Any tablet brand is going to have a hard time competing with Apple’s iPad range, but one potential approach is to undercut Apple’s slates. It doesn’t seem like this will be Google’s approach with its forthcoming Pixel Tablet though, as a price leak suggests it will cost more than the iPad 10.9 (2022), which is the cheapest iPad model Apple currently sells.
According to Roland Quandt – a leaker with a good track record – the Google Pixel Tablet will retail for between €600 and €650 (around $660 / £530 / AU$980 to $715 / £575 / AU$1,060). That’s a mid-range price, but it’s higher than the €589 starting price of the iPad 10.9 (2022) in France.
That said, you only get 64GB of storage with the iPad for that money, whereas the Pixel Tablet starts at 128GB, according to Quandt; with a 256GB model also apparently being made.
Google Pixel Tablet: 128 or 256GB, "Porcelain" or "Haze", pricing looks like 600-650 Euros.April 19, 2023
Quandt additionally says that the tablet’s colors will be called Haze and Porcelain. We’ve already seen official images showing green and white/beige colorways, so we can assume Haze is the former and Porcelain the latter.
Back on the subject of price though, there are some other details not included in Quandt’s tweet which could make the Pixel Tablet a bit more palatable, as 9to5Google recently claimed to have learned that a Charging Speaker Dock will come with the slate.
Google has already shown this accessory off, but it wasn’t previously clear whether it would be sold separately or come included with the tablet.
The answer might be both, as while 9to5Google says it will be included in the Pixel Tablet price, an Amazon listing suggests it might be sold separately too (presumably in case you want more than one to have multiple docking points around your house, or break yours).
The listing has since been removed, but not before being spotted by 9to5Google and 9to5Toys, and it included a price of $129 (around £105 / AU$190). That’s quite expensive, but makes the rumored price of the Pixel Tablet much more enticing if you’re getting both the slate and this dock for that money.
It would seem odd not to be able to buy the Pixel Tablet without the dock though, so we’d take the claim that the two come together as standard with a pinch of salt. If you can also buy the tablet separately though, then it’s still possible that Quandt’s price leak is for the bundle.
As much a smart display as a tablet
So there are some unanswered questions there. Either way, that dock could be the main reason buyers might consider this over an iPad. It turns Google’s tablet into a smart display, with presumably better speakers than the tablet has, while also keeping it charged.
As such, for anyone who wants a slate that also functions as a smart display, this could be a tempting buy, but it remains to be seen how many people that will be.
We should have a clearer idea soon, as most leaks suggest the Pixel Tablet will be announced at Google IO 2023 on May 10, alongside the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold, both of which are also rumored to have higher prices than you might have hoped.
