The Google Pixel C Goes On Sale
by Brandon Chester on December 8, 2015 4:58 PM EST
Today Google has made their Pixel C tablet available on their online store. Google announced the Pixel C at an event in September, and at the time the only thing that was known about the launch date is that it would be in time for the holidays. While Google has certainly cut it close by launching it in the second week of December, they have managed to launch the tablet in time for buyers to purchase it as a gift. Below you can view all the relevant specifications of the Pixel C.
| Google Pixel C | |
| SoC | NVIDIA Tegra X1 (4x Cortex A57 + 4x Cortex A53) 2 SMM Maxwell GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB LPDDR4 |
| NAND | 32/64GB NAND |
| Display | 10.2” 2560x1800 IPS LCD 1500:1 contrast 500 nit brightness |
| Camera | 8MP Rear-facing, 2MP Front-facing |
| Diameter / Mass | 242 x 179 x 7mm, 517 grams |
| Battery | 34.2Wh |
| OS | Android 6 Marshmallow |
| Other Connectivity | 2x2 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB Type-C |
| Accessories | Google Pixel C Keyboard: $149 |
| Price | $499/$599 |
Most of the Pixel C's core specifications were known at the time of the launch event in September, but today's launch comes with some additional info such as the battery capacity and amount of RAM. As we already knew, the Pixel C is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra X1 SoC, which is the first time that it's showing up in a mobile device. While we have seen Tegra X1 in the NVIDIA SHIELD TV, it'll be interesting to see how it performs in a more thermally and power constrained scenario.
Paired with the SoC is 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of NAND. As far as connectivity goes you get 2.4/5GHz 2x2 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, and a USB Type-C connector. Based on what we've seen with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P this is likely still using the USB2 protocol, but until we review it we can't make any definitive statements.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Pixel C is its display. It's a 2560x1800 IPS panel, which has an aspect ratio that is approximately equal to the square root of 2, which happens to be the same ratio used for the A series paper used in most countries around the world. This should make the display well suited to displaying documents that have been digitized and viewing web pages, but not as good for video playback.
Of course, the big selling point for the Pixel C is the keyboard accessory. Like the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro, the Pixel C is Google's take on a tablet that targets users who want to be productive. While I didn't have much time to play with the keyboard at Google's event, the use of magnets and the ability to set the angle of incline anywhere from 100 to 130 degrees without any sort of kickstand seemed like a very novel hinge implementation, and I'm interested to see how well it works in actual use.
The Pixel C is available now on Google's online store. Both the 32GB and 64GB models are in stock and ship within a few business days. As noted above, the price for the 32GB model is $499, while the 64GB model is $599. The keyboard accessory adds an additional $149 onto the base price. In Canada it seems that there aren't any available online yet, and I'll be checking to see if that status changes in the future.
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Lolimaster - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - link
$150 for a keyborad WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F*KLolimaster - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - link
So no SD card slot, fail. I want a tablet to read my manga collection 1.41 aspect ratio was nice.ol1bit - Thursday, December 10, 2015 - link
Save a few hundred and get a SHIELD TABLET K1.mpalczew - Thursday, December 10, 2015 - link
I just got mine yesterday and am typing this on it. Overall I like it. Going to skip the comments on build quality or android that everyone seems to make. I tend to buy and use a lot of mobile devices. This isn't a conventional review just some things that I noticed.1. It's really, really, really, snappy. Apps switch quickly, pages load quickly, apps start quickly. This is subjectively very noticeable.
2. The keyboard is the most usable tablet keyboard I have ever used. It quickly made my nexus 9 with keyboard seem like a joke, better than the transformer tablets as well. I can type about as fast on a laptop, but I wouldn't try coding on it due to the missing esc, and brackets, and software. Google made the right choice by using full size keys.
3. I'm not impressed with the screen. Nothing wrong with it, it's a great screen, but I'm used to this, it's a minor upgrade over the nexus 9.
4. It's basically an android laptop. Going to be using this for a while for some laptop needs. if tablets keep moving in this direction they will replace laptops. I don't think we are there yet, but this shows that we are close.
5. I'm ambivalent about the price. $500 used to be the going rate for a high end 10" tablet. Even Apple has lowered the price on the air(never would have happened under Jobs). I do prefer to pay more though and get a better product. Seems a little steep though.
jb958 - Friday, December 11, 2015 - link
I don't think that the power of the Nvidia Tegra K1 would be utilized fully with Android. Seeing as this is a productivity tablet, it would help a lot if it can run a full fledged photoshop or something similar. Unfortunately, that is not available in android. The os is the limitation really, only if it has Windows os or other full pc os, it would be a different story. The surface pro 4 can really do better in terms of productivity, being a windows 10 tablet and having faster raw performance http://versus.com/en/google-pixel-c-vs-microsoft-s... (at least in some of its variants).marvdmartian - Monday, December 14, 2015 - link
And, at the end of the day, it still doesn't have a micro-SD slot....so I have no interest in it. I know, I know, Google's doing that to promote its "cloud" service. Doesn't mean I'm interested in outside storage, or, for that matter, will always have access to WiFi, so I can store to or retrieve from their cloud.Hell, even the el-Cheapo $50 base level Amazon Fire tablet has a memory card slot now!
TheinsanegamerN - Monday, December 14, 2015 - link
To think, google went on and on about how android 6 was way better for sd card use, then refuses to use it in any of their products.oRAirwolf - Friday, December 18, 2015 - link
The lack of a micro SD slot is a slight annoyance, but you don't need a special otg cable with USB type c, so just grab a cheap type c male to type a female adapter and keep a thumb drive handy. You can swap out files quickly. It's not a elegant of a solution as an internal micro sd slot, but it's better than nothing. The tablet's design, materials, and horsepower more than make up for it.xiixexe - Monday, December 21, 2015 - link
Surface Pro 3 - i3 128GB is on sale for $599 + $129 SP4 type cover. I don't see why I would buy this over a PC for productivity.rubene66 - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
Is their going to be a full review?