It looks like the Google Pixel Tablet is the latest product to leak well ahead of its intended release date, thanks to an alleged prototype going up for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Screenshots of the ad have been posted by ShrimpApplePro over on Twitter, alongside various images of the device. The ad lists the tablet for $400, which includes the speaker dock and charging cable. While there’s always the chance this is an elaborate hoax, everything in the ad does seem to line up with Google’s various teases over the past few months.
pic.twitter.com/vDHERBu3ZgDecember 19, 2022
It looks as though the device has only just been set up, giving us an idea of what the Pixel Tablet’s default look is. Naturally you’ve got all the major Google apps there, like Chrome, Duo, YouTube and Gmail, and only 24GB of storage has been used — 22GB of which is for system files.
The tablet offers 256GB of storage, but that doesn’t discount the possibility of a 128GB model. Battery life is estimated to last 16 hours at 70%, and Google has included a ‘taskbar’ of sorts at the bottom of the screen, letting you access multiple apps and the app drawer.
These images also give us a proper look at what the Pixel Tablet’s dock may look like. Unsurprisingly, it looks an awful lot like the dock from the Google Nest Hub, almost identical in fact. The only key difference is that the Pixel Tablet can be removed, which would further suggest that this is the Nest Hub with a detachable screen that’s been rumored for so long.
As someone who doesn’t use a tablet very often, I can see the appeal of this set up. Rather than letting the Pixel Tablet sit in a drawer for extended periods, you can keep it safe while it takes on the secondary role as a smart home hub — essentially becoming a Google Nest Hub.
It’s a feature that’s been hinted at before, with mentions in Android’s base code and an update for the Google Home app. The advantage here is that the Pixel Tablet is a fully-fledged Android tablet as well, should you need it, with all the apps and services Android has to offer. The Pixel Tablet’s bezel, while pretty chunky by iPad standards, is much thinner than the Nest Hub as well.
As informative as this Facebook Marketplace listing may be, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Pixel Tablet right now. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to a whole bunch more information appearing online. Whether that’s because someone buys this particular tablet and spills its secrets, or if more devices make their way out into the world. It wouldn’t be the first time Google misplaced a whole bunch of Pixel products months ahead of release.
We still don’t know when the Pixel Tablet will actually launch, just that it's coming in 2023. Here’s hoping this leak means we’re not that far off getting our hands on the real thing.
