The long-awaited Google Pixel Tablet is almost here, with Google I/O confirming we’ll be able to buy the tablet on June 20. But while I/O revealed a lot about what the tablet can do, there were some noticeably absent features: namely keyboard and stylus support. Well they might still have a chance of appearing in the near future.
Leaker Kamila Wojciechowska revealed a load of early Pixel Tablet details at the start of the year, and is now back teasing the “Keyboard for Pixel Tablet” and “Stylus for Pixel Tablet”. She doesn’t go into any detail about these two things, only expressing disappointment that Google would delay the tablet for so long only to release it in a seemingly-unfinished state.
Kamila implies that both keyboard and stylus accessories may be made available in the near future — though it’s unclear when. If indeed that’s the case, it could give the Pixel Tablet the stuff it needs to better compete with Apple’s iPad. Maybe not the iPad Pro series, which is powered by the same M-series chips as Macs and MacBooks, but certainly the likes of the iPad Air.
Of course the Pixel Tablet’s main feature is something even Apple doesn’t offer — the option to use the tablet as a smart home display. That’s aided by the charging dock, which connects to the back of the tablet magnetically and functions as a speaker. This effectively turns your Pixel Tablet into a Next Hub each time you place it down to recharge.
There have been rumors that Apple could launch its own smart display, merging an iPad experience with the HomePod speaker. It is unclear whether there will be an option to remove the tablet and use it like a regular iPad. However it has been rumored that this sort of feature could come to both the iPad and iPhones in the near future. Albeit without the special charging dock, to the best of our knowledge.
But despite the lack of smart home-centric technology, the iPad does offer keyboard and stylus support — even on the dirt-cheap entry level models. Samsung and OnePlus also do this on the best Android tablets. So without more productivity-focussed options Google may struggle to make the Pixel tablet relevant.
In the meantime you can read all about what the Pixel Tablet can do in our Google Pixel Tablet hands-on, ahead of the official release on June 20.
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