Google’s Pixel Tablet isn’t far from the dock

A tablet without LTE in this economy? Google thinks it’ll have legs, and that users will spend big on multiple home docking stations.

Google’s new Pixel Tablet seems like it was designed for homebodies.

Google’s first tablet to launch in the Australian market was built for a very specific kind of user. And that is one who doesn’t leave their home too often.

The new 11-inch device arrives with what the search engine giant describes as a charging speaker dock, which does exactly what you’d imagine.

When connected to its dock – via three magnets on its rear – the device doubles as a smart speaker, appearing in the casting menu of Spotify among other streaming services on laptops, phones and other devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

This feature – which is available on most home hubs such as Amazon’s Echo Show – is pretty handy, if we’re being honest. As is the ability to register multiple users on the device, allowing partners, children or flatmates to access the tablet privately.

When docked, the Pixel Tablet is much like any other home hub, and it appears Google has high hopes users will be buying multiple stations to dock the tablet with charging speaker docks ($189) up for sale individually in the Google store.

Hubs for devices seem to be all the range for the US tech giant, which recently released a second generation Pixel Stand to charge the Google mobile phone range ($119). The Pixel Tablet and the Pixel phone range can all be charged by USB-C cables as well.

The Google Pixel Tablet.

The Pixel Tablet is Google’s first device to come with a built-in chromecast, allowing users to cast content directly from their phones onto a bigger screen.

As a tablet, the device is relatively strong, arriving with Google’s new Tensor G2 chip, which is protected by the Titan M2 security chip.

The device begins at $899 for 128GB of storage and goes up to $999 for 256GB. It has 8GB of RAM and comes in two colours; porcelain (beige) and hazel (sage).

As for the cameras, both front and rear are 8 megapixel. The device allows users to user a 360-degree background function in Google Meet calls.

The Pixel Tablet is limited to Wi-Fi connectivity, which is another reason we believe Google sees this as a device as a home hub rather than a purely portable device.

When removed from the docking station, the tablet does continue to play music from its four in-built speakers, although at a much lower volume and quality – which is to be expected.

One feature we enjoy is the split screen functionality, which allows a user to watch videos while taking notes. A similar feature in Chrome allows users to view two web pages at once by clicking a new window.

For those who enjoy surround sound-like functionality, the Pixel Tablet, when docked, can be used as part of a room on Google Home, allowing music to be played on the docked tablet plus on Nest Wi-Fi points, smart alarms and speakers.

The small but quirky features, we loved, include the tablet automatically dimming while docked when the lights are turned off. In this mode, it’s bright enough to read the time without keeping the user awake at night.

Dual screen functionality is also a massive perk when using a screen of its size (11-inch).

Nearby share is a handy tool for users of different brand devices, with the tablet able to share web pages to Chrome browsers on Macs and other laptops.

In its calculator app, the Pixel Tablet shows users their sum history which, anyone who enjoys numbers knows, is a godsend.

The ability to turn on “extra dim” brightness and use warm lighting finally gives users a reason to buy eBooks via Google’s Play Books store.

Google also recently extended its VPN features from just the Google Pixel 7 Pro to those with a paid Google One membership, allowing users to retain some level of privacy online from $2.49 per month, which includes 100GB of storage which can be shared with five other users.

Google TV is also a handy app which, similar to Apple TV, allows the user to select which streaming services they own and get recommendations based on those services as well as save movies and TV series while browsing on the fly.

The device has a 2560 x 1600 resolution and can stream content for up to 12 hours before needing to be charged.

The new device in the Pixel Tablet case.

The verdict? For $899, it’d be hard to be upset with this device. We’re certainly not disappointed with its features and functionality.

Originally published as Google’s Pixel Tablet isn’t far from the dock