Google seems to intend to develop a new Android tablet, according to vacancies from the company. Will this be the alleged Google Pixel tablet?
Google is increasingly feeling at home as a tech manufacturer. The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are in high demand and are praised for their unique looks. Meanwhile, the company is preparing to introduce several new products. Think of the Google Pixel Watch, this will be the brand's very first smartwatch. The smartwatch is expected to run concurrently with the Google Pixel 6a – late May 2022. A Google Pixel Fold / Pixel Notepad is also in the pipeline – the company's first foldable phone.
In addition, there has been talk for some time about a new tablet. For convenience, we call this mobile device the Pixel tablet. The American manufacturer already has the necessary experience with tablets. Think, for example, of the ever so popular Nexus tablets. In 2015, the last Google Android tablet was announced, the Pixel C. Three years later, the company also released a Pixel Slate, but this tablet runs on ChromeOS.
Last September, LetsGoDigital discovered that the company had patented a special Google Pixel tablet, with a full-screen design and very thin screen edges. The product images shown in this publication are also based on this model and designed by Italian graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli, aka Snoreyn.
Google Android tablet in development?At the time, there were no further indications that Google actually intends to release another new tablet. In the meantime, however, a few things have changed. First of all, Google has announced that it is working on the new Android 12L operating system – intended for tablets and foldable smartphones. We will come back to this in detail later in this publication.
There is still a new development going on. The American website 9to5Google has discovered that the company has posted several vacancies online, for a ' Senior Engineering Manager, Android tablet app experience' and a ' Vice president and Director of Product Management, Android tablets'.
The Google ad states, among other things (translated into Dutch): “We believe that the future of computers is shifting towards extra powerful and more capable tablets. We are working to deliver the next chapter of computing and input by launching seamless support across all our platforms that unlock new and better ways to be productive and creative.”
A striking statement for a company that decided a few years ago to say goodbye to the tablet market. However, it is certainly not an illogical decision. Finally, competitor Apple manages to achieve impressive sales results with its iPad series. Then of course you have Microsoft, with its Surface tablets that run on Windows.
It is now known from Samsung that a completely new Android tablet is on the way, which is extra large and extra powerful. The 14.6″ Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is expected next week. There are more phone manufacturers that are about to enter the tablet market, it is known that an Oppo tablet is also in development. This will probably eventually result in a OnePlus Pad tablet.
In addition, foldable phones are becoming more and more popular. Many of these devices expand to tablet size, making a well-functioning operating system for large displays increasingly relevant. Google can take advantage of this, finally, the Android OS remains the most widely used mobile operating system worldwide.
That the American search engine giant wants to take serious steps, not only in the field of software but also in the field of hardware is apparent from the new vacancies that Google has open.
In addition, ComputerWorld noted last week that Google had already started hiring employees for the Android tablet project last year.
More specifically, Rich Miner has been working as 'Chief Technology Officer Android Tablets' since March 2021. Mr. Miner is co-founder of the Android operating system, his knowledge is now being used for the Android tablet project. Details about this, unfortunately, remain unknown, Miner is not available for comment.
It is clear that Google wants to pay more attention to Android tablets. Despite this, there are as yet few concrete indications about a Google Pixel tablet in development – apart from the patent that the company was awarded last year. It is therefore not inconceivable that a possible Google Android tablet will have to wait for some time.
Android 12L OS for large display devicesRegardless of how long a new Google Android tablet has yet to come, the Android 12L OS is clearly a step in the right direction.
For years, Google has applied the principle of 'one size fits all. While Android works well for smartphones, Google's operating system has never been very popular for large-screen devices – such as a tablet. This is in contrast to the Apple iPad tablets. Last year, Apple took it a step further by introducing iPadOS – which is derived from iOS.
With Android 12L, Google is now trying to offer a good alternative. The 'L' stands for 'Large'. This Android variant is therefore especially designed for large display devices – such as tablets, but also foldable phones.
For now, this OS is in the development stage. Despite this, Google has already announced that Android 12L will be made available to the public in early 2022. Many expect this to be around April.
In addition, Google now has its own Tensor SoC – which debuted in the Pixel 6 series. Last year, Nikkei Asia reported that Google intends to use this chipset for Chromebook laptops as well. If there is actually a Google tablet in the pipeline, then it is expected that a Tensor chip will also be used for this. It seems that the most important ingredients are already available.
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