Google Pixel Tablet review: Clever accessories transform an unexciting tablet
Before I get to how the Pixel Tablet works as a smart display, though, a quick word on its appearance. If you’ve seen one Google Home product, you’ve basically seen them all. The Pixel Tablet, when docked on the speaker, looks almost exactly like the Nest Hub Max. It has the same rounded rectangle shape, white bezel surrounding the 11-inch screen and the base has a similar mesh fabric covering to the rest of the company’s smart home products.
Not that any of this is unique to the Pixel Tablet, by the way. The Nest Hub Max has similarly larger fonts for timers and other info, and the photo frame feature is basically a staple of any smart display. I have multiple Google Home products in my apartment, and some of my issues with the Pixel Tablet as a smart display are ecosystem-wide instead of specific to the device. For instance, when I set up an Automation through the Home app, I wanted it so that saying “I’m home” would start a playlist on the pair of Nest Audios in my living room. However, at the moment only the device that heard you can be the one playing the music. You can’t decide which of your connected speakers does the action.
I found that removing the tablet and propping it up with the kickstand on Google’s case made for the best view. In fact, I’m pretty much in love with this accessory.Look, a kickstand on a tablet isn’t a groundbreaking concept. Lenovo made tablets with built-in stands that also worked as hangers years ago, while Surface devices have featured similar mechanisms for ages. But neither Lenovo’s Yoga Tablet nor any of the Surfaces doubled as smart displays.
I also played endless rounds of Solitaire with the tablet propped up on my table while I had dinner and watched TV. That’s honestly the thing most tablets are good for – entertainment – , but often not much else. Google does offer some multitasking features in Android, but it doesn’t make a keyboard specifically for the Pixel Tablet.You can connect your own Bluetooth keyboard, of course, but Android L still isn’t the best platform for productivity.
Another thing that the Pixel Tablet might be good for, in theory, is drawing and taking notes. Though Google does make a $30 stylus for the device, it did not send samples along with review units, so I wasn’t able to test it for this review.
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