There is no Google Pixel Tablet 2… still

The latest Made by Google event has arrived, and amidst all the expected Pixel 10 smartphone, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixelsnap accessory news, there was one noteworthy omission. It seems we’re still not getting a Pixel Tablet 2.

It’s now been more than two years since Google last rebooted its tablet programme. And while the original Google Pixel Tablet had its flaws, there was more than enough promise there to leave us anticipating a follow-up.

Indeed, we revisited our original review about a year ago, and found that Google’s keenly priced tablet was a better buy than it was at launch.

Google rolled back the Pixel Tablet’s hybrid smart speaker nature, and made the device available as a standalone tablet. Sans the speaker dock, it suddenly became a lot more affordable and easier to define.

Mid-way through 2024, we found ourselves positively giddy with enthusiasm about a sequel. All Google needed to do was learn its lesson, drop the weird dock concept (or at least decouple it), and give its Pixel tablet the expected spec spruce up – perhaps in conjunction with a Pixel 9-like design revamp – and the Google Pixel Tablet 2 would be onto a winner.

Will we ever get a Pixel Tablet 2?

Alas, we never got that product in 2024. Now it seems we’re not going to gett it in 2025 either.

Towards the end of 2024, we heard it claimed that a Pixel Tablet 2 had indeed been in the works over at Google HQ, but that it had been cancelled thanks to poor sales of the original.

Said Pixel Tablet 2 was to have sported a better 10.95-inch LCD with a full 120Hz refresh rate, as well as improved performance and a superior camera.

We also heard conflicting rumours that Google was working on a new tablet, dubbed (slightly confusingly) the Pixel Tablet 3. It was difficult to place faith in any of these reports, but the ambiguity at least left room for hope.

Reasons to be hopeful

We continue to hold out a sliver of hope even following the latest Pixel Tablet no-show. According to those latter Pixel Tablet 3 rumours – still the last remotely solid tip we’ve heard on the subject – Google’s next tablet won’t launch until 2027, and will be powered by a Tensor G6 chip.

There have been separate reports that would appear to tie in nicely with the idea of a next-gen Pixel Tablet. Most recently, just last month Google confirmed that its plan was to merge Android with its desktop operating system, ChromeOS.

While it made no mention of new hardware for this hybrid OS, it seems obvious that it would suit a large tablet form factor better than any other – even a laptop.

Indeed, back in November, a source within Google appeared to suggest that the company’s (then unconfirmed) plans to migrate ChromeOS entirely to Android were a direct response to the success of Apple’s iPad. The unspoken side of this equation would be the need for new Google tablet hardware.

Will we have to wait 18 months to two years to see the fruits of this convergence? We’ll be keeping out eyes peeled for any kind of indication from Google.

Based on Google’s ability to keep quiet about the Pixel 10, it probably won’t be able to keep a new Pixel Tablet under wraps during the year or so leading up to its release so stay tuned.