Google's grand return to the tablet form factor, the two-in-one Google Pixel Tablet, was resoundingly fine. While the double-duty form factor held some promise and the tablet performed well enough, the execution of the whole package didn't quite hit the mark. It seems like Google's hard at work on a sequel, though: codenames believed to be related to a future Pixel Tablet 2 were discovered in early 2024. Google I/O 2024's come and gone without so much as a whisper about new tablet hardware, so it's likely we'll have to wait until fall for the full picture about Google's next tablet. In the meantime, here's what we've heard about the Pixel Tablet 2 so far — and what we hope it'll be like.

Google Pixel Tablet 2: Rumors and what we know so far

Fruity codenames and little more

We still don't have any official info to go on, but the rumor mill has been churning since early this year. In Feburary, 9to5Google did some digging in Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 and found two hardware codenames, Clementine and Kiyomi, related to unreleased Google devices. During its development, the first-gen Pixel Tablet was internally referred to as Tangorpro.

A tangor is a hybrid citrus fruit, a cross between a tangerine and an orange. The pro affix in the Pixel Tablet's codename is a relic of the device's complicated development history. Clementine and Kiyomi are also references to hybrid citrus fruits. Given the thematic similarities between the names — not just that they're all citrus, but hybrids, much like the tablet × smart display Pixel Tablet — it's not much of a leap to assume the two new codenames refer to unreleased Pixel Tablet hardware.

9to5 couldn't find any other info about the devices, only that they exist in some form and are in some stage of development. It's also unclear what we should make of the two codenames. The first-gen Pixel Tablet also had two associated codenames during its development but was released as one singular model; the Pixel Tablet 2 could play out the same way.

A late-April rumor from leaker @MysteryLupin said Google planned to "relaunch" the Pixel Tablet at I/O this year, announcing sales of the tablet by itself, sans dock. That was partly true: Google announced sales of the first-gen Pixel Tablet without its dock ahead of I/O. It costs $399.

Lupin went on to say Google would announce first-party stylus and Bluetooth keyboard accessories for the Pixel Tablet, each for "about €100" (for context, the current Pixel Tablet sold with its charging dock goes for €679 in Germany, so these accessories could cost $80 or so apiece in the US). That hasn't happened.

An important distinction here might be that Lupin said Google will launch a keyboard, not a keyboard case. A first-party keyboard case that specifically fits the existing Pixel Tablet's body, released so long after the tablet itself, would point to a second generation tablet with a very similar form factor to ensure cross-generation accessory compatibility. Then again, Samsung's keyboard cases for the Tab S8 series aren't fully compatible with near-identical S9 tablets, so we'll have to wait and see.

Pixel Tablet 2: What we want to see

Better hardware and tighter integration

There's not a lot of meat to the above; all it shows is that the Pixel Tablet 2 is probably in development. But given Google's rocky history with tablets and that the original Pixel Tablet was a mixed success, the implication that Google's actively working on a sequel is noteworthy. The first-gen model had its share of shortcomings, which makes it easy to pick out ways we'd like a Pixel Tablet 2 to be better. Here, in no particular order, are our top priorities for improvements in a hypothetical second-gen Pixel Tablet.

Better audio

The Pixel Tablet's whole deal is that it's two devices in one. It's a tablet when it's in your hands and a smart display when it's docked. Docking the tablet routes its audio through the bundled Charging Speaker Dock, which produces fuller audio than tablet speakers can.

Despite the added bass and volume, the existing Pixel Tablet dock doesn't sound all that great. It's closer to the smaller Nest Hub than Google's more powerful speakers like the Nest Hub Max or Nest Audio. Given how pricey the dock is, as part of the Pixel Tablet bundle ($500) or sold on its own ($129), we expected better sound. It can be a little larger if needed, but assuming it's not markedly less expensive, the Pixel Tablet 2's Charging Speaker Dock should push better audio.

A smarter speaker dock

Aside from not sounding particularly impressive, the Charging Speaker Dock doesn't do anything unless the Pixel Tablet is attached to it. It doesn't have mics or smarts, so it can't respond to your Hey Google commands or act as a cast target for streaming music. It just sits there, being expensive.

It might seem redundant given the tablet's smarts, but for the price Google charges for the dock, it should do more when the tablet isn't attached. Alternatively, we'd be happy to see two dock options: a standard model that acts like the first-gen Pixel Tablet's dock and a higher-end version with better audio and built-in processing for tablet-free use.

Refined hardware

The Pixel Tablet's hardware is fine, but it feels midrange. It looks and feels like it was meant to be released along with the 2020 Pixel 5. We also know there's a lot of unused space inside the tablet's body. It's just a strange piece of hardware.

In the Pixel Tablet 2, we'd like to see a little more finesse: a design in line with Google's other (recent) hardware that looks and feels a little more high-end. For comparison, the 10th-gen iPad retails for $450, often goes on sale for less, and handily beats the $500 Pixel Tablet on industrial design and hardware quality. Apple's tablet doesn't come with a dock, but we refuse to believe the Charging Speaker Dock that ships with the original Pixel Tablet costs Google anywhere near the $129 it goes for when purchased separately anyway.

At $500, the Pixel Tablet should have higher-quality hardware. A second-gen model gives Google the opportunity to up its game to compete with rivals like Apple and Samsung, both of which make great-feeling tablets in this price range.

A higher refresh rate display

This one's more of a nice-to-have, but as high refresh rate displays are becoming the norm (even the base Pixel 8 is 120Hz), larger screens at 60Hz look crummy by comparison. While 120Hz would be nice here, we'd be happy to see the Pixel Tablet 2 land with a 90Hz panel. Higher refresh rates don't impact much of what people do on tablets — reading or watching sub-120-FPS video — but they make navigating the user interface feel nicer, and the bigger the display, the more noticeable the difference.

Long update support

As Google and Samsung have started to offer seven years of updates for their phones, it'd be great to see the Pixel Tablet 2 get the same support. The first Pixel Tablet is only guaranteed OS updates for three years (into 2026) and security updates for five (ending in 2028). Given tablets are typically lighter-duty secondary devices, it seems easier to make a high-quality tablet last seven years than it does even the best of phones. Fingers crossed that Google feels the same way.

More smart display functionality

It'd be great if the Pixel Tablet 2 better matched Google's Nest Hub smart displays when it comes to functionality. The first-gen model comes close, but it's missing features users upgrading from a Nest Hub are used to:

• The Pixel Tablet's speaker group and photo frame settings are somewhat confusing.
• The animation that plays when the tablet listens to your voice is hard to see at a distance.
• There isn't support for Continued Conversation, so you can't ask follow-up questions without saying "Hey Google" again.

Whether the Pixel Tablet 2's smart functionality is built around Assistant or Gemini, we'd love to see the device come closer to matching Google's other smart displays and speakers, feature-for-feature.

When will the Google Pixel Tablet 2 be released?

Recent rumors complicate our expectations

Google hasn't publicly acknowledged that the Pixel Tablet 2 is in development. Given the first-gen Pixel Tablet was the company's first tablet hardware in some time, we don't have any recent history to extrapolate when we might see the second generation on store shelves.

The original was teased in May 2022, made available for preorder in May 2023, and made its way to customers the following month. We haven't heard much in the way of rumors about the new tablet yet, and it wasn't mentioned at all at Google I/O. Given that, and the fact that Google is now selling a version of the first-gen tablet without the dock at a lower price, the second generation may be farther away than we thought. There's still a chance it could make its debut at Google's annual fall hardware event, however.