Google Pixel Tablet 2023 – The definitive deep-dive review
The new Google Pixel Tablet 2023 has elevated this Android tablet to new levels of useability with its new speaker/charging dock, Pixel UI, Pure Android 13 and Google TV and Home integration.
Android tablets are useful – every home needs at least one if only to have an instant-on resource to find recipes, look up movie ratings and more. So Google said, “How can we evolve a tablet into a must-have home item?”
The result is an 11” tablet – Goldilocks size (just right) and a speaker/charging dock that offers more than most other tablets at a pretty reasonable price. There is a lot to like about this tablet.
Or, as I prefer to think of it – an Android tablet with smart display benefits.
Australian review: Google Pixel Tablet 2023
| Website | Website |
| Price | $899 Case $139 Spare Dock $189 Speck Sheildview Glass protector $81.95 Speck Shieldview Stand case $81.95 |
| From | Google Online, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, The Good Guys and many other retailers |
| Warranty | 2-years |
| Country of Origin | China |
| About | Google is that giant company that started with a search engine and is now one of the largest advertising platforms in the world and is behind the Android and Chrome operating systems. |
| More | Cybershack Google News and Reviews |
We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.
First impression – Pass+
Google’s design style is growing on me. The tablet and its charge dock come in Porcelain (pinkish white) or Hazel (more grey than green). When docked, it looks like an oversize Google Nest Hub Max.
It has a 10.95” diagonal display in a 258 (W) x 169 (H) x 8.1mm (D) x 493g tablet. There is a camera on the front and rear, power and volume buttons on the top, four speakers (landscape – two per side), and a rear 100% recycled aluminium rear panel with AED/nano-ceramic coating. It feels solid and good in the hand.
It sits on a charging/speaker dock. But the thing I like most is the optional Google tablet silicone case (265g) in Porcelain or Hazel that has an infinitely adjustable kickstand (tablets need a kickstand). But only some will buy it at $139. There will be lots of lower-cost, third-party accessories soon.
Processing power – Exceed
Too many tablets have the bare minimum processing power and ram to do the job. Google Pixel Tablet 2023 uses its Tensor G2 System on a Chip (SoC made by Samsung and based on the 4nm Exynos 2200) and its M2 security co-processor. It has a fast custom TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) for onboard AI. It is the same SoC as the Google Pixel 7/Pro/a smartphone.
It marries with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. Unfortunately, no micro-SD – Google wants to sell you cloud storage.
The result is fluid performance and no lag. Multi-tasking is more about the operating system, and Android 13 allows side-by-side apps.
Tests
- Geekbench single/multi-core score: 1454/3777 (25% above the Pixel 7/Pro/a and slightly above the Qualcomm SD8 Gen1 in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8).
- GPU OpenCL: N/A
- GPU Vulkan: 4779 (Below the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 at 6683).
- CPDT Disk sequential read/write MBps: 1400/200MBps – fast.
- CPU Throttling (GIPs): Max 276,793/Average 250,220/Minimum 231952 with 13% throttle over 15 minutes at full load.
You cannot ask for more.
Screen – Pass+
It is a 2560 x 1600, 276ppi, 16:10, 500 nits (typical), 1500:1 contrast, 16.7m colour, HDR10 capable, 60Hz touchscreen IPS display. More important is the reasonably anti-smudge coating so necessary for tablets. It supports USI 2.0 stylus popular on Chromebooks.
It is IPS/LCD instead of AMOLED simply because the screen, when docked, has a 24/7 Google Hub display, avoiding potential burn-in issues.
Google does not state screen protection (likely GG3), so you should look for a decent screen protector.
Tests
- Brightness typical/peak: 400/500 nits (tested 433/480)
- sRGB web gamut: no claim (tested 104.5%)
- DCI-P3 movie gamut: no claim (75%) – fine for 16.7m colours
- Delta E: No claim (<1) – Excellent
- It has good, saturated colours and 500nits typical brightness (more peak brightness).
- Contrast is a little low – blacks are more gunmetal grey.
- There is no haptic feedback which could be an issue for gamers.
Perfect for content consumption.
Comms – Pass
It has USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, WHICH SHOULD BUT DOES NOT support Alt DP 1.4 audio/video. This lost opportunity means you cannot use a USB-C to HDMI cable to a dumb monitor. It does support Chromecast to a smart device, and when docked, you can cast to it (Netflix will not).
- Wi-Fi 6 AX 2.4 and 5GHz is a maximum of 1200Mbps (5GHz 80Mhz) – good but the SoC supports 6E so why not?.
- BT 5.2 supports Android fast pair and should support multi-point with compatible devices. It supports SBC, AAC and LDAC. Unfortunately, as it is a Samsung SoC, it does not support Qualcomm aptX codecs.
- Ultra-wideband chip: A short-range (up to 200 metres) wireless communication protocol using 3.1 to 10.6 GHz that can control smart devices like locks and cars. There is currently not much use for this.
- NFC: No, and not expected.
- GPS: No, and that is a lost opportunity. The e-Compass works well.
Dock – Different but not as functional as it should be – Pass
It has a magnetic dock base with Pogo pin charging. The tablet lifts off easily yet is quite secure.
The dock has a 24V/1/15A/30W plug-style wall charger and passes 15W to the tablet. The tablet will charge to 90% on the dock and discharge to 20% to prolong its life.
When docked, the tablet becomes a Pixel Hub, and you can Chromecast to it – use the screen as a display from any Chromecast smartphone. The Always on Display only works when docked.
It has a single mono 43.5mm full-range speaker (same as the Nest Hub Gen 2) and an amplifier (not specified, but we think about 5W). When docked, the four tablet stereo speakers are disabled and play through the mono dock. While it adds some bass, we can’t see the logic of disabling the stereo tablet speakers – a backward step for video content consumption.
The dock does not have Wi-Fi, BT, or Ethernet and does not function as a standalone speaker.
We will look further at Google Home Hub and Google TV later.
Battery – Pass
It has a 7020mAh, 27Wh battery. Google claims about 12 hours of typical use.
The dock has a 24V/1.25A/30W charger (a little too wide for a standard double power point), delivering 15W to the tablet.
You can also use a USB-C PD charger (needs 15W or greater for a ‘fast’ charge).
Tests
- Dock charging 15W: 0-100% in 3 hours and 5 minutes.
- USB-C Fast charging: 15W in 2 hours 21 minutes
- 1080 Video loop (50% sound/brightness) 10 hours 35 minutes
- PC Mark Battery Test 3.0: 19 hours and 34 minutes
- Accubattery: 17 hours and 49 minutes
- GFX Bench Manhattan (games): Would not run
- GFX Bench T-Rex (games): 433.3 minutes (7.22 hours), 3363 frames.
- mA drain full load: 2000-2100mA (3 hours 8 minutes)
- mA drain screen on idle: 400-450mA
This has a respectable battery life (the Samsung Tab S8 Ultra has an 11,200mAh battery and delivers 11 hours of video loop and 8 hours on PC Mark). As is typical of the Tensor/Samsung Tensor SoC drain under full load is higher than a Qualcomm SoC, so this is not for heavy users.
Sound – Pass
It has four landscape speakers (2 amps) with excellent stereo separation and Left/Right directionality. The sound stage is a little wider than the screen. When tested with Dolby Atmos content (it does not decode this), we could hear distinct height sound from the top of the tablet.
The tablet has a ‘bright vocal’ signature for vocal tracks and string instruments but can make them slightly harsh at volume.
It is a shame you can’t use the tablet speakers when docked – it reverts to mono, albeit with decent bass.
The Dock adds mid-and-high bass, but the treble is choppy and harsh. It is more of a warm and sweet signature for music, but as it is mono, it loses the depth and sound stage of the tablet.
Maximum volume is 82/86dB Tablet/Dock.
Our advice – if watching video content or listening to audio content, do not use the dock.
There are two far-field mics, with a third for noise reduction – these work well out to 5 metres to summons OK Google and are great for hands-free use.
Build – Exceed
You either love or hate Google Design ques. I don’t mind them. This comes in Porcelain or Hazel over an aluminium frame/back plate covered with an AED/nano-ceramic coating. It feels good in the hand. It has no IP rating.
Google does not state the glass protection (I suspect it is GG3), so buy a screen protector.
I would buy the overly expensive Google Silicon case with a kickstand.
Android 13 and Pixel U1 – Exceed
It is first an Android tablet with a 2-year warranty and a fantastic five-year OS and security update policy. It does everything a good Android tablet should. Google works continuously on ‘feature drops’, so its functionality will improve over time. Excellent.
It is second, a Google Hub and dock with a Pixel UI. This is optimised for dock us in landscape mode, and there are a few rough edges. For example, Google Home (OK Google), entirely rewritten for Android, subtly differs from Google Nest UI. I suspect feature drops will attempt to make this experience more seamless, but if you use a Google Nest, you may be frustrated at the differences.
Google has updated most of its apps, such as Chrome, Maps, Gmail, Google News, Photos, Files, Google Home, weather, and others, with landscape tablet-specific designs. But too many other apps only work in portrait (smartphone) mode.
Hub mode
It is like the Nest Hub but has lost some of the Hub features. For example, gesture navigation and content formatted for the hub, like recipes. Instead, it only shows Google Search results.
While the Hub is available on the lock screen, most things require you to unlock (fingerprint or pin) the device to allow the App to work. It is a work in progress.
Google TV – Fail
I like Google (nee Android TV) and know every nook and cranny setting. This Google TV has none of that. Instead, it appears to be a portal for buying movies and streaming to a nearby Chromecast TV.
It does not have an Apps button to load Google TV Apps like streaming services. Instead, you must use Google Play and load Android apps. Catch 22 – they are not part of Google TV and its interface. Sorry WFT?
Security – Pass+
It has a fingerprint scanner on the power button. You can have eight different profiles and five different prints each. It is accurate.
However, as it is not designed to use Google Pay (no NFC), apps that you can usually enable fingerprint access (like LastPass) don’t have that option.
Camera – Pass
It has identical Front and rear cameras – 8MP f/2.0, 1.12um, 84° FOV, FF, 1080p@30fps.
It is likely a Sony IMX219 (used in Pixel 6/Pro/a) or Samsung S5K4HA/7/8, as all are 1/4″ with 1.12um pixels.
Let’s say that happy snappers will be satisfied, and it is not too bad at getting text off a white/black/paper board.
The Tensor G2 allows AI features including:
| Magic Eraser | Photo Unblur | Long Exposure | Panorama | Manual white balancing |
| Locked Folder | Night Sight | Top Shot | Portrait Mode (front camera only) | Portrait Light |
| Frequent Faces | Live HDR+ | Guided Frame | Video stabilisation | Live HDR+ |
CyberShack’s view – Google Pixel Tablet 2023 is an excellent Android tablet and has potential as a Google Hub
I like this device, yet after spending a week with it and running over 70 tests, I can see both the beauty and the beast.
As an Android Tablet, it is at least a 9/10. But you really need an overly expensive Google Silicon case with a kickstand and additional glass protection – ouch.
The dock annoys me. It both lifts this tablet above others, but it has limited use. Why add a mono speaker and disable the four stereo tablet speakers? Surely it simply could have acted as a woofer or dialogue channel. And being a well-versed Nest Hub user, I will not be swapping to this tablet version anytime soon. The interface and display formatting results are quite different. Let’s not even start on the so-called Google TV.
The good thing is that Google takes feedback, and you get regular feature drops. Just as the Pixel 7/Pro had rough edges at launch, it is now a great smartphone, deserving of its impressive market share ascent IDC 2022/23 Australian smartphone market – declining sales.
Would I buy it?
Its main rival is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1, 8/128GB, and 11” IPS screen at $1099. On paper, these are equally matched. So at $899, including a dock, the Google Pixel Tablet 2023 comes out ahead.
It is well above Samsung’s Tab A series, and Lenovo does not offer a high-end processor in an Android tablet.
So yes, I would buy it without hesitation.
Ratings (91/100)
- Features: 95 – Sure, it is an Android tablet, but the dock makes a difference. Also, the 5-year OS and security patch and integration with Google Home and TV Make this outstanding.
- Value: 90 – Given the dock is $189, it is reasonable value. The Tensor G2 processor and 8/128GB justify the price.
- Performance: 90 – It has one of the more powerful processors, not far behind the Samsung Galaxy S8 with its Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 processor.
- Ease of Use: 90 – Android is easy. Using all the extra features takes a slight learning curve.
- Design: 90 – This is great if you like Google design styling.
CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.7 (E&OE)
Google Pixel Tablet 2023 8/128GB
| Brand | |
| Model | Google Pixel Tablet 2023 |
| Model Number | GTU8P.GMD6J |
| Price Base | 8/128GB |
| Price base | $899 Case $139 Spare Dock $189 Sheildview Glass protector $81.95 Stand case $81.95 |
| Warranty months | 24 |
| Tier | Mid-range tablet |
| Website | Product page |
| Manual | Online manual Guide |
| From | Google Online, JB Hi-Fi, Telstra |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Company | Google is a giant company that started with a search engine. It is now one of the largest advertising platforms in the world. It is behind the Android and Chrome operating systems. |
| More | https://cybershack.com.au/?s=google |
| Test date | 26 June to 5 July |
| Ambient temp | 10-20° |
| Release | Jun-23 |
| Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy) | Not as relevant as this is Wi-Fi only. |
Screen
| Size | 10.95″ |
| Type | IPS LCD |
| Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D | Flat |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 |
| PPI | 276 |
| Ratio | 16:10 |
| Screen to Body % | 80% – must have bezels on a tablet to hold the screen without touch. |
| Colours bits | 8-bit/16.7m colours |
| Refresh Hz, adaptive | N/A |
| Response 120Hz | N/A |
| Nits typical test | 400 (Test 433) |
| Nits max, test | 500 (Test 480) |
| Contrast | Not stated (Test 1475:1) |
| sRGB | Test 104.5% |
| DCI-P3 | Test 75% – Natural 85% Adaptive |
| Rec.2020 or other | |
| Delta E (<4 is excellent) | <1 |
| HDR Level | HDR10 |
| SDR Upscale | No |
| Blue Light Control | No |
| PWM if known | Unknown |
| Daylight readable | Reasonable for IPS |
| Always on Display | Yes |
| Edge display | No |
| Accessibility | All Android features |
| DRM | L1 for FHD and HDR |
| Gaming | No haptic feedback. OK, for browser-based games. |
| Screen protection | Not stated, but likely Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Comment | Bright screen with good natural colours. Can cast to the tablet if in the dock – a first. Still, the issue of Apps not being optimised for landscape mode or the resolution. Adaptive brightness can be over-aggressive. Photoframe mode needs landscape photos. |
Processor
| Brand, Model | Google Tensor G2 |
| nm | 4 |
| Cores | 2×2.85GHz Exynos + 2×2.35GHz + 4×1.80GHz) |
| Modem | N/A |
| AI TOPS | Proprietary Google Tensor NPU |
| Geekbench 6 Single-core | 1454 |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 3777 |
| Like | |
| GPU | Mali-G710 MP7 H.263, H.264 AVC, H.265 HEVC, MPEG-4, VP8, VP9, AV1 up to HDR10 |
| GPU Test | |
| Open CL | N/A |
| Like | |
| Vulcan | 4799 |
| RAM, type | 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage, free, type | 128GB UFS 3.1 (98GB free) |
| micro-SD | No |
| CPDT internal seq. Read MBps | 1400MBps |
| CPDT internal seq. write MBps | 206 |
| CPDT microSD read, write MBps | N/A |
| CPDT external (mountable?) MBps | ‘Files’ finds it as an OTG non-mountable device but will not speed test. |
| Comment | |
| Throttle test | |
| Max GIPS | 276793 |
| Average GIPS | 250220 |
| Minimum GIPS | 231952 |
| % Throttle | 13% |
| CPU Temp | 50° |
| Comment | Very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. |
Comms
| Wi-Fi Type, model | Wi-Fi 6 AC |
| Test 2m -dBm, Mbps | -30/1200 (5GHz 80MHz) |
| Test 5m | -35/1200 |
| Test 10m | -52/1134 (15m -58/1134) |
| BT Type | 5.2 |
| GPS single, dual | None – disappointing, as it could have been a useful feature. E-Compass works. |
| USB type | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 supports OTG cut and paste to external drives and 15W upstream charging, not Alt DP 1.4 audio and video stream. |
| ALT DP, DeX, Ready For | No – and should be! |
| NFC | No |
| Ultra-wideband | Yes |
| Sensors | |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Gyro | Combo with Accelerator |
| e-Compass | Yes |
| Barometer | |
| Gravity | |
| Pedometer | |
| Ambient light | |
| Hall sensor | |
| Proximity | |
| Other | |
| Comment | The Pixel 7 series has Wi-Fi 6E AXE – might have been nice. It is a real lost opportunity that the USB-C 3.2 port does not support USB-C to HDMI audio/video streaming. |
Battery
| mAh | 27Wh 7020mAh |
| Charger, type, supplied | 24V/1.25A/30W dock power and charger but charges at a maximum of 15W Can use USB-C PD – tends to charge at 9V/2A/18W or less. |
| PD, QC level | 2 |
| Qi, wattage | N/A |
| Reverse Qi or cable. | N/A |
| Test (60Hz or adaptive screen) | 60Hz |
| Charge % 30mins | |
| Charge 0-100% | Dock:3 hours and 5 minutes. Only charges to 90% and discharges to 20% for improved battery care. Google 30W adapter charging at 15W-18W: 2 hours 21 minutes. |
| Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge | N/A |
| Charge 5V, 2A | N/A |
| Video loop 50%, aeroplane | 10 hours 35 minutes |
| PC Mark 3 battery | 19 hours 34 minutes |
| GFX Bench Manhattan battery | Would not run – typical of Exynos SoCs |
| GFX Bench T-Rex | 433.3 minutes (7.22 hours) and 3363 frames |
| Drain 100-0% full load screen on. | 3 hours 8 minutes |
| mA full load | 2000-2100mA |
| mA Watt idle Screen on | 400-450mA |
| Estimate loss at max refresh | N/A |
| Estimate typical use | It will clearly last a workday and as a content consumption device for up to 19 hours. Drain under load is shorter than expected, so it is not for heavy users. The dock makes it easy to top up and prolongs battery life with 90/20 charging. |
| Comment | Excellent result for a 7020mAh battery. |
Sound
| Speakers | Two on each landscape side total of four, and a 43.5mm speaker in the dock. But it is either the tablet or dock – not both. |
| Tuning | N/A |
| AMP | 2 x CS35L41 5W @1% THD |
| Hi-Res | No |
| 3.5mm | No |
| BT Codecs | Dock AAC, MP3, FLAC, LDAC Tablet SBC, AAC |
| Multipoint | Should be |
| Dolby Atmos (DA) | No |
| EQ | No |
| Mics | Three far field, including noise reduction |
| Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off | Tablet/Dock |
| Volume max | 82/86 |
| Media (music) | 73 |
| Ring | 67 |
| Alarm | 72 |
| Notifications | Same as ring |
| Earpiece | Call volume 80 |
| Hands-free | Reasonable 5m+ far field distance from top mics for OK Google. Adequate noise cancelling from the side mic. |
| BT headphones | Good clean BT signal but only SBC and AAC codecs. |
Sound quality
| Sound quality | Tablet/Dock |
| Deep Bass 20-40Hz | Nil/Nil |
| Middle Bass 40-100Hz | Nil/Starting |
| High Bass 100-200Hz | Starting/Strong |
| Low Mid 200-400Hz | Flat/Flat |
| Mid 4000-1000Hz | Flat/Flat |
| High-Mid 1-2kHz | Flat/Flat |
| Low Treble 2-4kHz | Flat/Flat |
| Mid Treble 4-6kHz | Flat/Flat |
| High Treble 6-10kHz | Dip to avoid harshness/Ditto. |
| Dog Whistle 10-20kHz | Slight decline/choppy |
| Sound Signature type | The tablet has a bright vocal signature for vocal tracks and string instruments but can make them harsh. The Dock adds mid and high bass, but the treble is choppy. It is more of a warm and sweet signature for music, but as it is mono, it loses the depth and sound stage of the tablet. |
| Soundstage | The tablet sound stage is slightly wider than the screen. When tested on Dolby Atmos content, it has good left/right separation and even some spatial height. The dock has a mono sound stage with very limited directionality – music appears to come from the lower centre of the screen. |
| Comment | It’s a shame you can’t use the tablet speakers when docked – it reverts to mono, albeit with decent bass. Our advice – do not use the dock if watching video content or listening to audio content. |
Build
| Size (H X W x D) | 258 (W) x 169 (H) x 8.1mm (D) |
| Weight grams | 493g plus dock 400g |
| Front glass | Not specified. Suggest buying a screen protector. |
| Rear material | 100% recycled aluminium panel with AED/nano-ceramic coating |
| Frame | Unibody |
| IP rating | No |
| Colours | Porcelain and Hazel |
| Pen, Stylus support | USI 2.0 stylus |
| In the box | |
| Charger | Dock charger |
| USB cable | Plug-style cable attached to the dock charger. |
| Buds | No |
| Bumper cover | No |
| Comment | Buy the case if you want a kickstand – it fits the dock and is excellent. |
OS
| Android | 13 |
| Security patch date | 5-Jun – excellent |
| UI | Pure Android with Google Home and TV customisations |
| OS upgrade policy | Five years |
| Security patch policy | Five years |
| Bloatware | None Google TV is strange. It does not have the same interface, and streaming apps (apart from 9 Now., Stan and Paramount+) are installed via Google Play (Android) and not integrated with GTV. |
| Other | |
| Comment | Pure Android and the best upgrade policy, bar none. I am still exploring Android 13, but it has many new features. |
| Security | |
| Fingerprint sensor location, type | On the power button – eight user-profiles and five fingerprints each. |
| Face ID | No |
| Other | Tensor M2 Chip |
| Comment | Profiles allow different family members to have private spaces. |
Camera – Google Pixel Tablet 2023
| Rear Primary | Wide |
| MP | 8MP |
| Sensor | Likely a Sony IMX219 (used in Pixel 6/Pro/a) or Samsung S5K4HA/7/8, as all are 1/4″ with 1.12um pixels. |
| Focus | Fixed FF |
| f-stop | 2 |
| um | 1.12um |
| FOV° (stated, actual) | 84° |
| Stabilisation | Exynos EIS |
| Zoom | No |
| Video max | 1080p@30fps |
| Flash | No |
| Auto-HDR | HDR+ |
| QR code reader | Google Lens |
| Night mode | Night Sight AI |
Front
| MP | 8MP |
| Sensor | Same as rear |
| Focus | FF |
| f-stop | 2 |
| um | 1.12um |
| FOV (stated, actual) | 84° |
| Stabilisation | Exynos EIS |
| Flash | |
| Zoom | No |
| Video max | 1080p@30fps |
| Features | Portrait Mode and frame centring on Google Meet video calls. |
Ratings – Google Pixel Tablet 2023
| Features | 95 |
| Sure, it is an Android tablet, but the dock makes the difference. Also, the 5-year OS and security patch and integration with Google Home and TV Make this outstanding. | |
| Value | 90 |
| Given the dock is $189, it is reasonable value. The Tensor G2 processor and 8/128GB justify the price. | |
| Performance | 90 |
| It has one of the more powerful processors, not far behind the Samsung Galaxy S8 with its Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 processor. | |
| Ease of Use | 90 |
| Android is easy. Using all the extra features takes a slight learning curve. | |
| Design | 90 |
| If you like Google design styling, this is great. | |
| Rating out of 10 | 91 |
| Final comment | Google has nailed it with this tablet and dock. It puts it well ahead of the current crop. The powerful processor and Google Home and TV integration are excellent. |
Google Pixel Tablet 2023, Google Pixel Tablet 2023, Google Pixel Tablet 2023
