Tablets The future of Android tablets after Google quitting

[tbayrgs]

Agreed. I actually compared my Z Fold 7 to my son's iPad Air and pulled up several apps and they looked exactly the same, so I definitely thing that's an old argument.

Anecdotal sampling of apps will of course be different for everyone but I have a handful of apps I use on my iPad that either are just phone versions or don’t exist on Android at all. Yes, absence of apps isn’t necessarily Android tablet specific but still a frustration when considering using an Android tablet as an alternative to an iPad.

 

[q64ceo]

I owned a Pixel Tablet. Was pretty underwhelming. Especially the battery life. Wasn't worth the price at the performance it gave.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I owned a Pixel Tablet. Was pretty underwhelming. Especially the battery life. Wasn't worth the price at the performance it gave.

As I may have mentioned earlier, most reviews gave the Pixel Tablet a positive review, not so much because the tablet was great but rather because a) Google was back, making tablets and b) because the tablet was centered around the dock. Some of the reviewers thought it had an Apple influence.

Besides that, the tablet was average, with average hardware specs other than the Dock. It didn't take long to figure out that if you wanted a premium Android tablet experience, you don't buy from Google rather, you buy a Samsung or maybe OnePlus tablet.

That said, there is a rumor that Amazon may release a premium Android tablet. The rumor falls in line that Amazon is closing the doors on it's App Store and will embrace instead the Google Play Store. If they do enter the Google tablet market, it should boost Android tablet sales.

 

[Postal]

I never quite get why Google has so much trouble investing in tablets compared to Apple, or even some Android partners.

Ever since the early 2010s it's been a string of half-hearted efforts. Hardware-wise, only the Nexus 7 really took off. Google has routinely insisted that Android apps just need a little bit of code to be tablet-friendly; it hasn't poured a lot of energy into tablet UIs as a whole; it took several years for the company to even make it easy to browse tablet-aware apps on the Play Store.

And that's unfortunate, because I want good Android tablets even if I don't buy them. They create competition that spurs Apple to do better. They also provide more choice — I'd like there to be less of a split in Android tablets between giant high-performance models and cheap Netflix viewers.

 

[GMShadow]

I never quite get why Google has so much trouble investing in tablets compared to Apple, or even some Android partners.

Ever since the early 2010s it's been a string of half-hearted efforts. Hardware-wise, only the Nexus 7 really took off. Google has routinely insisted that Android apps just need a little bit of code to be tablet-friendly; it hasn't poured a lot of energy into tablet UIs as a whole; it took several years for the company to even make it easy to browse tablet-aware apps on the Play Store.

And that's unfortunate, because I want good Android tablets even if I don't buy them. They create competition that spurs Apple to do better. They also provide more choice — I'd like there to be less of a split in Android tablets between giant high-performance models and cheap Netflix viewers.

The first gen Nexus 7 sold well but the second gen went up in price which seemed to really cool sales, and then the Nexus 9 went upmarket (was $399 I think?) and Google wasn't especially interested in promoting it. Kinda been their MO ever since.

My guess is the Pixel phones get used inside Google and the tablets don't, so that's why they don't put effort into tablets.


Samsung goes back and forth too - the Galaxy Tab S's have been in a lazy refresh cycle for a few years, with Samsung even switching them over to MediaTek chips rather than the Snapdragons the S7-S9 had, and no real design improvements. The S11 is expected to be a similarly lazy refresh.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I never quite get why Google has so much trouble investing in tablets compared to Apple, or even some Android partners.

Google operates much of its hardware business with the "throw stuff at the ceiling and see what sticks" approach. If it hits them in the face while looking up, they tend to pull the pull on those projects. Google rarely commits strongly to its projects, which surprises me that they chose the smartphone market.

 

[Hooyah]

Google used to compete with Apple with the 7” tablets back in the day, like a Fire ‘don’t make much profit but get people hooked’ mentality. Now they’ve got people cornered - either you can’t afford or aren’t a techie and buy an Android phone or you use Windows and Gmail and some combination… or you use an iPhone, and might still use their services anyway.

They are focussed more on their services and AI now. And from them teasing locking down Android (one of its biggest wins against the iPhone from inception) and emails I’m getting such as SketchUp being discontinued from Android… Google might be about to put its middle finger up to consumers now that it doesn’t need to win people over anymore… it already has the majority.

Note - back in those days where was still Windows Phone and the hope that someone would buy and properly use webOS… as well as Mozilla and Ubuntu mobile platforms teasing. They had to make a serious effort. Now if you don’t want Apple because you don’t want it or can’t have it… its your only choice and that alone leaves them with a majority share.

 

[Hooyah]

Google operates much of its hardware business with the "throw stuff at the ceiling and see what sticks" approach. If it hits them in the face while looking up, they tend to pull the pull on those projects. Google rarely commits strongly to its projects, which surprises me that they chose the smartphone market.

You reminded me to check the site… surprised to see 2025 was a fairly low killing spree year for them! https://killedbygoogle.com/

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I'm really looking forward to the Galaxy Tab S11, especially the S11 Ultra. I own the S10 Plus and the tablet is ridiculously good in DEX Mode. Sept 4th event scheduled for the announcement.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Keep it simple, they are cooked so get an iPad !

 

[piccolamela]

shame, Googles utterly basic Pixel Tablet is the only one that is GrapheneOS compatible for now.
Wish there would be an iPad mini or iPad Pro like tablet that can run GrapheneOS.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Keep it simple, they are cooked so get an iPad !

iPad's are overrated, just a giant iPhone. My M2 Air with a keyboard case and touchpad is basically still an iPad with a keyboard and touchpad. My Galaxy Tab S10 Plus with a keyboard and touchpad case turns into a Chromebook in DEX Mode. Window resizing, placement and multitasking.

 

[boswald]

I still like my Pixel Tablet. I don't ask much from it and it does what I need it to. I just wish the dock could be used separately as a speaker.

 

[Astuces iOS]

iPad's are overrated, just a giant iPhone. My M2 Air with a keyboard case and touchpad is basically still an iPad with a keyboard and touchpad. My Galaxy Tab S10 Plus with a keyboard and touchpad case turns into a Chromebook in DEX Mode. Window resizing, placement and multitasking.

I think you forget that iPads can do multitasking and iPads are better than Chromebooks so I don't understand why would I want to convert a tablet into Chromebook.

 

[Postal]

iPad's are overrated, just a giant iPhone. My M2 Air with a keyboard case and touchpad is basically still an iPad with a keyboard and touchpad. My Galaxy Tab S10 Plus with a keyboard and touchpad case turns into a Chromebook in DEX Mode. Window resizing, placement and multitasking.

I'd disagree, but even then... part of the allure of iPadOS 26 is that it dramatically improves multitasking and window management. It may well be better than DEX through more power and flexibility, which isn't something I ever thought I'd say about the iPad.

Also, I'd note that the current-gen iPad Air and iPad Pro absolutely clobber the Tab S10+ and S10 Ultra in terms of performance. A great tablet not only includes a good UI, but the performance to back it up. We'll see how the Tab S11 series fares, but remember that the iPad Pro might get an M5 before long.

 

[tbayrgs]

iPad's are overrated, just a giant iPhone. My M2 Air with a keyboard case and touchpad is basically still an iPad with a keyboard and touchpad. My Galaxy Tab S10 Plus with a keyboard and touchpad case turns into a Chromebook in DEX Mode. Window resizing, placement and multitasking.

Looks like the tablet Dex experience may be changing.

One UI 8 ends full desktop mode on Galaxy tablets — unless you're plugged into another screen.

 

[Cuesca]

I’ve honestly enjoyed the Surface Pros at work, they’re great devices and surprisingly robust. Even being relatively old the Windows Hello sensors seems to work better than my M4 Pro’s faceID which takes a long time to register and doesn’t have the ability to instantly unlock the moment you sit down. Their battery life is horrid though at maybe 3.5-4 hours tops but I’m pretty sure that had more to do with the VPN and how IT sets them up.