I found this, I'm wanting to get a pixel tablet in about a week or so. Title just got me wondering a bit, though it's probably just a little bit sensationalized
I was hoping this would come out like a Nexus price-wise and was very disappointed when it came out.
I want to buy one, but I don't think it's worth the current price
I bought the Xoom and the Nexus 10, and got my wife a Nexus 7
Google abandoned all within an extremely short timeframe. The Nexus 10 suffered the worst, getting an awful ui regression a few months after it came out
I have seen no evidence Google will do any better this time
Nexus 7 was such a great tablet. I came across it in the Drawer of Old Things, long since broken but kept around regardless. It's hilarious how it's only slightly bigger than some phones. I can even stuff it into my pocket.
For the Nexus 7, you might want to download its LineageOS build before it's lost to time:
- https://download.lineageos.org/devices/debx/builds
- https://download.lineageos.org/devices/flox/builds
It's on Android 11, a huge jump from its last official build on Android 6.0.1.
And to be fair, this is the reason to get a Google device.
You know already that all Android manufacturers are assholes and will use planned obsolescence to make you buy a new device, including Google. You can plan accordingly by getting one that can be easily flashed and flashed back to stock in case of problems. That leaves you with one single Android manufacturer: Google.
And with this in mind, a device that lasted from Android 4.3 (2012) to Android 11 (2021), or 9 years... that's pretty damn good.
You can install grapheneos on it https://grapheneos.org/faq#supported-devices
The problem is that Galaxy Tab S is far superior and lasts a heck of a long time.
Google should have done what they did with Wear and worked with Samsung to provide a seamless tablet interface instead of try to do their own tablet.
The far cheaper Galaxy Tab A series is a near equivalent competitor for where Google is positioning its tablet (an at-home media device, rather than a highly-performant professional device), and for a lot of people, trading the considerably lower price for no docking station and some older specs is worthwhile.
Google need to either make the docking capability a lot more appealing, or reduce the price significantly because at the moment it sits squarely in the home entertainment sphere, but with a price tag creeping up to match professional-tier devices - why would someone pay the premium for what is effectively an ebook and Youtube device?
I got a Lenovo M9 a couple months ago. It's not a powerhouse, but for streaming services/playing local video files it's amazing. Add in reading books and comics, it's a damn steal. Battery life is good, small size, and the folio cover is perfect for taking around the house. $150 without the cover is a great deal. I definitely recommend the folio case too. It slated for Android 13 this quarter as well.
I would have thought it was selling pretty well, I know the android tablet market is a small niche but it seems like a strong contender, particularly for the google nest users out there?
I suspect they intended to release it earlier, when the home office and video chat boom was still going on but missed the mark and now have more stock than they wanted.