googlepixelslate
Latest
Our readers tell us what’s wrong with the Google Pixel Slate
Though he's well-known around the Engadget office for being a Chromebook enthusiast, deputy managing editor Nathan Ingraham found little to recommend about Google's Pixel Slate. It would appear, given the responses from our user reviews page, that many real-world owners feel the same. Despite having a lovely 12.3-inch display, a comfortable keyboard folio and solid battery life, the Pixel Slate floundered on the software side: Its poor implementation of Android apps ultimately earned it an embarrassing score of 69. However, the Pixel Slate owners in our user reviews section were a bit more forgiving, giving it an average of 77.
How Google's hardware helps Chrome OS look its best
In the past two years, Google has stepped up its efforts to bring its own Pixel computing devices to market, but its portfolio is a mixed bag. Some devices, like the Pixelbook, have become cult favorites, while the Pixel C and Slate are more polarizing. Though those tend to be twice or thrice as expensive as similar devices by other manufacturers, Google sees its products as a canvas to show off the best possible configurations. This way, said director of product management for the Made by Google compute division Trond Wuellner, it can "inspire innovation across the ecosystem. He joined us on stage at CES to talk about lessons learned and what to expect in 2019.
Google Pixel Slate review: The burden of bad software
Google's Pixel Slate is a maddening device to review. It's the latest in a line of premium, expensive Chrome OS devices from Google -- but the first that's a tablet, meant to compete with the iPad Pro and Surface Pro. Based purely on its hardware, the Pixel Slate should be up to the task: It has a lovely display, powerful hardware, elegant design and an accessory ecosystem to extend its capabilities. It also offers some things that Apple refuses to. Most significantly, the Pixel Slate has a full, desktop-class browser and more open hardware. (It recognizes external storage, like every other computer besides the iPad Pro.) But even though Chrome OS works great on laptops and should be enough for most people's needs, the Pixel Slate's software experience is confusing at best and frustrating at worst. At these prices (the cheapest Pixel Slate costs $599; the model I'm reviewing, $999), that makes it a tough device to recommend.
Chrome OS may be the 2-in-1 solution we've been waiting for
Tech's biggest companies are all about the 2-in-1. Google's latest effort is the Pixel Slate -- a tablet that becomes a sort-of laptop when you snap on its keyboard folio. This is a formula we've seen rise in popularity since the first Surface tablet. Think of the iPad Pro, Samsung's Galaxy Tab S4, HP's Envy x2 detachables and more. These devices are doing so well they're apparently all people want to buy anymore. According to IDC data, 2-in-1 shipments will grow by almost 10 percent this year while traditional PCs are expected to decline.
Pixel Slate hands-on: Google’s 2-in-1 takes on the Surface
Google is cooking up a new formula for detachables, and it has an intriguing recipe with the new Pixel Slate. Though Microsoft has a solid desktop environment in Windows that makes its Surfaces excellent productivity tablets, it doesn't have the same library of touch-friendly apps that Android and iOS offer. The iPad Pro, on the other hand, is swimming in apps but just doesn't have the multitasking chops of a full desktop OS. Chrome OS seems like a potential opportunity to marry the best of Android, with its plethora of apps, with an established, functional desktop interface.
The Pixel Slate is Google's first Chrome OS detachable
Looks like the leaks were right after all. In addition to announcing new flagship phones today, Google took the wraps off a new premium tablet called the Pixel Slate. It's a Chrome OS-powered slate with a 12.3-inch display that's supposed to be the sharpest in its class. Google claims this isn't just a laptop pretending to be a tablet or a phone pretending to be a computer.
