- Google might have cancelled the Pixel Tablet 3
- Pixel Tablet 2 still rumored to be releasing
- Mimics its Pixel Slate cancellation in 2019
Google’s next tablet could be its last, with a new report teasing that the Google Pixel Tablet 3 project has been recently canceled. That would mean that while we’ll hopefully still see the rumored Pixel Tablet 2 it likely won’t get a successor – and could be bad news for support and software optimization.
Android Headlines reports that “Multiple industry sources close to the project” have confirmed that development of the Pixel Tablet 3 – codenamed Kiyomi – has been halted. This isn’t the first time Google has canned its tablets with it pulling the same stunt in 2019 when it scrapped the Pixel Slate line (via Business Insider) only to revive its tablets last year.
As with all rumors these details should be taken with a pinch of salt. There’s a chance the leak is incorrect, or that the Tablet 3 will be reborn in a new form (I have some thoughts on that below), but it reminds us that Google is no stranger to killing off its projects. If Pixel Tablets are dead then it does raise the question of how much support the Tablet 2 will get, leading us to wonder if it’ll be a solid long-term investment or not.
Giving up on tablets, or going all-in on foldables?
I’ve been trying out the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold recently for an upcoming project, and just like I’ve found previously with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, the folding phone is basically just a pocket-sized tablet.
Sure, it’s not quite as large as a full-sized iPad or Pixel slate, but it many ways it’s big enough and it more than makes up for its size deficiencies with its portability; I don’t need a backpack or carry case for it, I just need a pocket that can fit a Google Pixel 9 Pro (which is the size it shrinks down to when folded).
With many tablets already feeling kinda like big phones, perhaps Google doesn’t see the advantage in continuing to work on a Pixel tablet, especially if it hopes its foldable will one day replace tablets altogether. Combine that with the fact its foldable has been better received than its tablet – our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review gave it four stars, while the Google Pixel Tablet review awarded it half a star less – and that the tablet space is dominated by one name (Apple’s iPads), and a foldable focus would make plenty of sense.
The only downside for us is that Google’s tablet-like phone isn’t affordable; sure its Tablet costs $499 / £599 / AU$899, which is already a little pricey, but at $1,799 / £1,749 / AU$2,699 the foldable is a lot less accessible. A foldable only approach would lock plenty of people out from its Pixel tablet-likes unless it introduces some kind of Pixel Fold 9a – to match its affordable Pixel a phones.
We’ll have to wait and see what Google announces, but hopefully the Pixel Tablet 3 door closing just means a new door is opening – and if that could lead to better (and cheaper) folding phones I’m not going to complain.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
