Author: Raymond Wong / Source: Mashable
Google really nailed it with the Pixelbook. The laptop-tablet hybrid was a bit steep at $1,000, but boy was it one helluva fun work and play machine.
Google’s just-announced Pixel Slate is a departure from the Pixelbook and its flippable screen.
With an attachable keyboard, the Chrome OS-powered tablet is more Microsoft Surface Pro and iPad Pro than clamshell laptop, which might not sit well with some people. The circle-shaped keys are also a particularly an odd choice.In just a couple of years, Google has established itself as competent hardware company capable of making very premium phones and laptops with a high level of polish.
Premium fit and finish
The Pixel Slate is yet another Google device that looks and feels great. The tablet’s remarkably thin at 0.27 inches and the metal construction feels as sturdy as any premium tablet. Though it’s thin, it’s not super light; it’s dense and you will feel the weight in one hand.
Google’s bumped up the screen resolution on the 3:2 12.3-inch display to 3,000 x 2,000 (up from the 2,400 x 1,600 on the Pixelbook) and reduced the bezels around it for a more modern look.
Image: raymond wong/mashable
At first ogle, it’s a very bright and sharp screen. But that’s not really saying much since I didn’t feel the Pixelbook’s screen and resolution was inadequate in any way besides the thick bezels.
Embedded into one of the bezels is an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
Around back, there’s also an 8-megapixel camera. Like on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3, the cameras can shoot portrait-style shots with a blurred-out background without needing a dual camera system.
Image: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
There’s no face unlock of any kind on the tablet. However, there’s a fingerprint reader built into the side power button. The tablet has two USB-C ports for connecting accessories or to a display. But just like on the Pixel 3 phones, there’s no headphone jack. I suppose it’s time to invest in a pair of wireless headphones or get wired USB-C headphones (or a dongle).
Image: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Image: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE
Embedded into two of the bezels is a pair of front-firing stereo speakers. Google says these can get really loud. I couldn’t really get a sense of their quality in the noisy demo area.
Choose your performance
If there was one thing that made the Pixelbook and Pixel laptops a tough sell, it was their sky-high prices. $1,000+ for a Chromebook (even a really nice one) is ridiculously pricey for many people.
And a big reason for why those past Google laptops were so expensive was performance. They came in fast (Intel Core i5 processor) and really fast (Intel Core i7 processor) — overkill for running mostly Chrome.
To hit a lower price point, Google’s Pixel Slate comes in more modest configurations.
At the entry-level is a Slate with an Intel Celeron…
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