Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Source: Google has canceled the Pixel Tablet 2, not the Tab 3

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Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • Google has canceled development of the Pixel Tablet 2, a source tells Android Authority.
  • Yesterday, a report claimed that Google is killing the Pixel Tablet 3, but our source and independent research suggests that the device named in the report is actually the Tab 2.
  • It’s not clear whether Google still plans to release the Pixel Tablet 3, though, as it’s too early to tell.

Android Authority has learned that Google has canceled the Pixel Tablet 2, the presumed name of Google’s second-generation Pixel Tablet. This is disappointing for Pixel fans who were waiting for Google to refresh its first-generation Pixel Tablet with a newer chipset, a better camera, and, more importantly, an official keyboard accessory.

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It’s also surprising to hear because it might suggest that Google is giving up on its tablet ambitions entirely, considering a separate report published yesterday claimed that Google is also killing the Pixel Tablet 3. However, we have reason to believe that the device cited in yesterday’s report is actually the Pixel Tablet 2, and not the third-generation tablet after all. Let me break down how we know.

google pixel tablet in box accessories

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

Last week, I shared what I learned about the Pixel Tablet 2 from a source within Google. I deemed this source to be very credible given my past history with them as well as the fact that they were able to share unreleased images of the device with me (which I obviously did not publish to protect their identity). After the publication of this article, however, I learned from my source that Google had decided to cancel its plans to release the device, citing concerns that the company would lose money on it.

Yesterday, Android Headlines published an article claiming that Google has canceled development of the Pixel Tablet 3 and not the Pixel Tablet 2 that Google was actively working on. I found this report to be strange, considering that Google has almost assuredly not started working on the Pixel Tablet 3 while the Pixel Tablet 2 is still in an early stage of the product development lifecycle. I had heard that the device that had been canceled was the very device I had reported on last week, and that device is almost certainly not the Pixel Tablet 3.

The Android Headlines article, interestingly, shared that the code name of the device that had been canceled is “kiyomi.” Our source tells us that the code name for the canceled tablet — the very one we reported on last week — is indeed “kiyomi,” but that this code name belongs to the Pixel Tablet 2 and not the Pixel Tablet 3. While we can’t definitely tie the “kiyomi” code name to the Pixel Tablet 2, we can independently confirm several key details about the “kiyomi” device that strongly suggest it is not the Pixel Tablet 3.

For starters, we’ve seen strong evidence that suggests “kiyomi” is a Pixel tablet device powered by the Tensor G4 system-on-chip, the same chip that powers the Google Pixel 9 series. In contrast, Kamila Wojciechowska reviewed leaked documents from Google’s gChips team that showed the Pixel Tablet 3 will be powered by the Tensor G6. The Pixel Tablet 3, according to the leaked roadmap from the gChips leak, is also planned to be released in 2027, whereas we’ve seen evidence that the Pixel Tablet 2 was planned for release in 2025. It doesn’t make sense for Google to already have engineers working on the 2027 Pixel Tablet 3 with the Tensor G6 chipset while the 2025 Pixel Tablet 2 is still in a prototyping stage.

Google Tensor SoC

Unfortunate as it is, Google has canceled development of the Pixel Tablet 2. From what we know, Google was working on both a Wi-Fi only as well as a 5G variant of the Pixel Tablet 2. In addition, the company was working on an official keyboard (with touchpad) accessory for the device, suggesting improved productivity would be one of the highlights of the new device. On the bright side, the third-generation tablet could still be in the works, and from what we’ve heard so far, the Pixel Tablet 3 might be getting a massive upgrade for power users.

We reached out to Google for comment prior to the publication of this story and will update this piece if we hear back from the company.

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