Google just confirmed the death of the Pixel Tablet, and you’ll be right to get mad about it
Google has a very specific devices strategy that excludes whole hardware categories.
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Shortly after the premiere of the Pixel 10, Google officially announced what hardware is definitely out of its plans for the future. Among the devices currently on hold is the successor of the Pixel Tablet, which many Pixel fans hoped for.
Google executives said that the development of a new tablet was put on hold, reports Bloomberg. The company might return to such a device when it figures out a meaningful future for the category.
Smart rings are also something Google isn’t actively working on. Instead, the company is focused on other form factors, such as foldable smartphones and smart glasses. Those are the devices that it thinks could make AI hardware go mainstream and work in tandem with smartphones. However, there aren’t any specific plans for the release of Google-branded smart glasses.
Google released the original Pixel Tablet in 2023 to mixed reviews. While it had a distinguishable design and was deeply integrated with Google’s ecosystem, it was plagued by performance issues and didn’t have proper accessories available.
More importantly, the Pixel Tablet served more as a spiritual successor to the Nest Hub than as a competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab or Apple’s iPad. By late 2024, we’ve heard multiple rumors about Google abandoning the Pixel Tablet 2 and jumping to a potential Pixel Tablet 3.
In 2025, there weren’t even rumors about a new Google tablet. Instead, we’ve got the very unusual and quiet release of the Pixel Tablet Pen.
Google has an explanation for its decision to abandon the Pixel Tablet, which sounds sensible on the surface. The company thinks that users wouldn’t want to carry more than their smartphones, especially when wearing a watch, earbuds, and glasses.
That’s an interesting insight, but tablets aren’t exactly devices you carry with you all the time. Foldables are still too expensive to count on them as a tablet replacement, so there’s a gap in Google’s offerings, which the company doesn’t seem interested in filling.
I would love to see Google return to tablets sooner rather than later, but I also think such a move would be doomed to fail. The company’s hectic tablet strategy is maddening, and it’ll take a long time for Google to convince the world that its tablets are worth users’ trust.
Google executives said that the development of a new tablet was put on hold, reports Bloomberg. The company might return to such a device when it figures out a meaningful future for the category.
Smart rings are also something Google isn’t actively working on. Instead, the company is focused on other form factors, such as foldable smartphones and smart glasses. Those are the devices that it thinks could make AI hardware go mainstream and work in tandem with smartphones. However, there aren’t any specific plans for the release of Google-branded smart glasses.
Pixel Tablet’s backstory
Google released the original Pixel Tablet in 2023 to mixed reviews. While it had a distinguishable design and was deeply integrated with Google’s ecosystem, it was plagued by performance issues and didn’t have proper accessories available.
More importantly, the Pixel Tablet served more as a spiritual successor to the Nest Hub than as a competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Tab or Apple’s iPad. By late 2024, we’ve heard multiple rumors about Google abandoning the Pixel Tablet 2 and jumping to a potential Pixel Tablet 3.
The reason behind Google’s decision
Google has an explanation for its decision to abandon the Pixel Tablet, which sounds sensible on the surface. The company thinks that users wouldn’t want to carry more than their smartphones, especially when wearing a watch, earbuds, and glasses.
Every time a new type of category of product gets added, the bar on maintenance for the end user keeps going up. It’s already pretty painful.
Shakil Barkat, Vice President of Devices and Services at Google, August 2025
That’s an interesting insight, but tablets aren’t exactly devices you carry with you all the time. Foldables are still too expensive to count on them as a tablet replacement, so there’s a gap in Google’s offerings, which the company doesn’t seem interested in filling.
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