The canceled Pixel Tablet 2 suggests Google learned all the wrong lessons

For those waiting for a Pixel Tablet 2, it’s been a frustrating few weeks. First, we heard reports that the third-gen Pixel Tablet — a device in the works for 2027 — was dead in the water, with the second-gen model serving as a lame duck conclusion to the lineup. Just hours later, we learned that the Pixel Tablet 3 had not been killed, but the Pixel Tablet 2 was dead, leaving Google’s most recent slate to flounder for several years to come.

Although we’d previously heard about keyboard accessories for the Pixel Tablet 2 — something woefully missing on the first-gen model — today’s report from Android Authority paints a much clearer picture on what this device was supposed to be. It’s a big pivot away from the smart home-centric first-gen model, and in my eyes, a total misunderstanding of what made the original Pixel Tablet special. If Google ever wants to reinvest in the tablet space again (or, you know, the laptop space), I’m hoping it learns some valuable lessons from this cancelation.

These leaked Pixel Tablet 2 specs paint a confusing picture

What was Google trying to accomplish here?

AP’s Google Editor Taylor Kerns already did a remarkable job summarizing what the Pixel Tablet 2 was likely to be before its (admittedly still rumored) untimely death, but if you missed the news, here’s the quick jist. According to Kamila Wojciechowska at Android Authority, Google’s next slate was supposed to include a slightly brighter, 120Hz display, improved camera sensors, 5G support, and DisplayPort connectivity, all packed inside a familiar form factor and powered by the Pixel 9’s Tensor G4. All this, plus a Thread radio for direct control of supported smart home gadgets.

To the enthusiast community, these upgrades read like a checklist of what the original Pixel Tablet was lacking. A 120Hz display would’ve brought the Pixel Tablet 2 closer to its Samsung-branded competition (and exceed what Apple offers in all but its most expensive devices). Google’s Tensor G4 is a much better chipset than the first-gen slate’s Tensor G2, even if some die-hard Android fans are stuck waiting for the rumored TSMC-made Tensor G5. And additions like DisplayPort connectivity and optional 5G support suggest the Pixel Tablet 2 would’ve been the productivity machine its predecessor was not.

I’m sure some of you are saying out loud that, yes, these are exactly the sort of changes you’d expect in a sequel. Yet, for all of Google’s potential hardware improvements, the Pixel Tablet 2’s core identity seems as half-baked as its predecessor. Is this a tablet designed to compete with the iPad, or is this the future of the Nest Hub lineage, as the first-gen Pixel Tablet suggested? Google’s inability to decide in either direction is likely why the product’s dead in the first place.

Seriously, look at this list. Aside from the addition of a Thread radio, what here helps to achieve the original Pixel Tablet’s pitch? 5G, display output, and keyboard accessories effectively accomplish nothing towards building a hybrid tablet-smart display. Neither does a faster refresh rate or improved camera sensors, even if the former seems like a no-brainer. This entire list ignores what the Pixel Tablet was designed to be from the jump: a new, more flexible take on 2019’s Nest Hub Max, while simultaneously being too scared to cut away from its smart home origins altogether.

Instead, it seems like Google was gearing up to launch a much less interesting product as a result, while simultaneously keeping the dated, bulky design from last year’s model. No one would’ve been taking this thing to a cafe or on a plane as their main productivity device, especially when its 11-inch display is practically tiny in a world full of 12-to-15-inch tablets.

Google should’ve leaned into smart home with the Pixel Tablet 2

That might be why it got canceled in the first place

Thread support would be a nice improvement, but when I think of what the Pixel Tablet 2 needed to achieve, practically everything on my personal list was ignored. First, I think Google needed to chase a lower price point, and these leaked specs suggest anything but. A 120Hz display and optional 5G support would’ve just drove the price up, at a time when we’ve seen the tenth-gen iPad as low as $250. Google needed to find a way to compete with Apple’s entry-level hardware, and this doesn’t sound like it.

Next, the speaker. It’s not mentioned anywhere in Android Authority’s report, which suggests a downplaying — or, potentially, a full removal — of the main factor that set the original Pixel Tablet apart from its competition. While I think Google made the right decision in releasing a cheaper, dockless version of its slate to retailers, it’s just as frustrating to hear nothing about the Pixel Tablet 2’s speaker. After all, its problems were with the execution, not the concept.

Improving its speaker quality, reinforcing its magnetic connection with the tablet, and adding native cast support to the dock itself would’ve made for a killer accessory, something to really help the Pixel Tablet 2 stand out among the crowd. Meanwhile, Hub Mode is begging for improvements, especially in a Gemini-focused landscape where Nest displays are aging like milk in front of our eyes. If we aren’t going to get a Nest Hub Max 2, this is where Google should be focusing its efforts.

It’s not that Google’s initial approach to a second-gen tablet was bad, but this report just shows a lack of vision on the company’s part. Was this supposed to be a productivity device, something akin to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10+ or the iPad Pro? Was it meant to live in the kitchen or living room as a smart home hub, replacing a Nest Hub while doubling as an easy way to browse through TikTok? This list of proposed changes suggests Google didn’t really know, and that should scare any fan of the company’s products.

Here’s hoping Google has a future with tablets

One a little more well thought out

No matter why Google decided to kill the Pixel Tablet 2, it’s probably for the best. If Google does decide to stick it out in the tablet market with what would have been the Pixel Tablet 3, it needs to think long and hard about what this hardware is trying to accomplish before pouring resources into development. Considering the impact the Pixel 9 is having on the smartphone space, now is not the time for bold experimentation and wacky, untested ideas. More than ever, Google needs a cohesive vision, and considering all we’ve heard on the Pixel Tablet 2, that’s simply not what was bound to end up on store shelves.

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