The Pixel Tablet's FCC visit points to Google I/O unveiling on May 10th and UWB connectivity
The next time we hear more from Google about the upcoming Pixel Tablet could be May 10th when the annual Google I/O developer conference will take place. Google is expanding the Pixel ecosystem and of course that means releasing a Pixel Tablet. The device did pay a recent visit with the FCC (via 9to5Google) carrying the model number GTU8P which means the Pixel Tablet might be introduced at Google I/O 2023.
How do we know that the listing is for the Pixel Tablet? The FCC ID will be found in the Android Settings menu (FCC ID can be found on Android by going to Settings > About > Regulatory labels) which means that the device runs Android, and it does not have cellular connectivity. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and UWB. It all seems to indicate that the FCC welcomed the Pixel Tablet to its office.
By the way, the aforementioned UWB is ultra-wideband which is used on Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 phones to transfer data and files between nearby Android units with a feature called Nearby Share. It also is used to turn the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series phones into digital car keys. There is some speculation that the Pixel Tablet will use UWB to transfer music from the tablet and have it played on a nearby Google smart speaker. For this to work, we will have to see UWB included in upcoming Nest speakers.
FCC publishes test results for the ultra-wideband connectivity on the Pixel Tablet
UWB is also used to help find the exact location of lost or stolen items. This dovetails with a report we passed along in December that said Google is looking to bring its Find My Device feature to the same level as Apple's Find My app. In addition, Google is rumored to be working on a smart tracking tag device similar to the Apple AirTag. Yes, it all makes sense now and we might be less than five weeks away from the official introduction of the Pixel Tablet.
Powered by the Google Tensor 2 (the same chip powering the Pixel 7 line), the Pixel Tablet could feature a 10.95-inch display with Android 13 pre-installed. We could see the tablet sport 8GB of RAM along with storage options of 128GB/256GB. All of the details could be out on May 10th so mark the date on Google Calendar and keep checking in.
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