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Rumored Pixel Tablet accessories could bring it more in line with iPad and Galaxy Tab

By Anam Hamid

Updated: May 30, 2023, 7:04 PM

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Tablets Google

Rumored Pixel Tablet accessories could bring it more in line with iPad and Galaxy Tab

After a year of teasing, Google fully unveiled the Pixel Tablet earlier this month, with availability planned for June 20. It's a dockable tablet and will come with a Charging Speaker Dock. It has been positioned as a device for entertainment, smart home controls, and hands-free Google Assistant queries. Reliable leaker Kamila Wojciechowska has today hinted that the company was working on a dedicated stylus and keyboard but it's unclear at the moment whether the accessories will be released at the same time as the tablet, if at all.

Official keyboard and stylus accessories were not announced alongside the Pixel Tablet but do exist

Apple and Samsung make keyboard cases and styluses for their tablets. In fact, Samsung offers the S Pen stylus for free with its best Android tablets. The companies want you to think of their slates as do-it-all devices that can double up as laptops when needed. Whether they can replace laptops is open to debate but Google doesn't really want to engage in this debate by claiming that its tablet can be used as a productivity device. But it looks like this wasn't the plan all along.

Wojciechowska today mentioned two accessories that Google hasn't announced so far: a "Stylus for Pixel Tablet" and a "Keyboard for Pixel Tablet".

Now, the Pixel Tablet does have Bluetooth, so you are free to buy third-party keyboards and it also supports USI 2.0 styluses.

At the moment, there are no official keyboard and pen accessories for the slate but Wojciechowska says they are still in development. She also adds that the tablet took so long to be released because it wasn't ready and says Google is still putting the final touches.

im not too surprised, they delayed the tablet a whole year because it wasnt ready and its still not finished now (the situation is about the same in case of the stylus/keyboard, its still in development)." - Kamila Wojciechowska

It could be that the company is running behind schedule and may announce the official accessories at some later point in time.

Or - and we are speculating here - Google may have realized that it couldn't compete with productivity-oriented iPads and chose a different direction for its tablets.

Another theory, which has been proposed by well-known writer and Android enthusiast Mishaal Rahman is that the Pixel Tablet's stylus might just be an internal testing product.

Google clearly has too much on its plate at the moment. The company also announced its first foldable phone alongside the Pixel Tablet and it even made a second foldable phone that it thought was not good enough for release and is possibly exploring a clamshell phone as well.

The Pixel Tablet starts at $499 and is currently on pre-order. The Charging Speaker Dock serves as a stand for the tablet. The slate has a 10.95-inch LCD screen and is powered by the Tensor G2 chip. It will get five years of software updates.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.