Pixel Tablet could use a two-year-old processor

Google made many announcements at I/O this spring, but so far none of the promised products have made it to market. The Pixel 7 phone and Pixel Watch aren’t expected until October, while the Pixel tablet is sure to delay until 2023. However, it looks like the hardware that will be integrated into these products will be outdated, according to the code included in the Android sources in the “AOSP” version.

Pixel Tablet details revealed in Android source code

Software developers working with Android Open Source Project sources (like Twitter’s Kuba Wojciechowski) have uncovered details about the Pixel Tablet that suggest it won’t be a high-end product, as expected for such a productivity device. Apparently, its processor won’t be a modern mandatory one, but Google’s first-generation Tensor (codenamed gs101), originally launched in 2021 alongside the Pixel 6 models. The processor is mentioned several times in relation to the codename “Tangor” and a development board called “Citron”, which are believed to be components of the “Tangotron” tablet currently in development.

As confirmed by a Google-authored code commit, Citron used a 1st generation Tensor (gs101), just like the Pixel 6 series. That means that the Tablet is also most likely gonna use it, which makes sense for a cost-optimized family tablet. pic.twitter.com/qfYXzmewui

– Kuba Wojciechowski⚡ (@Za_Raczke) September 1, 2022

The “problem” is that that processor couldn’t even be considered “high-end” in 2021, as it was based on Samsung’s rather mid-range Exynos design, equipped with more cores for AI processing than a normal one. Thus, we can’t expect performance comparable to that of today’s iPad Air or Galaxy Tab S8 models, which are on par with many laptop models.

Other details about the Pixel Tablet suggest that it will be stylus compatible and that it won’t be able to run 32-bit apps, being limited to 64-bit, i.e. newer, modern apps from the Google Play Store. What’s more, the tablet wouldn’t be equipped with a GPS module, nor would it ship with a 4G modem, so it’s a dedicated device for use in the home. Furthermore, the tablet could have a Nest Hub-like mode of operation to serve as a command center for all smart home devices in the house, as well as serve as a smart screen and speaker to take commands via Google Assistant.

We won’t know official details about the Pixel Tablet until 2023, but given that all information about Google devices is leaked to the internet many months in advance, it’s likely to come to the online space much sooner.