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After practically a yr since its announcement, the Google Pixel Pill lastly landed in my fingers. This flagship Android pill doubles as a wise show when used with the included dock, positioning it as Google’s showcase gadget for Android on bigger screens. However how good is it, actually? Listed below are our hands-on impressions of the Google Pixel Pill.
Worth and availability
The Google Pixel Pill, with its 128 GB base mannequin, is presently obtainable for buy at a beginning value of $499. In the event you’re looking for extra storage, the 256 GB variant might be yours for $599.
The pill gives a palette of three completely different colours so that you can select from: Hazel (a smooth grey), Porcelain (a chic white), and Rose (a shade completely obtainable within the US). Please word that the package deal contains the speaker dock.
The Google Pixel Pill features a dock station that connects to it utilizing the pogo pin connectors on the again. / © nextpit
Affiliate supply
Though the Pixel Pill grew to become obtainable on June 20, its preliminary announcement was made a lot earlier, on Might 11, 2022. It was later formally launched by Google throughout their annual developer convention, Google I/O, held on Might 10, 2023.
Affiliate supply
Design and show
Sporting a ten.95-inch show, the Google Pixel Pill is compact, and it does remind me of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Collection, particularly as a result of side ratio of the show. The show is extra rectangular than sq., with a 16:10 format, which is superb for streaming movies. Nevertheless, the 493-gram weight might be felt when dealing with the pill with one hand.
Professionals:
The 16:10 side ratio works fairly properly for streaming
.
Good show high quality.
Assist for USI 2.0 stylus pens.
Cons:
Design and place of the bodily buttons.
The Pixel Pill contains a glass entrance and an aluminum body and again, offering a smooth and durable design. Content material is displayed on the 11-inch LCD display screen, which gives a refresh price of 60 Hz—one thing I discover acceptable for a non-Professional pill.
The LCD show is vibrant and supplies a superb viewing expertise for consuming content material. / © nextpit
It additionally boasts a show decision of 2560 x 1600 and 500 nits brightness, which considerably enhanced my expertise of watching Netflix TV exhibits and YouTube movies. Furthermore, studying content material on apps resembling Kindle and The New York Occasions was a pleasure on this gadget.
One other show function that I personally discover to be a improbable addition is the help for USI 2.0 stylus pens.
The Pixel Pill docking station serves each as an audio enhancer and a charging dock. However you may as well cost the gadget utilizing the USB-C port. / © nextpit
On the again of the Pixel Pill, we now have the docking connectors (a.okay.a. pogo pin connection)—extra in regards to the docking station later. These connectors, usually situated on the pill body, are used for attaching a wide range of equipment, resembling keyboards. So, I am nonetheless pondering how accent producers will deal with this.
What piqued my curiosity, nonetheless, was the choice to place the facility button, which doubles because the fingerprint sensor, on the identical stage because the body. This creates a counterintuitive and user-unfriendly expertise. Additionally, it is uncomfortably near the amount button, situated on the identical edge. So, as a primary impression, I discover this format counterintuitive for a pill, which is basically designed to be held with two fingers.
The facility button, which additionally features as a biometric sensor, is built-in on the stage of the body: I am not notably keen on this design resolution. / © nextpit
As if that weren’t sufficient, there are two rubbery helps on the underside of the body that may simply be mistaken for bodily buttons. These design selections frankly baffle me, despite the fact that I perceive they’re meant to function a safety when used with a pill help accent.
On one finish of the body, there are two rugged helps for cover. At first look, this appears extra counterintuitive than user-friendly. / © nextpit
Speaker dock included
I recall the response of the viewers on the Google I/O 2022 keynote when the Pixel Pill dock station was launched: it was met with resounding applause. I did not totally perceive it on the time, however I now recognize the choice to incorporate the dock station with the Pixel Pill. It is intuitive to make use of, the sound high quality is noticeably superior, and it conveniently costs the gadget whereas it is docked at 15W max. charging price.
Professionals:
Dock packs further audio system
.
It doubles as a charging station.
Cons:
It solely works when plugged within the socket.
With a magnetic docking system, it is easy to connect and detach the Pixel Pill from the speaker dock. / © nextpit
Though the Pixel Pill is provided with 4 built-in stereo audio system, they are not designed for an distinctive audio expertise, which may usually be achieved with a pair of wi-fi headphones. And that is the place this mix makes a big distinction.
The docking station delivers the sound high quality of a 43.5 mm full-range speaker. I have been utilizing the gadget for lower than 24 hours, however I can confidently state that the audio enhancement is notably superior, as one would anticipate.
After all, you should utilize the dock station with out the facility cable, however it might solely serve to prop the gadget up in entrance of you. / © nextpit
Although it jogs my memory of Meta’s unsuccessful Portal gadget idea, this expertise is much extra sensible. It is great to have it sitting on my work desk and to have the ability to simply dock the pill on the station. It is intuitive and eliminates the necessity for fussing with pill instances or keyboard helps.
The magnetic docking interface works like a appeal—not as soon as has it failed to connect after I tried. Nicely performed, Google!
The disadvantage—and there is at all times one—is that the speaker dock solely features when plugged into an influence supply. This implies you are tied down by a cable. So, if you wish to preserve this seamless expertise throughout a number of rooms, you will have to put money into additional docks. Nevertheless, for these involved, the Pixel Pill can be charged by way of USB-C. Sadly, Google doesn’t embrace a cable or USB charger within the field.
Google features a dock station within the field with the Pixel Pill, and this actually deserves some real recognition. / © nextpit
Past its spectacular sound high quality and charging functionality, what units this dock station aside? It additionally lets you use the pill in Hub Mode. This implies you achieve entry to the Google Sensible Dwelling expertise, full with devoted display screen savers, reminders, and alerts by way of Google Assistant, casting capabilities, and, after all, the flexibility to regulate all of your sensible gadgets at residence.
Efficiency and software program
The Pixel Pill operates on the identical Tensor G2 processor that is present in Google’s Pixel 7 smartphones, which can also be mixed with the Titan M2 safety chip. You may anticipate the identical stage of AI processing for voice recognition, picture processing, and options resembling background blurring in photographs, and extra notably, throughout voice calls using the built-in 8-megapixel selfie digital camera.
Professionals:
The Tensor G2 chip reliability
.
Clean, fluid expertise.
Lengthy-term software program help.
The fingerprint sensor works flawlessly.
Cons:
The fingerprint sensor is dependable and can be utilized for authorizing purchases and verifying your identification on numerous apps and companies. / © nextpit
I did not have lots of time to experiment with the Pixel Pill earlier than penning this hands-on, however total, it supplies a clean and fluid expertise. The Tensor G2 chip is paired with 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and is available in two completely different storage configurations: 128 or 256 GB of UFS 3.1.
As for safety, apart from the multi-layer {hardware} safety, there’s additionally the Non-public Compute Core. By definition, this manages all information on the gadget stage.
On the again of the Pixel Pill, there’s an 8MP rear digital camera. / © nextpit
Now, let’s speak about software program. It has been some time since I’ve used Android tablets, so my ideas on the person expertise with the Pixel Pill may come throughout as considerably naive to some. Nevertheless, for the primary time in years, I really feel that builders are dedicating extra effort to optimizing their companies for “Android for tablets”.
Whereas not good, it is clear that the apps are extra than simply replicas of what we see on Pixel telephones. I’ve at all times used The New York Occasions app as a benchmark, and I discovered that my expertise with it on the Pixel Pill is nearly an identical to what I expertise on my iPad 10. The Android 13 widgets additionally add a pleasant contact to the pill expertise, despite the fact that the working system as an entire may nonetheless use some enhancements when it comes to a pill UX.
The entrance digital camera is situated on the heart of the show, positioned on the prime when in panorama mode. / © nextpit
Based on Google, there are “greater than 50 Google apps” optimized for the Pixel Pill, however it nonetheless looks like an upscaled Pixel cellphone expertise… sadly.
The brand new Pixel pill comes with a dedication to obtain main Android updates for as much as three years and safety updates for 5 years. Because it was launched with Android 13, we are able to anticipate it to be up to date till Android 16, which is projected to be launched in 2025.
Google Pixel Pill battery
Google geared up the Pixel Pill with a built-in 27-watt-hour battery (7,020 mAh), which in line with the corporate’s lab assessments, lasts as much as 12 hours of video streaming. The gadget might be recharged by way of the charging speaker dock included within the field, or a USB-C charger, which is offered individually.
Since most of my time with the pill was spent utilizing the dock station, I am unable to supply an knowledgeable opinion on the battery life at this stage. Nevertheless,
I have to point out that the charging dock is extremely useful because it retains the gadget powered wirelessly
.
When docked to the speaker station, the pill costs wirelessly. Subsequently, if you take away it, it would usually be totally charged! / © nextpit
A extra detailed evaluation of the battery life will likely be offered within the full assessment within the coming days.
Google Pixel Pill technical specs
Pure Android Pill
Product
Image
Display screen
10.95-inch LCD
2560 x 1600 pixels
SoC
Google Tensor G2Titan M2 safety coprocessor
RAM
8 GB LPDDR5 RAM
Storage
128 / 256 GB UFS 3.1 ROM
Expandable storage
❌
OS
Android 135 years of updates
Digicam
8 MP | 1.12 μm pixel width | f/2.0 aperture | Mounted focus | 84° discipline of view | 1/4″ picture sensor dimension
Selfie
8 MP | 1.12 μm pixel width | f/2.0 aperture | Mounted focus | 84° discipline of view | 1/4″ picture sensor dimension
Battery
27 watt-hour (7,020 mAh)15 W charging with the included dock
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 6 / Bluetooth 5.2 / UWB
Audio
Quad audio system
Colours
Porcelain, HazelRose (US solely)
Dimensions and weight
10.2 x 6.7 x 0.3 in, 17.4 oz258 x 169 x 8.1 mm, 493 g
Early Verdict
Certainly, Google has launched a pill, and the gadget is sort of spectacular. Personally, I discover the speaker dock station to be a worthwhile add-on, although it does not present any additional options, solely enhancing the audio and charging capabilities. As of now, I stay unconvinced by the Sensible Dwelling functionalities, and here is why: it is a pill! When was the final time you heard of a Sensible Dwelling gadget that doubles as a pill? The inverse also needs to not be an ordinary expectation.
That being mentioned, upon first impression, it seems Google nonetheless wants to enhance the coveted “Android pill expertise”, and I strongly imagine that is the start of such efforts. When it comes to {hardware}, the Pixel Pill incorporates some strong parts, however it nonetheless lags behind Samsung and Apple on the subject of superior utilization.
Total, I preferred the pill; it is compact and gives strong efficiency. It is good for my two favourite use instances for tablets: studying newspapers and magazines, plus watching all my favourite movies on YouTube.
The true query is: Would I abandon my iPad for the Pixel Pill? I do not actually suppose so, however this has much less to do with the Pixel Pill expertise and extra to do with the stronghold of the Apple ecosystem.
The total assessment of the Google Pixel Pill will likely be revealed shortly, and we’re thinking about what you wish to learn about it. Please share your ideas on the gadget within the feedback beneath.
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