Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. Features

Is the Pixel Tablet a competitor to the Echo Show 15?

By

This past week’s Google event showed off quite a few products, but none caught my attention quite like the Google Pixel Tablet. The device looks just like a Nest Home Hub, but that’s by design. It can be detached from its base and carried around the house, but upon connection to the speaker dock, it transforms into a smart home device.

I’ve been asking for a new version of the Nest Hub, and Google delivered — although not exactly in the way I expected. It also brought another, much-beloved device to mind: the Echo Show 15.

Recommended Videos

Could the Pixel Tablet be a smart hub on par with the Echo Show 15? I’m not sure. Google has been tight-lipped on details about the tablet, revealing little outside of its design. We know it’s powered by the Tensor G2 chip, and that Google calls it “the best way to experience Android on a tablet.” Outside of that, nada. I don’t even know the size of the Pixel Tablet, although the pictures do suggest it’s maybe 10 inches in size.

The Google Pixel Table and the Speaker Dock seen from the back.
Google

Google lags behind Amazon in the smart home market, but not by much. Nest even quietly announced a new video doorbell at this week’s event, although it didn’t get a lot of fanfare. Most of that was focused on the redesigned Home app.

Related

It’s my opinion that the reason Google isn’t quite on the same level is due to their smart displays. When it comes to smart home, it’s all about the assistant, and Alexa is more useful than Google Assistant. The Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15, along with being different in size, target two different audiences. The Echo Show 10 is ideal for video conferencing and can even pan to follow a speaker across the room. The Echo Show 15 is targeted as a family hub and a kitchen device, just as useful at showing content as it is at displaying a recipe.

The Nest Hub is much smaller, with only a 7-inch screen. Even the Nest Hub Max, the bigger, bulkier cousin of the Nest Hub, is only 10 inches. The lack of screen size (or the ability to pan, display widgets, and other useful traits) makes the Echo Show a better choice overall.

The Pixel Tablet might change all of that. Right now, it’s pure speculation. Without any real specifications, I don’t know the full capabilities of the tablet, but the ability to carry a smart assistant around makes it more useful than a stationary assistant. The Pixel Tablet could be a great help in the kitchen, and it could be equally as useful for video conferencing.

Amazon Echo Show 15 hanging horizontally on the wall in a kitchen.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

I won’t know more until the Pixel Tablet releases, or at least until Google announces the full technical specs ahead of release. I’m hopeful the Pixel Tablet lives up to what I expect. It looks great, and while it might not be able to do exactly what Alexa can do, it could have access to the full suite of Google apps. Imagine the potential integrations between Sheets or Docs and Google Assistant in the home.

It might even prompt Amazon to produce a detachable tablet of its own. The basic structure already exists with the Fire Tablet, and the successor to the Echo Show 15 could be just the place to debut something like that.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn
Mobile Writer
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
Everything announced at Amazon’s 2022 Fall Event: new Echos, Fire TVs, Kindle Scribe, and more
Amazon Astro in a build with Ring Virtual Security Guard on its screen.

Amazon announced everything from new Echos, to security cameras, to Fire TVs, and more at its September 28 devices and services event. The new hardware underscores a commitment to what the company dubs "ambient intelligence:" every interaction should be intuitive, proactive, and personalized to help you enjoy the here and now. What's the secret sauce that lets Amazon deliver these contextual experiences? Sensors. Many of the products announced today come with sensors designed to help monitor and enhance a person's environment and experience. Of course, you can adjust the settings to still keep your data private.

Most of the products will be available later this year, with others (ahem, Astro) coming one day. We've rounded up everything Amazon announced today.
Amazon smart speakers

Read more
New Amazon Echos bring ‘dot displays’ and mesh networking, plus models for kids and cars
The Echo Dot with Clock sits on a table.

At Wednesday's Amazon Devices & Services event, the company announced a brand-new lineup of Echo Dot devices. These include a new Echo Dot, Echo Dot with Clock, Echo Dot Kids, and a new Echo Auto device. The Echo Studio also received a couple of more color options, as well as a software upgrade.

All of these devices feature updated technology and several new features that make them well worth the upgrade, and pre-orders start today. If you want to snag one of these new Echo products for yourself, you can expect to receive it sometime next month.
Echo Dot
The new Echo Dot retains the spherical design of its predecessor, but with new technology on the inside that gives it a lot more power. It features a custom full-range driver and the most powerful excursion speaker of any Echo Dot, which allows it to produce double the bass of the previous generation.

Read more
5 unique and creative uses for Alexa’s Sound Detection feature
Echo Dot (4th Gen) sits on a shelf in a kitchen.

Alexa Guard is one awesome way to put the far-field mics of your Echo device to good use, but did you know about Alexa's handy Sound Detection ability?

Currently still in its testing stages, Alexa's Sound Detection feature allows your Echo devices to listen for a number of distinct environmental noises, performing a set of automations when your Echo Dot or Echo Show hears something like a dog barking, a baby crying, or the sound of running water.

Read more