Customer Ratings & Reviews

It is on heavy side but hardware is good. The cost is on high side.

I'm all in on Google. I have multiple gmail accounts and devices, and subscribe to multiple premium services. If there was an ultimate subscription service that combined all of the premium options in one monthly payment, I'd be the first to sign up. That being said, I'm still trying to figure out how the Pixel Slate is supposed to fit into my life. Pro's: After I got the device powered on, setup was a breeze. I signed in with my primary gmail account and it automatically loaded up my chrome extensions that I use on my desktop. It even recognized my Pixel 3 phone without prompting and after I gave it permission it allowed a seamless instant tether for when I'm out and about and need data. Downloading new apps was as easy as opening up the Play store. The Pixel Slate on paper is everything I want out of a tablet running, a mobile OS with a full featured desktop chrome browser. I spend most of my free computer time in a chrome browser, so access to all the extensions that I'm used to is a must if I'm to do any serious browsing on this. I love the integration of the fingerprint reader into the power button, and think it's a really inspired design choice. The 2 USB-C sockets are great now that I've updated most of my gear to that standard. The screen is beautiful, and the sound coming off of the device was sufficient to hear over the sound of the kitchen sink while I was doing dishes. Netflix, Plex, VRV, Youtube, and all the other entertainment apps that I subscribe to are all available, as well as games. Thankfully, some devs have stepped up in brining premium AAA games to Android, and the Slate's hardware is more than adequate to play these on. I'm excited for Google Stadia to launch, as this very well could be a gamechanger for portable gaming, especially if the Slate is up to the task. For added productivity, power users have the official option of installing linux, though it is in beta, if they really want to justify paying the premium on a laptop tablet hybrid that you can actually use for real heavy duty work. Cons: The initial unboxing and setup was a disaster. I removed the device from the packaging and pressed the power button nut nothing happened. Sometimes devices need to be powered on by holding the power button for a few seconds, so I tried a 5 second press and hold, but it did nothing. I tried a 10 second, and nothing. I did a 30 second and still nothing. Frustrated, I tried Googling "pixel slate won't power on" and found a concerning number of other people having the same problem. The quick setup card said it would have sufficient charge out of the box, but just in case I decided to plug it in. The charging indicator lit up amber, flashed twice, then went out. This didn't look very promising. I ensured the outlet was good, then tried plugging the tablet back in. Again, amber lights flashed then went out. Another google search suggested doing a "hard reset" by holding the volume and power buttons for 10 seconds. Someone else suggested leaving it plugged in even though it didn't seem to be charging. I tried both, and left everything for a couple hours while I stewed, contemplating calling up Google to initiate the RMA process. After gathering the box and packaging materials, I tried one more time to see if it'd work and finally it turned on. A less patient person would have given up much earlier. Once everything is finished being set up, the UI is really confusing to use. Some icons open apps, while others open a website in chrome. I get that everything is an app or a website these days (and usually the apps are just fancy, less useful wrappers for the website anyways), but if I wanted to go to a website, I'd just type in the url or click a bookmark. Also, the mishmash of desktop design elements and mobile OS choices is frustrating. The button that you normally find the start button opens the assistant, whereas to see your apps you swipe up a few times, since swiping up once also seems to bring up the assistant. The lack of task manager or any sort of real diagnostic check makes fixing any issues with the few apps available impossible outside of a reset, which even then doesn't always fix the problem. I was trying to use the Play Store to find some new apps to download, and instead of opening up the app, the icon sat in the "taskbar" with a spinning wheel over it, and wouldn't do anything until after a system restart. This happened several times across a few different apps. Right clicking and closing the app did nothing, nor did any matter of swiping, swirling, tapping, holding, or deep pressing. Finally, this thing is HEAVY. Using it as a ebook reader, while super convenient thanks to Google Play Books (which sells ebooks, audiobooks, and comics and graphic novels which all look amazing on the Pixel Slate's screen), becomes a chore to just hold it up to eye level. The lack of a kickstand makes purchasing some sort of stand accessory or cover with built in stand absolutely necessary, unless you have abnormally powerful wrists. Summary: For the person that can do all their work in a browser and wants some apps to use as well, and is entrenched on the Google side of the mobile OS war, one would be hard pressed to find a finer piece of kit than the Pixel Slate. When combined with the Pixelbook pen and the keyboard cover, the experience can rival that of the Surface line of products. Once you need a certain application that requires Windows / (i)OSX, then lugging this black pancake-flat brick around is at best inconvenient and at worst completely unnecessary. I think my wife would the ideal candidate for this tablet, as she only uses Chrome, Netflix, and Plex on her laptop, and hasn't run anything else since she's had it (not even windows update, so I end up having to steal it from her every few months to install patches). It's also perfect for taking on vacation. In fact, she's already eyeing it and seeing if it fits in her current laptop's sleeve. The nice thing is that the Slate allows for multiple user profiles, as well as a guest sign in option, so I have no qualms about her "borrowing" it for a while without having to sign out of my email and other online accounts.

This Pixel Slate is a full-size (12.3”) tablet that is thin with a clear, bright screen, but with a fairly heavy weight to it. The device comes in at 25.6 ounces; compare this to a larger (12.9”) iPad Pro which comes in at 16.5 ounces). So the weight is noticeable when carrying it around. Remember before going much further that this is a Chromebook tablet, so you’ll be running the Chromebook OS right out of the chute, but with a beta-level support for some Linux configuration and options (extremely limited at the time of release). If you’re a user that uses primarily cloud-based or SaaS types of services or applications, or your organization uses Google Apps for work (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, etc.) this will serve you well. Otherwise know that you’re limited to apps from the Google Play store, which often give you limited functionality as compared to a laptop or desktop. Boot time is quick, as should be expected from any tablet. The power button doubles as a fingerprint reader, but I found that more times than not it failed to pick up on my fingerprint, hit me with a “too many attempts” warning & forced me to use a PIN (which has to be 6 numbers or more, which seems excessive to me). Battery is actually good, I got 3-4 days or intermittent use at work out of it before getting below 20%. Always-on time will yield you around 8 hours (Google says 10 hours). The device features 2 USB-C ports, one on each corner, so you can charge the device from either the left or right side. Unfortunately, the device does not support external storage, limiting you to the internal storage only, which reduces the amount of local storage and apps you can take with you. As for downloading a movie to take on the plane you may be out-of-luck depending on what’s already on the tablet. Screen response time to me was the worst part of the device. Whether using your finger to write on the screen or the optional stylus, there was a very noticeable lag between when you make a stroke on the screen to when it appears (as compared to a 3-in-1 laptop, a Microsoft Surface, and a Samsung Note Tab, all of which I use for a variety of jobs in the office). I use OneNote fairly often and found it frustrating and distracting that you would write but it was maybe a quarter of a second before you see the writing on the screen. And while that doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s noticeable and makes writing notes much more difficult. The device has an optional external keyboard that the tablet can dock with, but skip it and get a Bluetooth keyboard. It’s too floppy for the device and doesn’t do a good job at protecting the device (see that device for my review specifically on the keyboard). Overall, it’s not a bad tablet for web-based, cloud-based, or SaaS apps and services. It more than did the job which I was using it for -- notes, e-mail, and web-based SaaS programs. The display lag for displaying handwriting for me was the worst part, in addition to the extremely heavy weight for the device. And at this price point, it’s not like there aren’t plenty of other options out there to compete with the Slate.

I have had iPads for years and have a Windows tablet, and I’ve found that it’s the form that I now prefer most. The Google Pixel Slate tablet is my first Chrome-based tablet and it’s fabulous. Sign in with your Google account and if you have other Chrome devices, it downloads updates and replicates your settings from the other device, if you have it set to sync properly. This one area of the Google ecosystem with Chromebooks that has traditionally been far better than Windows. In about 10 minutes, due to the updates downloading, my Pixel Slate was up and running just like my other Chromebook. You have some minimal logging in to do with the non-Google apps, but anything in Google’s ecosystem is available already. As far as the hardware, it’s premium. It’s very nice to hold and feels great, but be careful because it is very slick and you can drop it easily. The screen is super nice and extremely clear. The speakers sound great. I’ve done some streaming and everything loaded quickly and looked and sounded great. There was no log or buffering, so the hardware is up to par. The biggest way that the Pixel Slate excels over the traditional laptop computer Chromebooks is that it’s not nearly as heavy. My other Chromebook’s keyboard flips around so that you can go tablet mode with it. But it’s extremely heavy when trying to use that way and the added bulk of the keyboard is obvious. I end up using it in the traditional laptop mode all the time. With the Pixel Slate, I take it off the keyboard about 1/3 of the time. Speaking of the keyboard, I consider it a must have. It connects very securely at the connection point and the magnet on the back holds tight. You slide the cover on the back that has the magnet up and down to change the angle of the tablet. It’s simple, and I like it far better than the hinge type stands on some computers. I understand the hinge’s usefulness. If you don’t have the keyboard, it’s a built in stand. But without the hinge, the tablet looks much sleeker and it’s one less thing to break. The keyboard also acts as a protective cover. When closed, the magnet cover on the back covers the entire back and keyboard connect magnetically to the front of the Pixel Slate. Typing on it is also great and saves the entire screen for what you’re doing rather than blocking part for the on screen keyboard. I do have a few complaints. Even though it holds magnetically to the front of the slate, those magnets are not as strong as the one on the back. So the keyboard side slides when it’s closed. It’s also has a lot of give if you’re not typing on a solid surface, like a table. If you have it on your lap, it bends just a little as you type, especially in the middle. Neither of those things would make me say it’s not worth it. I still consider it a must have. But I worry about the wear over time, especially from the give while typing. But still a must have. The pen I’m not the biggest fan of for one reason. I was excited that I would be able to write words and numbers in some cases. I have found the recognition to be very bad. One example, I was writing “forever” and it came up with “f fuvvr” for whatever reason. I’ve tried make sure that I’m writing clearly and that the letters are close enough that it does not think I’m starting a new word, but it doesn’t matter. On the up side, I do like the integrated Google Assistant on the pen. It’s the reason to get the pen. You circle something on the screen and hold the button and a Google Assistant window pops up and gives suggestions and search results. I use that mostly in tablet mode. My biggest problem with the pen is that it has nowhere to attach on the tablet or even keyboard. So if you’re taking the Pixel Slate somewhere, you have to put it in a pocket or somewhere. Not the biggest deal, but I like the minimalism of the tablet in the keyboard and don’t want another case to carry it in. It would be great if it held magnetically to the tablet (which I actually tried touching it around everywhere hoping that someone thought of that). I even hoped it would stick to the keyboard cover since that has magnet, but it did not. Not a deal killer, but just an annoyance. Since I’m not an artist to draw with the pen, the poor handwriting recognition makes me not recommend the pen. I’d rate it 4 stars on its own. It’s nice to have and if it were included, that would be great. But I would not recommend it as a separate purchase unless you’re going to be drawing. So all around, I would recommend the Pixel Slate. I automatically go for it now and my other Chromebook is collecting dust and will probably end up being the kids’. As a set, I think that the tablet, keyboard and pen are great. They work well together and I like them all. But as a separate purchase, the keyboard is a must and the pen is not.

If you're a frequent user of Chrome browser and Google services like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Duo, etc... then the Pixel Slate could be an alternative to a full fledged computer or hefty Chromebook, especially with the recent drop in price. If you do a lot of inputting, though, then best to get the optional keyboard, in which case the Pixel Slate with keyboard lands in the same price range as higher end Chromebooks like the Google Pixelbook. PROs • Excellent screen resolution, though less saturated color than other tablets • Great sound from the small speakers • Battery lasts a full working day • You won’t miss a computer when working in Chrome browser, especially with Google services like Gmail, Photos, etc... • Has two USB-C ports so you can use external storage CONs • Heavier than I expected for a tablet. Would get tiring if you had to hold it a long time. Plus it runs warm when watching videos. • Sections of the screen flicker at times. I noticed this especially on infinite scroll pages like Quora and when watching live TV stream from my cable company. On YouTube and Netflix there was no flickering. • Touch input did not work on every web site. When I was in iCloud.com using the Notes app, only the touchpad on the optional keyboard was recognized, but I could not get the tablet to recognize touch. I don't know if there are other websites that would have the same issue, though all of the Google services worked fine. • The biggest con is when using Android apps. Maybe it depends on the developer, but Android apps don’t seem to take advantage of the larger screen. And in the case of my password manager, 1Password, it didn’t recognize the fingerprint sensor on the Slate and asked me to enter my password to open it. Nor did it autofill my passwords when using Chrome. With the reduced price of the Pixel Slate, I would recommend it if you work primarily in Chrome and especially in Google services, and if you get the optional keyboard. If you do, you will love the experience.

Of course there is no way to see this on display in my state or others surrounding it, so I bought one. Found it in store shockingly enough. It's very heavy, which is weird. The deal-breaker for me was scrolling...you have to press hard on the screen to register a scroll. I can't tell you how many times I tried to scroll a simple web page and it didn't register at all. Kind of stunning for a $1k device. Guess I know why it isn't on display...no thanks, went right back to the store. Suggestion: have display models to cut down on returns and if you are reading this still, but a Pixelbook or better yet SP6. The Slate is garbage.