Google’s had a pretty interesting (and sometimes frustrating) history with tablets. While its early Nexus 7 devices managed to gain a following among loyal Android fans after a unique device with clean software and updates directly from Google, the company’s latter Pixel-branded devices didn’t fare too well, especially since the company was aiming to compete on a more “mainstream” level with brands such as Apple and Samsung, to name a couple.
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That’s why when it launched the Pixel Tablet alongside the Pixel 7a, many were hopeful that Google finally had its tablet strategy figured out. The Pixel Tablet came with a design and software features that felt more uniform with the rest of the company’s Pixel product lineup, and it even doubled as a smart home display which gave it a more unique and versatile feel especially when compared to most other Android tablets on the market. Google even made big strides with designing Android to work better on larger screens, and at this point in time things looked very promising.
Over the next couple of years however, it seemed like Google pretty much forgot everything the Pixel Tablet. Other than some early plans that it was merging Android and Chrome OS, there’s not really much that’s happened with Google’s tablet line—no successor, no big feature updates, and Google even started selling the tablet as a standalone product without the bundled speaker dock.
It then comes as no surprise that the company is once again done with tablets. A new report from Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg states that Google is pretty much not working on any new tablet hardware at the moment, at least until the company “figures out a meaningful future for the category,” according to executives at the company. It’s certainly an interesting take, since Apple continues to sell truckloads of iPads and other Android manufacturers have continued to pump out new tablets every year, such as the very impressive OnePlus Pad 3 and Samsung’s new midrange Tab S10 Lite, to name a couple.
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Formally announced back in 2023, the Pixel Tablet featured a unique design that borrowed visual elements from the Pixel 5 with a smooth matte rear panel, and attached magnetically to a dedicated speaker dock. Google also promised software support up until June 2026, which probably gave the impression that the company was back in the tablet market segment for the long haul. With all that being said, one can’t help but wonder how long it will take for Google to try its hand at tablets again.
