Google Pixel Slate official: is the death of Android tablets?

About three years after the last Big G tablet, Google returns to the market with a new device in its category. And it does not with Android, the proprietary mobile operating system that boasts - smartphone side - over 80% of the market, but with Chrome OS. After debuting with Acer Chromebook Tab 10, Google Pixel Slate is the first Big G tablet to implement Chrome OS. And as an alternative the Mountain View company does not offer any model with Android.

The new Pixel Slate is a cross between Microsoft Surface and iPad Pro, especially as regards the accessories offered: we have a main tablet module, which includes all the electronic components, along with a hard cover with integrated keyboard and a pen . Under the body we find Intel hardware combined with 8 or 16 GB of RAM, 128 or 256 of storage on SSD, while the display contains 3000x2000 pixels in a diagonal of 12.3 ".

With the new model Google introduces a biometric sensor in the Chrome OS ecosystem: on the top of the device there is in fact a power button with integrated fingerprint scanner. To manage the security part we find a Titan chip, which protects data stored locally from external tampering. On the back of the device there are not many similarities with the typical style of the family: no double color, but only the Big G in one of the corners.

The two cameras integrated into the body, one facing the front, the other on the back, are both 8 MP, and both are supported by the computational technologies of the Mountain View company for the improvement of the shot. The Google Camera app, the same that we find on Android, is now also available on Chrome OS with the new Pixel Slate, with full support for bokeh effects and improved shots.

The two cameras are not the same: the front one uses a larger sensor and a shorter focal length lens optimized for video calls, and on the front we have two stereo speakers. The tablet module also implements a connector on the bottom, necessary for connection with the keyboard integrated into the original case that, as happens on the iPad, can also act as a stand to direct the display at various angles.

As for the pen, we are faced with the same "Active Electrostatic" technology that we have already seen on the Pixelbook last year. With the new Pixel Slate Google returns to the tablet market after three years of absence, and shows how the industry has changed: the keyboard, first Bluetooth, now connects with a dedicated connector and navigation via mouse is no longer a second choice. All without giving up a vast app park.

With Chrome OS you can use the Android apps within a multi-window interface, the browser is complete and - if needed - even the Linux apps are supported. Google Pixel Slate is still a premium device: the basic version will have a price of $ 599, the keyboard case $ 199 and the nib will cost $ 99. The tablet will arrive by the end of the year in the US, but no mention has been made of a possible overseas landing.