For a long time, being the best Android tablet was rather like being the prettiest member of Slipknot: an achievement for sure, but the bar was set pretty low. Things are a lot better than they used to be, of course, but while Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a decent Android buy it's four-stars good rather than five-stars great. That's why the Google Pixel Tablet is getting so much attention, because from the get-go it's been clear that Google wants to take on and beat Apple's all-conquering iPad.
The latest collection of leaks suggest that Google might just have managed it.
What's so great about the Google Pixel Tablet?
There are three key things that make the Pixel Tablet look pretty tempting.
1. The spec is better than expected
According to 9to5Google's sources, reports that the Pixel Tablet wasn't getting the latest Tensor chip are incorrect: it's getting the Tensor G2, the same chip that's in the Pixel 7 Pro, and it's backed with an impressive 8GB of RAM. That's twice the RAM of the Galaxy Tab 6 Lite and should deliver an impressively smooth Android 13 experience.
2. It looks absolutely gorgeous
Home technology doesn't have to look good, I know. But it's nice when it's more interesting than a featureless black slab that looks like every other tablet around. And the latest leaks say that in addition to the the green/black and beige/white versions of the previously shown "nanoceramic" finish, which looks very like porcelain, there are two more colours coming too. I think the Pixel has a strong claim to be one of the best-looking tablets we've seen so far.
3. There's a dock in the box
Every Pixel Tablet will come with the Charging Speaker Dock, which turns the tablet into a smart home hub as well as a great media player and video calling device. I really like the way Google has designed this: as you can see from the image above, it doesn't get in the way and it looks really good with the Pixel magnetically attached to it.
That's the good news. The bad? You won't be able to buy it on 11 May, when the Google Pixel 7a is expected to go on sale. But it does seem that the tablet release date is going to be soon: at least once source tells 9to5Google that a June release date is likely. It's been a long wait, but I think this looks very much like a tablet worth waiting for.
