Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Google tweaks the Pixel C tablet to be a little more like its Pixel phones

By

pixel c android 7 1 2 google tablet tablet1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Pixel C, Google’s answer to Microsoft’s Surface and Apple’s iPad, never really caught on — a year and a half after the tablet’s launch, sales are stagnant. But fortunately for buyers who took the plunge, Google hasn’t forgotten about it. Last week, the search giant began rolling out an update, Android 7.1.2, that brings the tablet’s features in line with Google’s Pixel-branded smartphones.

The multitasking menu has been tweaked slightly. Now, it’s more like the Pixel’s interface — when you switch apps, you get an animated grid-based system that shows the apps running in the background. Unfortunately, it’s limited to the eight most-used apps — unlike on the Pixel, scrolling through additional apps doesn’t appear to be possible.

Recommended Videos

That’s not all that’s changed. Android 7.1.2 introduces new navigation menus close in styling to the Pixel and Pixel XL — they’re now all white, and the home button is a solid circle. The settings menu has adopted the blue color scheme of Google’s phones. And the Pixel Launcher, Google’s proprietary home screen app, now comes pre-installed with an app drawer and weather widget optimized for the tablet’s screen size.

Android 7.1.2 will roll out broadly in the coming weeks.

This could lay the groundwork for a broader transformation. Rumors suggested that Google is developing a new operating system, Andromeda, that will offer a hybrid Chrome OS and Android platform. A few of the rumored features include notification syncing between Android devices enhanced with machine learning — reportedly, notifications will only display on a device that’s actually in use.

As recently as September 2016, two manufacturers were said to be working on Andromeda devices. Google is rumored to unveil the operating system this year, though Senior Vice President of Android and Chrome OS, Hiroshi Lockheimer, has said that the two operating systems are not merging.

One of those devices could be a follow-up to the Pixel C, according to Android Police. It’s the result of a collaboration between the Pixel, Android, and Chrome OS teams, and is reportedly thinner than Apple’s MacBook Air at 10mm and 12.3 inches. A backlit keyboard’s said to house a “glass trackpad” that has force detection similar to the MacBook, and an Intel Core M3 or i5 processor reportedly powers that tablet’s operating system.

Other rumored specs include 32 or 128GB of internal storage, 8 or 16GB of RAM, two USB Type-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a range of sensors, stylus support, stereo speakers, quad microphones, and a battery that lasts 10 hours.

The device will be aimed at the enterprise market, as rumor has it. Its starting price is $800 (within striking distance of Microsoft’s $900 Surface Pro 4), and it is expected to launch sometime between April and July 2017.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
Motorola just launched a new Android phone to take on the Google Pixel 8a
A render of the front and back of the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

If you have your heart set on a phone with a stylus, you’re probably familiar with Samsung devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the previous Galaxy S23 Ultra. But there is another company out there that ships phones with a stylus — Motorola. Unlike Samsung’s flagship, the new Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) won’t break the bank thanks to its $400 starting price in the U.S.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is the latest in a series of midrange stylus-equipped phones that Motorola started releasing in 2020. The latest model keeps up with its predecessors with solid midrange capabilities and, as the name indicates, support for 5G.

Read more
The Google Pixel 8a is the Pixel phone I’ve been waiting for
A render of the Bay blue Google Pixel 8a.

It's that time of year once again -- time for a new Google Pixel phone. Google officially announced the Pixel 8a this week, and the phone is exactly as the rumors predicted. It has a slightly refined design, a new chipset, and an improved display.

At first glance, the Google Pixel 8a might come off as a bit boring. It's a budget smartphone that's technically inferior to its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro siblings from 2023, and compared to the Pixel 7a, it's not all that different. It can be easy to dismiss the Pixel 8a, but when you consider all of its specs, features, and unchanged price, I don't think there's anything boring about it. In fact, I think it's pretty damn exciting.
Subtle (but important) upgrades

Read more
Google has no idea what it’s doing with the Pixel Tablet
The back of the Google Pixel Tablet.

With its latest move to try and encourage you to buy a Pixel Tablet, Google has unfortunately indicated it still has no idea what to do with its most recent return to tablets.

Its big plan to sell more tablets is to take away the best thing about them, which then gives it an excuse to charge a bit less. Reducing the price is a good thing, but in the case of the Pixel Tablet and Google's solution, there’s sadly no longer any reason to buy it at all.
Google's new plan for the Pixel Tablet

Read more