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In some ways, the new Pixel Slate is a successor to the highly rated but expensive Pixelbook. But Google has moved from a traditional Chromebook clamshell design to one with a removable keyboard cover more reminiscent of a Surface Pro or an iPad Pro except it runs Chrome OS (and most Android apps) instead of iOS or Windows.
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Pixel Slate By the Numbers
By any measure, the Pixel Slate is an impressive piece of hardware. It comes in an attractive midnight blue, with an anodized aluminum body and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the display.While the entry-level unit starts with a relatively low-power Celeron CPU and 4GB of RAM for $599, you can get one loaded with up to an 8th gen i7, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD for $1,599.
The review unit I’m testing is in the middle, with an 8th gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD, and retails for $999.
The 12.3-inch Wacom-touch-enabled display is gorgeous, featuring what Google calls its Molecular Display technology and packing a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution. Better yet, for those thinking of making this their primary machine, it supports 4K output through either of its USB-C ports.
Google claims 12 hours of battery life for the Pixel Slate. Using its fast charger, a quick recharge of 15 minutes gives you two hours of charge. Without the keyboard case, the Pixel Slate weighs in at 1.6 pounds. That means it’s really light for anything that does the work of a laptop, but quite heavy if you expect to hold it in your hand like a tablet for long.
The Slate doesn’t have an integrated kickstand, so if you plan to use it for taking notes and such, you’ll likely want some kind of case at a minimum, and might want to invest in Google’s keyboard case (although it has some issues we’ll discuss later).
One clever innovation is that the power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor. In practical terms, it took a while to take full advantage because depending on how I was holding the tablet or how it was positioned on a table, I’d use different fingers to power it on, so I had to add several.
But once I had it set up, it was incredibly quick and convenient to have a single button press turn the Slate on and unlock it. Like all Chrome OS devices, it comes to life nearly instantly something none of my Windows devices ever seem to be able to do consistently.
You can also connect it to your Android phone (if it’s a supported model) and have it unlock if your phone is unlocked and nearby.
In terms of media support, there are dual front-facing speakers and dual mics for improved noise cancellation.
Front and back cameras are both 8MP, but both are limited to 1080p video (probably not a big deal since their major use will likely be video conferencing). Google has added Portrait mode, like the one on the Pixel phone, to the Camera app on the Slate.
As part of the size reduction, Google had dropped the standard headphone jack that it offered on the Pixelbook, although you do get a USB-C to audio adapter in the box.
That said, I paired the Slate with an Audeara A-01 over Bluetooth and got great sound. Since headphones like these are now offering battery life measured in days, the lack of a standard audio jack isn’t as big an issue as it used to be.