Google threw a bit of a curveball at its Nexus event earlier this year: A 100 per cent Google-made tablet brandishing the company’s well-known Chromebook moniker. It was called the Pixel C. It was all Google hardware, like the Pixels that came before it, and its software was pure Android Marshmallow.
The only thing that remained a secret was when you could buy one — a sorely-vague “Holiday 2015” was all we knew. Well, today’s the day. Google is now selling the $699 tablet (and extra $200 keyboard). We’re still in the middle of our own review, but you can refresh your memory about Google’s weirdo tablet with our hands-on from this past September.
The big things to keep in mind here is that the Pixel C definitely feels designed to work with the keyboard. The tablet by itself is a nice 10.2″ tablet, but without the keyboard it feels somewhat incomplete and run-of-the-mill. One of the most confounding things about the tablet is its unfortunate lack of a trackpad.
In just my short time with the Pixel C, I’ve easily adjusted to the touch-type-touch-type tango, but no trackpad could be a big NOPE for some. But if Android + keyboard is your dream device, then the Pixel C seems mighty capable so far — though there are certainly other worthy contenders fighting for your Android tablet affections.
[Google]