The future of the Google Pixel Tablet doesn’t look good

Google’s Pixel lineup has been pretty solid lately — at least, for most of its hardware, anyway. But there’s one Google Pixel device that seems to have flopped so hard that it may end up being a one-off thing, and that’s the Pixel Tablet.

If you’re hoping to hear some news about a proper Pixel Tablet 2, we have some bad news. According to a recent report from Android Headlines, it seems that Google has already canceled plans for a Pixel Tablet 3. But wait! Another report on Android Authority claims that it was actually the Pixel Tablet 2 that was canned, not the Pixel Tablet 3. Considering that you can’t have a third iteration before having a second, I think it’s safe to say that whatever the next version was going to be, we’re not going to see it — at least not for a while.

This wouldn’t be the first time Google has given up on tablet plans. Back in 2019, after overwhelmingly negative reviews of its Pixel Slate, Google claimed it was done making tablets and scrapped two in-development tablets. But jump to 2023, and Google made another effort with the Pixel Tablet, and again, it didn’t do so well.

The Google Pixel Tablet sitting outside with its screen on.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Google Pixel Tablet launched in the summer of 2023, and when Digital Trends’ Joe Maring reviewed it, he said it was the worst Pixel device he’d ever used. That did not change even when we revisited the device in the months following. And we weren’t the only ones who didn’t care for the device — the overall reception was pretty mixed, with the Pixel Tablet’s biggest strength being its unique charging/speaker dock. But on its own? Not so much.

Regardless, if you’re hoping for Google to improve its tablet hardware for the next iteration, it isn’t looking too hot right now. If Google is going to make another tablet attempt, it definitely may be a while before we see it.