Google Pixel Tablet
The Google Pixel Tablet has some very promising specs on board, offering not only a large and premium Android tablet, but a smart home hub too when on the Dock and in Hub Mode.
Apple iPad (2022)
The Apple iPad (10th-generation) is an excellent tablet, offering a number of features, including great multi-tasking capabilities. It’s a great price too for a device that performs brilliantly.
After a bit of stagnation, the tablet wars are raging once again, with the big players in the space finally introducing changes in their lineups for 2024.
The biggest news came fromApple and its latest conference. The company announced not only an improvedApple Pencil Pro, but also two new iPad models – the improvediPad AirandiPad Pro, both in two different screen sizes. That being said, thetablet news from Appledid not end there. In addition to the two new models, the regular iPad (10th generation) also saw some changes. While the hardware remained the same, Apple decided to significantlyslash the price of its budget tabletwhile discontinuing theiPad (9th gen).
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Meanwhile, in theAndroid camp, things are looking great as well. In 2023, Google took the world of Android Tablets by storm with its Pixel Tablet. For $499, you could get an excellent device with flagship-level specs, excellent software, and a handy speaker dock that transforms the tablet into a smart home hub.
That being said, the speaker dock wasn’t something everyone wanted, and Google only sold the Pixel Tablet as a bundle with it up until 13 June 2025. The same day that Apple slashed the price of the base iPad, Googleannounced a re-release of the Pixel Tablet, which you can now buy with or without the dock. Getting the device without the speaker also means significant savings, which makes for an awesome deal if you don’t need the additional functionality.
So, now that two of thebest tablets aroundhave been significantly discounted, which one of them should you pick up? The competition between the two is huge, and they both have their pros and cons. Here’s all you need to know about them.
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Price, specs, and availability
Much to consider across all fronts
To start off, we need to talk about the price of these devices, as that’s where both of them have seen drastic changes recently. The Google Pixel Tablet starts, same as before, at $499 – that is, if you want to buy the whole set together with the speaker dock. However, you can now get the device alone without accessories.
If you decide to give up on the dock, the Pixel Tablet alone will cost you $399. It comes in three color options: Porcelain, Hazel and Rose.
The pricing of the Google Pixel Tablet puts it within the same ballpark as theApple iPad (10th-generation), which used to start at $449 for the base model. However, during the recent Apple Event, it was revealed that the device would be significantly discounted, and its price was slashed by $100. That means you can now get it for only $349. It’s available in Blue, Pink, Silver and Yellow.
Both of these devices have been available for quite a while now. The Pixel Tablet was released in June 2023, while the iPad (10th-generation) has been available since October 2022. However, the recent price cuts that happened on 27 July 2025 are what brought them back to the center of attention. Here’s more about their detailed specs:
The Google Pixel Tablet was released in 2023 and offers Gemini AI along with smart home integrations. Those make this a forward-looking tablet and offer flexibility in its use. Plus, it has a high resolution display that’s great to look at.
Apple’s 10th-generation iPad is over two years old, but still is good for basic tasks like the browsing the web or watching videos.
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Functional and modern across the board
The Google Pixel Tablet isn’t the first tablet from Google, though it does take on a different approach to what the companyhas done in the past. It’s a little bit of a two-in-one device, and anyone that has seen or has theNest Hub Maxwill definitely see a resemblance. The tablet itself is only one part of the offering, with a large screen featuring uniformed bezels around it. There is a camera positioned centrally at the top of one of the edges in landscape format, while the rear sees a single camera lens in the top corner.
On the edge, there is a power button with a fingerprint sensor built into it. You’ll find a volume rocker there, too, while charging takes place via USB-C. There’s also a four-pin accessory connector as well. This allows for charging, data transfer, and audio output, and it also enables the Pixel Tablet to connect to the second part of the offering, which is the Charging Speaker Dock that comes with the pricier configuration of the Pixel Tablet.
The Charging Speaker Dock is color matched to the Pixel Tablet, and it offers a material covered base, which is a nice contrast to the nano-ceramic coating of the tablet itself. The Dock also keeps the Pixel Tablet charged all the time, whilst doubling up as a speaker. What’s more, when the Pixel Tablet is docked, you might notice the resemblance to the Nest Hub Max if you are familiar with the device – not only looks-wise, but functionality-wise as well.
The Apple iPad (10th generation), meanwhile, has an aluminum build that’s lovely and slim, as well as lightweight. It’s a great device for carrying around, and the color options mean you can opt for serious or a little more fun depending on whether you want to use your device as a work device, or a family companion, for example.
Like the Pixel Tablet, it has uniform bezels surrounding the display and a front camera positioned on the longer edge of the iPad, making you centered when the device is held horizontally. On the back, there is a single lens camera in the top corner, positioned out of the way, while the power button with theTouch ID fingerprint sensorsits at the top. There’s also a Smart Connector on the iPad (10th Generation) which allows for the connection of the Smart Keyboard. Charging takes place via USB-C, though there is no equivalent charging speaker dock like the Pixel Tablet offers.
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A close race
The Google Pixel Tablet has a 10.95-inch LCD display on board, which offers a pixel resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, delivering a pixel density of 276ppi. Unfortunately, the device only offers a 60 Hz refresh rate, so you won’t get the silky smooth motion of a 120 Hz panel. There’s a 16:10 aspect ratio on offer, and you’ll also find what Google calls an anti-smudge coating on the Pixel Tablet. The screen also reaches 500 nits peak brightness, and the Pixel Tablet supports USI 2.0 stylus pens.
The Apple iPad (10th generation) has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, which is also an LCD panel, so in terms of display size and screen technology, the Pixel Tablet and iPad (10th generation) are pretty much on par. There’s a 2360 x 1640 pixel resolution on the iPad, which delivers a pixel density of 264ppi. So, it’s slightly lower than the Pixel Tablet – though this isn’t a difference the human eye would be able to spot. The iPad also offers only a 60 Hz refresh rate, so animation smoothness will not be cutting-edge either.
Like the Pixel Tablet, the iPad (10th generation) has a fingerprint-resistant coating, and it also has a 500nits brightness. There is support for the first generation of Apple Pencil too, so both of these tablets offer many of the same features within this department.
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Hardware and camera
The price of power
The Google Pixel Tablet runs on the in-houseGoogle Tensor G2 chip, which is the same chip as you will find in the last-genGoogle Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7 andPixel 7a smartphone. It’s a powerful platform, and it is supported by the Titan M2 security co-processor. The tablet comes in two storage options: 128GB and 256GB.
The Apple iPad (10th generation) runs on the company’s A14 Bionic chip that has a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Once again, it’s a very powerful chip that has no issues performing day-to-day tasks, as well as more demanding ones. Storage options are 64GB and 256GB, so the base storage is lower than the Pixel Tablet, though this is also reflected in the price.
It’s a very powerful chip that has no issues performing day-to-day tasks, as well as more demanding ones.
In terms of the camera offerings, the Google Pixel Tablet has an 8-megapixel camera with 1.12µm pixels and an aperture of f/2.0 for both the front and rear. There are a number of Pixel camera features on board, as you would hope, withMagic Eraser, Photo Unblur andNight Sightall offered. There’s also a feature that sees the camera automatically adjusting the lighting to keep you brightly lit when on a video call, whilst also following you around the room to keep you in the frame. Both the front and rear cameras are capable of 1080p video recording at 30fps.
The Apple iPad (10th generation) by comparison, has a 12-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, while the front camera is a 12-megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture. There are a couple of features on board here too, includingCenter Stage, where the front camera will track you on a video call in order to keep you within the frame even if you move around the room, similar to what Google is also offering. The rear camera offers 4K video recording up to 60fps, while the front camera offers up to 1080p at 60fps.
When it comes to battery, the Google Pixel Tablet promises up to 12 hours of video streaming, which is a couple of hours longer than Apple promises for its iPad (10th generation), which sits at around 10. Both have USB-C charging though, as we mentioned, so it’s not a huge hassle to charge them.
Software and features
Operating system variations
While similar in their general specs, the Google Pixel Tablet and Apple iPad (10th generation) run completely different operating systems. The Pixel Tablet is anAndroidtablet, delivering a pure Android experience straight from Google, with a number of added features like theHub Mode.
This gives the Pixel Tablet an extra level of functionality, not only acting as a standard Android tablet that you can use for working, watching, playing games, or making video calls, but you can also easily control your smart home too. The tablet is available both as a standalone unit, as well as in a bundle with the Dock included, which costs $100 more for the whole package. Of course, you can also buy the Dock separately, so you don’t have to commit right from the start.
When in Hub Mode, you can not only control your compatible smart home devices, as you can with theNest Huband Nest Hub Max, but you can also use the Pixel Tablet as a digital photo frame, get answers throughGoogle Assistant, and play music through the Dock and its integrated full-range speaker. In terms of other features, the Google Pixel Tablet has theGoogle TV appbuilt in, along withGoogle Chromecastso you can cast music and videos from yourAndroid phoneto your docked tablet with just a few taps.
The Apple iPad, meanwhile, runs oniPadOS 17, which comes with a range of great features, includingbrilliant multi-tasking capabilitiesand a clean and easy to use interface. Apple has the Home app, which allows you to control compatible smart home devices, but the Pixel Tablet does have the advantage here – there is no docking station for the iPad as we mentioned, nor a particular smart home control mode, which it could certainly benefit from. You do get other advantages with the iPad though, such as more apps that are optimized for the larger screen, as well as apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro also being an option, for example.
The iPad also has quite a few productivity advantages, like the ability to use it as a secondary display for your Mac. you’re able to also now add widgets not only to your home screen, but to the lock screen as well, making for an easily-customizable experience that can sometimes rival the functionality of Pixel Tablet’s Hub Mode – that is, if youmanage your widgets well enough.
Elsewhere, while Chromecast isn’t built-in to the iPad, you haveAirPlay built-in, offering a very similar function but fromiOS devicesrather than Pixel devices in just a few taps.
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Verdict: Should you buy the Google Pixel Tablet or the Apple iPad?
It’s up to personal preference
It’s not really a question of which is better – the Google Pixel Tablet or the Apple iPad (10th-generation) – but more a question of which is better suited to you, your home, and the devices you have. If you have Pixel devices within your home already, the Pixel Tablet makes sense, as it should work seamlessly with these machines. It’s also a great option for those looking for a tablet but also a device that can double up as a smart home hub, without requiring additional devices – like the Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max. On the other hand, if you get the tablet by itself, without the dock, you’re able to still count on the polished software from Google and an overall smooth operation for years to come.
The same goes for the iPad, though. If you have Apple devices already, it’s the iPad you will want out of these two tablets. It will play nice with your other tech whilst also offering a superb experience. There is no home hub mode on the iPad, so that is worth noting, though you get some great multitasking capabilities and a plethora of optimized apps. The iPad has heaps of potential and is capable of most things you might want to throw at it.
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