The Google Pixel Tablet is a Great Android Tablet - Full Review

Buy one on Amazon: lon.tv/z2706 (compensated affiliate link) - Google's new Pixel Tablet brings the polish and performance of their flagship Pixel phones to a larger tablet device. It also doubles as a Nest Home device with the included speaker dock. See more tablets: lon.tv/tablets and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Price & Storage
01:09 - Speaker Dock
02:01 - Display
02:54 - Processor & RAM
03:17 - Weight & Build Quality
04:11 - Cameras
04:59 - Photo Editing
05:21 - Ports
05:35 - Audio
06:14 - Buttons
06:55 - Hub Mode
08:40 - Chromecasting
09:18 - Android Experience
11:42 - Pen Support
12:45 - Mulitple Users and Kids Mode
13:43 - Gaming & Emulation
15:21 - 3DMark Wildlife Benchmark
15:45 - Sideloading Apps
15:56 - Game Streaming
16:32 - Update Policy
17:09 - Conclusion
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[@sludgefactory241]

Youve sold me on whether or not i wanted a pixel tablet. As always,just a stellar product review that covers all the bases and specs i was curious about. Thanks Lon!

[@sctajc]

Had mine for over a week now and loving it. Best tablet I have ever had. Nice and light to hold with a non-slippery back. Great screen and sound for tablet media consumption. The only improvement I had to make myself was a mark in the corner where the on/off switch and volume control is.

[@coolerking7427]

I love my HP snapdragon chrome tablet. I paid $150 dollars on sale but, didn't have the pen. It works great.

[@blueciffer1653]

It's the x2 11 right? How's the performance on it now? Is it pretty smooth and fast? I saw one for 200 and I've been thinking about getting one

[@ItsameBS]

I have it and it is quite good. Great tablet and nice replacement for the Nest Homes.

[@JamieLikesGames]

I had a Nest Hub Max but kinda wanted a tablet for watching videos when laying on the couch. Sold the Nest and got this and this does exactly what I wanted it to. I had a Lenovo tablet but it didn't get used, because it sat on a table and was always dead when I needed it

[@m_ramiz]

Best review ever! Thank you so much

[@sctajc]

I will have mine in a few days and am looking forward to it. For me it seems to have the balance right. Thanks for the review.

[@mackmccord3743]

Great Review. Been missing my Nexus 7. Might have to add this to my devices!🕶️💜

[@MonkeyPunchZPoker]

One reason I went with a Pixel 7 phone was the robust support behind alternative OS's, hopefully given me a few more years of useful life. I would consider getting this if its true for Pixel tablets.

[@CF542]

I'm just excited to see Google taking a serious interest in large screens and related apps

[@TylerDurden404]

nice thorough review please include bluetooth headphone/speaker testing support in your reviews It was also missing in chromecast with google TV review

[@MartinPaoloni]

I kinda want one for my living room. With Home Assistant, this could be the ultimate remote control. But at 500 dollars, it's difficult not to consider the cheapest iPad instead, even if it does not come with a speaker base and does not double as a Nest hub.

[@therabbitslayerr]

Best channel on KZbin bar none. Thank you lon for all you do.

[@tylerblock3377]

His reviews are top notch. I take his reviews seriously every time and made purchases based on his recommendations and I'm super happy with them all.

[@aweigh1010]

Excellent review.

[@Lalo_thr]

Man I used to watch this guy years ago he helped me decide which 2 and 1 laptop I wanted back when detachables were popular. still the absolute best channel for learning about the latest gadgets and budget tech 💯

[@burnzy3210]

My Lenovo tablet; - Costs half - SD slot - SIM slot - GPS - Built in stand/hanger - Bigger battery (with 20w fast charging) - Front facing dolby speakers etc...

[@bizzfo]

- China Chip

[@burnzy3210]

​@@bizzfo taiwanese actually

[@YounesLayachi]

Is it the yoga tab 11 or 13 ? Edit : looked up the specs, it's the 11 because the 13 doesn't have microSD. Well, the yoga tab 11 has a 12 nm mediatek SoC with only 2 A76 cores, which is to say, extremely underpowered, not to mention the software support will be compromised by mediatek

[@blueciffer1653]

And?​@@bizzfo

[@jimmycychowski1142]

Missed opportunity by Google, in my opinion, the speaker dock should have been used also as a speaker, for streaming from a smartphone, as a nest mini speaker can do, for example I have a Nest Hub Mini on my bedside table, it still works and has been a great device to be honest, what's disappointing is if for example , if my partner wanted to use the Pixel Tablet with her Pixel Buds, and I wanted to stream say Spotify to the included speaker dock that comes with the Pixel Tablet, your out of luck, seems like a terrible decision by Google not allowing the Cast option being possible, surely that's not much more of a cost production wise.

[@mjnz]

Exactly. Huge miss and likely would have cost them a few dollars more in production. I mean the mini goes for $30 at times so how much could it be?

[@Davlin617]

Maybe it's coming in an update

[@jimmycychowski1142]

@@Davlin617 I'm not sure the speaker dock has the Bluetooth chip inside it for streaming as far as I know the included speaker dock is just a speaker, and a small digital amplifier, no additional chips.

[@YounesLayachi]

The missed opportunity IMO is how the tablet doesn't play audio from its 4 speakers at the same time as the dock speaker when it's attached. just a software limitation, I hope

[@gstar7686]

I wish Google would bring back the Nexus 7. It was affordable, had the perfect form factor and great performance.

[@YounesLayachi]

Big phones killed that form factor (A big phone you already have is cheaper than any tablet).

[@jalogan99]

Would love to see an Apple version where you can dock a iPad to a home pod!

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

I'm just glad someone's trying something a little different. Do you want a productivity tablet you grab something from Samsung or maybe the Lenovo duet 5. But a lot of times tablets end up in a drawer being unused and this is a good way to not feel like you're not wasting money by adding it to your collection. My Galaxy tab S7 if I'm being honest, sometimes we'll go days and days without use because I'm either using my phone or a Windows laptop.

[@quadragoo8484]

Can you gift me any tablet you are not using? If it is okay. I am an incoming student and most school files are now online. Im sorry for asking.

[@burnzy3210]

@@quadragoo8484 Get a job.

[@traviscunningham_1]

Kind of a shame that you can’t connect via Bluetooth to the docking station without the tablet docked Also would have like to have seen a simple clock display LEDs on the surface of the dock that displays when the tablet isn’t docked. Some things that I feel like they missed on here

[@aarontrini85]

Can you post a link to that stylus?

[@darrelrobertson8169]

One of four nice home tablets: Pixel 11", Amazon Fire 11", Amazon Fire 8"+, Apple iPad 8" Mini

[@mussapie5002]

Epic.....

[@matthewparker2910]

Does the tablet support fast charging/power delivery over the USB-C port??

[@nataclar]

I am sorry but that price combined with that poor update path makes this a hard no. I am currently using a 5 1/2 year old iPad that is still getting updated. Google needs to learn how to keep interest in products.

[@traviscunningham_1]

Also an interesting note is that I’ve read you can actually chromecast to the tablet, when not docked… First time I think I’ve seen that. Like a portable display

[@DeputyBurbank]

I feel that this is an honest review. Some of the other reviews sort of poo poo on this for not being an iPad.

[@0MrScruff0]

no mention what codex it plays and how well it fairs playing media (av or x265) natively or via Plex.

[@mjnz]

I bought one. I'm undecided on it, at maybe 55% keep and 45% return. I like the thought of it but it has issues. Some are software related so maybe fixed by an update. But disconnecting from the dock is very awkward to me, I have no idea how it got past consumer testing and nothing like how easy they show in ads without the dock being secured down somehow

[@scifi_shop]

Use double sided tape

[@YounesLayachi]

To disconnect from the dock, twist the tablet on its long axis, such that the bottom side is lifted towards you

[@misterfamilyguy]

For that price I'd want a keyboard and stylus. Did the big tech co. forget about inflation?

[@DeputyBurbank]

No reviewer has mentioned this…can you use it in tablet mode while it’s docked? Or do you have to take it off the dock to get into tablet mode?

[@LonSeidman]

As demoed you can use it as a tablet when docked after unlocking.

[@peopleintrees.]

Question ⁉️ does it have the RECORDER app same as PIXEL PHONES for dictation

[@SteveHazel]

does the tablet run fuschia?

[@FigWidIt]

I’m seeing $399 for the base model this year’s Black Friday deals which isn’t that bad . The official Google Case still being $80 is annoying though.

[@garynagle3093]

I’ll stick to my iPad and keep my more than 3 year iPad os upgrade timeline, but this looks nice. Great review

[@davidwood4624]

Nice little tablet and dock but I’ll wait for a sale before buying as no android product holds any value compared to apple stuff and paying full price is a no no.

[@bizzfo]

I’ll wait for it to go on sale in -3 months for 50% off 😂

[@trippplefive]

savage

[@mjnz]

I'd say 350 on Black Friday. I think these will sell pretty good at first but get a large return rate

[@jmr]

I was going to wait so I could hear about all the bugs and defects first.

[@TuMalditaMadre]

You'll h be waiting a very long time for that

[@keningram2781]

Maybe $450 on Black Friday.

[@screenplayhouse4932]

I had owned two iPads (in the early days) and eventually I found I just wasn't using them. I feared Android tablets wouldn't make a difference and YUP they started to fade away. Then, recently, they kinda started coming back. On a Black Friday I got an 11 inch Xiaomi Pad 5 for like $239. Similar spec to this (if we ignore the base unit) and it's funny -- when the price drops enough you it's easier to find 'value' in it. I recently moved into a home and it came with these little shelves on each side of the kitchen sink. For $239 I now have an 11 inch kitchen TV or 'radio'. This made me needing a laptop not so important any longer, since on the rare occasions I'm out I could just take this and a keyboard/cover situation. My wife's laptop was tired at this point and I gave her my Asus OLED 15 inch -- and she was a happy camper. So where I first didn't need a tablet at all it washed as I no longer needed a laptop, which is a great value for me. I've got a desktop and a Mini and that's plenty for me.

[@graysonpeddie]

Well that's quite a letdown for OS updates. And you must be a fan of No Man's Sky as much as I have. Are you playing NMS in Creative mode? I do. I started small by building two bases and for the third planet, I'm building a small town with only few buildings. I feel like the number of blueprints are quite limited when it comes to building anything that is very futuristic. There isn't a full glass structure in the Alloy Structure section, so I used a glass cuboid room that is found in the "Large Structures" section. Problem is, the glass cuboid room cannot be aligned with the alloy floor panel that I laid out, so I kind of had to go into flying mode, view in top-down mode, and then zoom out whenever I can and then get the glass to align with the alloy floor panels. Once I do that, I can then start building out and make it into a building that I wanted to create. The alignment system is very fickle, so I had to be very patient with aligning a glass next to glass or a curved wall next to the glass or solid cuboid room. The same holds true for the ship landing platform landing against the alloy panel as well. Honestly, besides the alloy floor panels, I don't think alloy walls and rooms look that futuristic and space-age-like compared to large structures, but to each their own.

[@perksmedia3432]

How does this compare to Samsung tabs? - all our tabs are Samsung atm

[@brucehall1600]

Yep way too much money even if it does have 128 gb. Yep it has to come way down for me to afford this. Google too much...

[@burnzy3210]

My lenovo tablet costs half, has 128gb storage and many more features

[@jmr]

I hope Lon doesn't drive like that to pick up the kids!

[@mw7967]

$500 5 years support Fire Max 11 $229 5 years minimum I'm not comparing OS, just software and security, relative to price. Amazon isn't going to simply dump their hardware either. I always see google hardware as an investment risk for exactly the reasons Lon details in the video. I get that the dock comes with the pixel, along with wireless charging but...

[@marksapollo]

The Echo tablet has a Show Mode too so you can turn it into an Echo Show. The Google interface is nicer though I think.

[@mackmccord3743]

Serious question. What hardware has Google dropped before it went out of its update cycles? Just asking because my house is filled with Google products (about 6 nest minis, Pixelbook go 4k, P3a, P4a, P5, P7, all versions of Chromecast, including Chromecast with Google TV, and my Nexus 7 lasted about 10 years before the battery completely died. So which products were you speaking of? And was it from personal experience or are you just saying what other people say or make up. This is a serious question too. Not attempting to troll you at all in any way.

[@mw7967]

@@mackmccord3743 with all due respect, you’re being a bit short sighted and intentionally obtuse here. I’m not insinuating that Google has not or will mot honor the five years of support, only that they most definitely have a documented history of abandoning products and services, if these things don’t succeed immediately. Google Stadia is a great example, as is your very own Nexus tablet. In fact, it illustrates my point perfectly. Google stopped making tablets for a decade, and releases the pixel tablet, seemingly out of nowhere. Even in this case, an argument can be made that the tablet is the secondary initiative of this device. It’s a hub first and a tablet second. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that approach either, just that this release may be the one and only iteration of this product that we ever see. Google does not show strong, long term commitment to its products and services and there isn’t much room for argument about this particular point. When was the last time Amazon, Apple or Samsung took a decade hiatus from making Fire, iPad and Galaxy tabs respectively? I think the pixel is a great device, I just don’t see Google committing to its sustainability in this product space. Apologies, if my opinions offend you (though I’m not sure why) but I simply don’t trust Google enough to bother investing money in their hardware. When does the Pixel Book Go 2 release, by the way?

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Lack of SD slot makes it worthless for me.

[@andyH_England]

Not sure I would buy this as my tablet of choice so it really depends if you have a home hub and this adds value. I do not so its USP is lost on me. In the UK this is equivalent to $750 (£600) so is not very price competitive. The OnePad is much cheaper and is as good. But I would probably side with the Tab S8/S9 or iPad. Google admitted that they did not make the dock BT/wifi enabled to save money and that was probably a bad call. Also, Tensor2 is not bad, but I expect Tensor3 to be significantly better so as that is near end-of-life, then maybe wait for version 2 of the Tablet. Overall a typical first version that had more misses than a more mature product would have and outside the US the price is uncompetitive, so an easy pass.

[@TheMattMustain]

Great looking tablet. Anyone want to buy my Pixel Slate? 😆

[@gpsblu3627]

No SD Card is a deal breaker. Done.

[@JeskidoYT]

This tablet NEEDS. A PRICE CUT!!

[@gutwallst6645]

We need 8 inch tablets

[@craigs.4302]

Too expensive! No way! Not in this economy. Amazon has a better chance of getting $229 for the Max 11" from me, than Google does for this. Priced way too high! Nope!

[@burnzy3210]

i've owned a lot of tablets (nexus/asus/amazon/lenovo), only the nexus and lenovo tablets have been any good. Amazon are too locked down, absolutely avoid unless you love constantly tinkering and poor quality.

[@craigs.4302]

@@burnzy3210 I would sideload Play Services and Play Store of course. But the new Max 11" has a fingerprint reader too and most tablets don't have that at this price range. I can roughly handle Fire OS 8 on an Android 11 build.

[@burnzy3210]

@@craigs.4302 I've done that several times with amazon tablets, it only causes problems, better off just getting something built around google services. Would love to know where you're taking your tablet that requires such strong security, I mean sure a finger print reader is convenient but what do you even have on your tablet?

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

The Amazon tablet doesn't even run a full version of Android it can't run the Play store without side loading. Using the same chip in the fire 10 which is a weak media tech chip. This thing is included with a $130 speaker so it's not really an apples to apples comparison. Three times as much RAM, speaker included, the ability to run the Play store... If you were going to get the Amazon tablet and get the 10-in which you can find for 80 bucks and has the same chipset as the 11-in model.

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

​@@craigs.4302I think it's pretty s***** deal though, it's 230 bucks or something, not including the keyboard. The 10-in one can be found for 80 bucks regularly and they have the same chip, the same amount of RAM but the 10-inch one has the headphone jack. Once you're now needing 300 plus for the bundle with the keyboard you might as well just get a Lenovo Chromebook duet five or something which has a 13.3 OLED screen, 8 GB of RAM and will be updated for six seven more years.

[@tytownsend8219]

I'd rather spend the extra money and buy one of the Samsung tablets with the S Pen.

[@burnzy3210]

It's a decent 11" android tablet with a speaker dock for £600. Review over, this thing is honestly nothing special.

[@rushmore3927]

Sure, if you want to stream everything. Not much storage. Pass.

[@JustXavier]

Whatever coding Google is using to minimize fingerprints is clearly not working. 😂😂😂 😅

[@SFBenjaminK]

Gonna wait for SAMSUNG TABS9 series gonna release end of the month , then compare them togther with this Google see which ones is better value , better in quality & feathers , then pull the trigger , i need couple of them, around the house & all my stuff's is Android👍.. F** that Greedy mother father APPLE!

[@corduroy99]

no SD slot? Deal breaker for me! meh!

[@burnzy3210]

What did you expect from a google tablet designed primarily for home usage?

[@corduroy99]

@@burnzy3210 true!

[@JUICEbaseball]

The Samsung S8+ or Ultra is way better than this entry level tablet. To say that "this is the best android experience" is a complete joke. The Samsung's screen is AMOLED. The bezels are smaller. The construction is better. The processor is better. The memory is expandable. S-Pen is Wacom, and way better with less latency, and FREE in the box. Speakers are great. If more is needed connect to Bluetooth. There's a lot more, but since you think this is "the best", I'll stop there.

[@LonSeidman]

Better maybe but definitely way more expensive.

[@JUICEbaseball]

@@LonSeidman Not as expensive as your iPad Pro...

[@ericB3444]

But I don’t think that anybody thinks that android tablets are good.

[@burnzy3210]

Tablets are for watching video 90% of the time, anyone telling you otherwise is straight up lying. As long as the video/audio and streaming capabilities are good, you shouldn't pay more.

[@JustXavier]

The Samsung S-series of tablets are pretty nice. I have the S7 and that's nice. Very nice.

[@richi2870]

Samsungs tablets are better than iPads and cost less money