After a year-long wait, the Google Pixel Tablet is set to go on sale on June 20th. While announcing its details at I/O 2023, Google also unveiled two official accessories for the tablet, including a case and a speaker mount to convert it into a smart display.
Now, a new leak hints that more official accessories, including a keyboard and a stylus, for the Pixel Tablet are on the way — but may be delayed just like the tablet itself.
Tipster Kamila Wojciechowska tweeted that the accessories for Pixel Tablet are "still in development." The purported stylus and keyboard can be expected to expedite the promised optimizations for Android tablets and reduce the productivity gap they share with iPads.
Wojciechowska also remarked the Pixel Tablet is "still not finished" yet. If that"s true, Google may have trouble fulfilling orders when it starts delivering the tablet next month.
im not too surprised, they delayed the tablet a whole year because it wasnt ready and its still not finished now (the situation is about the same in case of the stylus/keyboard, its still in development)
— kamila 🌸 (@Za_Raczke) May 29, 2023
The tipster does not reveal any other details about the keyboard and stylus for the Pixel Tablet or whether these accessories will be available in time when it goes on sale.
For those wanting to use a stylus with the Pixel Tablet, Google has a backup in the form of Universal Stylus Interface (USI) 2.0 standard support, which allows compatibility with specific third-party digital pens from brands such as Wacom, Lenovo, HP, etc.
Google was already seemingly aware of potential hiccups in production with its first Android tablet since the Pixel C launched almost a decade ago. First unveiled at Google I/O 2022, the Pixel Tablet received a vague launch window of "2023" and was only officially launched at the following year"s I/O conference.
The Pixel Tablet comes bundled with a speaker dock designed to hold the tablet in place magnetically while also charging it. While the speaker dock makes for a quirky accessory — and adds a smart speaker"s functionality, the lack of an official keyboard and stylus makes the Pixel Tablet less compelling despite its flagship-grade internals, including the Tensor G2 chipset.
As Google focuses on tablets again and prepares to optimize apps for devices with larger screens, such as the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel Fold, the official keyboard and stylus may help make Android tablets more useful for work than they currently are.