Google Pixel Slate Chrome OS Tablet With Detachable Keyboard Launched

At its annual Made By Google event, the tech giant has launched the Pixel Slate tablet alongside the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones. The convertible Pixel Slate is the first tablet from Google in three years, and its big USP is that it can be switched from a tablet to a laptop by using the detachable keyboard. This is Google's first tablet to run on Chrome OS and it offers up to 10 hours of battery life, dual front facing speakers, touchscreen smart display, and supports Pixelbook Pen. As with other recent Chrome OS offerings, it supports Android apps from the Google Play store.

The Pixel Slate is priced starting at $599 (roughly Rs. 44,400), and is available in Midnight Blue colour option. Google is offering YouTube TV for free for three months on the purchase of Pixel Slate. Google Pixel Slate keyboard will need to be bought separately, and it is priced at $199 (roughly Rs. 14,700), and lastly the Google Pixelbook Pen is priced at $99 (roughly Rs.7,300). The Pixel Slate will go on sale later this year in US, UK and Canada through Google stores, and other partnered outlets. The New Adobe Acrobat comes preloaded on the Pixel Slate.

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The newly launched Pixel Slate has round edges and sports dual front speakers. It features a 12.3-inch (2,000x3,000 pixels) low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD 'molecular' touchscreen display with 293ppi pixel density and 6 million total pixels. It is powered by eighth gen Intel Core m3, Core i5, i7, or Celeron processors paired with 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of RAM options. It comes with 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB inbuilt storage options.

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As for optics, the Pixel Slate has 8-megapixel rear and front cameras with f/1.8 and f/1.9 apertures respectively. The wide-angle selfie lens comes with portrait mode support, and large 1.4-micron pixel size allows for better low light photography. The tablet packs a 48Whr battery that claims to last up to 10 hours on a single charge, and supports fast charging as well. The dimensions are at 202.04x290.85x7.0mm, and it weighs 721 grams. Connectivity options include two USB-C ports, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, keyboard connecting pins, Bluetooth v4.2, and more. Sensors on board include 3-axis gyroscope/accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and half effect sensor.

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Chrome OS has been optimised for the touchscreen Pixel Slate, but also bundles in the full desktop experience. Features like Split screen, Family Link, Do not Disturb, and Night Light have been introduced. Google Assistant is deeply integrated, and there is also a dedicated button on the Pixel Slate Keyboard to trigger it. The Pixel Slate comes with built-in virus protection, a Titan Security chip that keeps your passwords more secure, and background OS updates. The power button on the Pixel Slate doubles up as a fingerprint sensor.

Coming to the Pixel Slate Keyboard, it connects to the Pixel Slate at the bottom, to convert it into a laptop. The folio at the back doubles up as a stand, and it allows for 'infinite adjustability' to suit your viewing angle needs. It features a full-sized backlit keypad, rounded 'hush' keys, a full-featured trackpad, and doesn't need any charging or pairing.

Can Google Pixel 3 succeed in India without massive discounts? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.