dwelling and transfer the Pixel Pill as you go about your day.
Nevertheless, that worth is approach over the percentages and makes the ecosystem off-putting, particularly when you think about that the Nest Hub 2 is £89.99/99.99. The maths simply doesn’t add up right here.
Take a look at our chart of the very best tablets for extra choices.
Do you have to purchase the Google Pixel Pill?
It’s a yr previous however the Pixel Pill is a greater purchase now than it was when it first launched.
Google has lastly determined to let prospects purchase the pill alone or bundle the docking station – although I nonetheless suppose further docking stations must be loads cheaper.
This alternative means you possibly can go in no matter path you like, purchase a pill like many rivals or use it as a sensible show when docked.
There are nonetheless downsides that received’t go away just like the sluggish charging (which isn’t unusual within the pill world) and the lacklustre audio the dock offers, however nothing that’s sufficient to be too offputting.
And with 5 years of safety updates and three years of OS updates from launch, the Pixel Pill continues to be good to go for a few years.
Specs
- Android 13 (upgradable to Android 14)
- 10.95in LCD display, 2560×1600, 16:10
- Tensor G2 chip
- 8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage
- Quad audio system
- 3 mics far-field
- Fingerprint Unlock with energy button
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Extremely-Wideband chip for correct ranging
- Google Forged
- Pogo pin connector for speaker dock
- USB-C
- Twin 8Mp cameras
- 12 hours video streaming
- 8.1mm
- 493g