Google Pixel C review

KEY FEATURES

• Optional keyboard
• Nvidia CPU
• 10.2-inch display
• Android Marshmallow OS
• Manufacturer: Google
• Review Price: £399.00

PIXEL C LONG-TERM REVIEW

The Pixel C was one of the best Android tablets available when I reviewed it close to a year ago. Having used it as my primary tablet since then I can confirm this remains the case, but that’s largely because noone has bothered releasing anything to challenge it.

The Pixel C’s hardware has aged well. Unlike most of the Android tablets I long-term test I haven’t noticed any serious slow down, or reductions in battery life with the tablet section of the Pixel C.

The Nvidia CPU and 3GB of memory aren’t the most powerful components around any more, but they’re still fit for purpose. The Pixel C still smoothly navigates between menu screens and plays even the most demanding of Android games and applications chug and stutter free.

Thanks to recent updates to its Android Marshmallow operating system, close to all the niggling bugs I occasionally noticed have been ironed out, making the Pixel C one of the most reliable tablets around.

The use of unskinned Android also means it’s almost certain the Pixel C will be upgraded to Android Nougat when the update arrives later this year.

The screen continues to be one of the best I’ve seen on an Android tablet, though it’s not quite on a par with the 9-inch iPad Pro’s. The panel hasn’t degraded at all and continues to offer great uniformity, colour balance and brightness levels.

Battery life for the tablet section remains strong. The tablet still lasts a solid three days with regular use. Regular use entails watching streaming cartoons before I go to work and bed, intermittently browsing the web and checking my social media feeds and the odd gaming session throughout the day.

Intensive tasks have begun to take a slightly larger toll on the battery, however. Streaming video now eats up between 10-15% of the tablet’s battery every hour. Brand new the process only ate up around 9-12%. Gaming also takes a bigger toll on the battery and eats up around 25% of the Pixel’s charge every hour, where before it only drained around 15%.

The keyboard dock hasn’t aged as well as the tablet. The key’s are still comfortable to type on and I have no complaints about the dock’s build quality, but the charging mechanism has become fiddly to use.

To charge the keyboard you have to place the tablet face down on it and connect it to the the mains. When I first started using the Pixel C the process worked a treat, but within the last month I’ve found it a little hit and miss. All to often I’ve left thinking I’ve left the tablet and keyboard charging, only to find the keyboard hasn’t picked up any juice. The connection fail is hit and miss and I’ve found no rhyme or reason to the inexplicable failures.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy the Pixel C at the moment, despite it having aged well as it’s currently overpriced. The £399 price tag was hefty when the Pixel C first came out and the fact Google has cut it means the unit is now too expensive.

There aren’t many rival devices out at the moment, but I expect we’ll see a fresh wave of Android tablets from Lenovo and Samsung at IFA in September. Google will also likely unveil a new tablet, hopefully a Nexus 7, later this year.

I’d recommend waiting and seeing what the new tablets bring to the table before shelling out for a Pixel C.

WHAT IS THE GOOGLE PIXEL C?

Google’s touting the Pixel C as “the most advanced Android tablet” ever made, and for good reason. It features a wealth of top-end hardware, including a powerful Nvidia X1 CPU, ultra-sharp 10.2-inch screen, and a latch-free docking mechanism that connects the Pixel C to an optional keyboard cover.

However, with Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 already jostling for prosumers’ interest, the Pixel C is facing pretty stiff competition.

Luckily, Google’s description is on the money, and the Pixel C is one of the best Android tablets I’ve ever seen, if not the best – at least from a hardware perspective.

GOOGLE PIXEL C – DESIGN

The Pixel C is one of a select few devices actually built by, rather than for, Google, following on from the firm’s previous Chromebook Pixel.

It aims to be “the ultimate Android tablet” for both work and play. Out of the box I can confirm it’s a big step up compared to the HTC-made Nexus 9 – Google’s other tablet. It’s got a minimalist metal frame, with the only real design feature being a light line along part of its back.

The tablet’s 517g weight means it’s fairly comfortable to hold and suitably satchel-friendly, although its front edges are a little sharper than I’d like.

The anodised aluminium used to build the Pixel C’s chassis also has a nice premium feel and left me suitably assured that it can survive the wear and tear expected of a daily-use tablet. Having accidentally dropped the Pixel C onto my flat’s hardwood floor I can personally attest to its durability. (Sorry, Google.)

Related: Best tablets 2015

My review unit came bundled with the optional keyboard, which you can pick up for £119. It connects to the tablet using a new magnetic docking mechanism that doesn’t feature any fiddly hooks or latches.

All you have to do is hold the bottom of the tablet close to the keyboard and the two will snap together. This would be great if from there you could type away to your heart’s content. Sadly that’s not the case. Instead you have to pair the tablet and keyboard using Bluetooth.

This isn’t a deal breaker – plenty of competing convertibles do exactly the same thing – but I’m a little sad that the docking mechanism isn’t as simple as the Surface Pro 4’s Type Cover or iPad Pro ones, which works the moment you attach them to the tablet.

The keyboard's occasional input lag, however, is a little harder to forgive. Once in a while the keyboard would stutter and ignore certain key presses, making typing on it a frustrating experience.

Outside these instances, as Android tablet keyboards go, the Pixel C’s is very good. The keys feel a little squished together, though I don’t see how Google could avoid this happening when you consider the Pixel C’s 242 x 179 x 7mm dimensions. They also partially make up for their bunched-up layout by having great travel.

My only serious concern is that, like the iPad Pro's, the keyboard doesn’t have a trackpad. However, with the ability to connect a Bluetooth mouse to this device, this is less of a problem for desk-based work, although still a concern when it's being used as a laptop.

GOOGLE PIXEL C – DISPLAY

The Pixel C comes loaded with a 10.2-inch display. This makes it one of the smaller convertible options on the market. The iPad Pro features a giant 12.9-inch screen, while the Surface Pro 4 packs a similarly large 12.3-inch display.

This may put off people looking for a bigger tablet, but again reinforces the Pixel C’s travel-friendliness.

When it comes to overall screen quality, the Pixel C is excellent. The 2560 x 1800 resolution gives it an impressive 308ppi (pixels per inch) density. This ensures icons and text on the screen are universally sharp and never difficult to read, despite the tablet’s compact dimensions.

Google claims the screen covers all of the sRGB colour gamut, and has a reported 500 nits maximum brightness. I’d take this claim with a pinch of salt – I’m yet to see an Android tablet cover 100% of the sRGB colour gamut. But my naked eye impressions are positive.

Colours on the Pixel C don’t look overcooked or too cool, as they do on many competing tablets. Viewing angles are also excellent and the tablet’s maximum brightness is dazzling – to the point that I had to set it to 60% to comfortably use it.

The screen does have a tendency to become reflective when hit by direct sunlight, but this is an issue on nearly all the tablets I review.

Google Pixel C – Software and performance

GOOGLE PIXEL C – SOFTWARE

Unlike Google’s last Chromebook Pixel, the Pixel C runs the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, not Chrome OS.

This is a massive improvement as, despite Google’s efforts, Chrome OS's reliance on cloud apps was a big hindrance and it never felt as developed as Android.

With Marshmallow on board, this restriction has been removed and buyers will have access to all the apps on the Play Store, making it better for both work and play.

My one concern is that most of the apps on Android haven’t been optimised for the physical keyboard. Games don’t let you use the arrow keys to control characters and many productivity apps still require touch input to work properly, which is an annoyance.

Hopefully this will change in the near future, as Google’s confirmed it’s working with developers to add keyboard controls to Android apps.

Used as a pure tablet, Android Marshmallow is as sweet as ever on the Pixel. The OS launched earlier this year alongside Google’s Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphones and comes loaded with a wealth of innovative new features. The best of these are enhanced privacy controls, a “Doze” battery-saving feature and improved Google Now functionality.

The privacy controls let you manage which apps can access your data, while Doze enables the Pixel C to detect when the tablet is inactive and slowing down, or shutting off unnecessary features to reduce power consumption. The upgraded Google Now functionality means you're able to access it within applications by holding down the home button.

Google's also designed the Pixel C to take advantage of Marshmallow’s improved Now voice command features and has loaded the tablet with four far-field microphones.

The tech is similar to that seen on the Amazon Echo speaker and should radically improve the Pixel C’s voice-recognition powers.

Utter the magic words “OK Google” and the Pixel C will be at your beck and call, even if it’s on the other side of the room. Having tried to showcase Google Now’s charms while filming a video in a noisy office, I can confirm the microphones work a treat.

However, Android still suffers from a few niggling issues that hamper the Pixel C’s overall appeal. Multitasking still isn’t up to scratch on Marshmallow and the lack of multi-window functionality rapidly begins to grate when using the Pixel C as a laptop. The dearth of optimised tablet apps in the Play Store is also still an ongoing pain.

This combination of factors makes the Pixel C occasionally feel like a great piece of hardware that’s let down by unoptimised software.

GOOGLE PIXEL C – PERFORMANCE

The Pixel C is, on paper, a powerhouse Android tablet. A key selling point is its use of a quad-core Nvidia X1 processor, which is paired with a Maxwell GPU and 3GB of DDR4 memory.

The Pixel C benchmarks amazingly well. I couldn’t get AnTuTu to run on it – which is likely due to its use of the atypical Nvidia CPU. But on the more general Geekbench benchmark test the Pixel C ran in with a 4,188 multi-core score. On the GPU-focused 3DMark Icestorm Unlimited and Slingshot tests the Pixel C finished with 41,400 and 2,856 scores respectively. These scores are some of the highest I’ve seen on an Android tablet.

By comparison, the Nexus 9 scored 3,562 points on Geekbench. Samsung's flagshipGalaxy Tab S2 also fails to match the Pixel C’s performance, scoring 3,562 on Geekbench and 19,306 on Icestorm Unlimited.

With real-world use the Pixel C’s impressive benchmarks have generally rung true. The Pixel C opens applications in milliseconds and I’m yet to find a 3D game or task it can’t run without stutter or chug. All in all you’re not going to find better performance on any other Android tablet at the moment.

Google Pixel C – Battery life, camera and audio

GOOGLE PIXEL C – BATTERY

Android tablets generally have poorer battery lives than iPads, due to Android OS's more intensive system demands. So I was surprised to find the Pixel C came close to matching the iPad Air 2’s stellar battery life. The Pixel C’s 34.2Wh battery dealt with demanding tasks, such as Netflix video streaming and gaming, better than I’d hoped.

Streaming video on Netflix and BBC iPlayer the tablet lost between 9-12% of its battery per hour. By Android tablet standards that's pretty good. I’ve tested tablets in the past that lose as much as 15-20% of their charge per hour when faced with the same test.

Playing demanding 3D games like Warhammer Quest, Shadow Run and Riptide GP2 the Pixel C discharged 15-18% of its battery, which again is well above average. Competing Android tablets I’ve test have lost as much as 20-25% of their charge when running games.

With everyday use the tablet’s battery life is also excellent. Even with heavy use it always managed to last three full days with charge to spare.

Heavy use included regularly checking my social media feeds, browsing the web, playing an hour of games, streaming music to my Chromecast while cooking dinner and watching a couple of episodes of Jessica Jones before bed.

GOOGLE PIXEL C – CAMERA

Tablets’ cameras are generally nothing to write home about. Past Android and iOS camera sensors have proven capable of taking, at best, usable photos.

The Pixel C doesn’t reverse this trend. The rear 8-megapixel camera is reasonably good by tablet standards. Shots taken in regular light in the auto mode have fairly realistic colours, are crisp enough to share on social media and aren’t over-sharpened.

However, they do have a tendency to look a little washed out and the sensor doesn’t deal with mixed, or dim, lighting conditions all too well, with colours beginning to distort and background noise becoming an issue. This isn’t a deal-breaker, as there isn’t a tablet in the world with a camera that works well in low light.

The front-facing 2-megapixel camera isn’t going set the selfie world on fire, but is more than good enough for video calling on Skype and Hangouts.

GOOGLE PIXEL C – AUDIO

The Google Pixel C features twin stereo speakers that run along its left and right short sides. Watching content directly in front of the Pixel C the speakers are reasonably good by tablet standards.

They don’t match the maximum volume of Lenovo’s top-notch Yoga Tab 3 Pro, which remains one of the best Android tablets for home entertainment, but they're more than loud enough for bedtime Netflix binging.

The bass isn’t the strongest I’ve heard from a tablet, but it’s far from weak or weedy sounding. Gunfire during heated Daredevil scenes had suitable punch, and dialogue was clear and free of the muddy, or overly tinny quality I hear on cheaper Android tablets.

I also didn’t notice any distortion or noise creep in when I cranked the speakers' volume to maximum while playing classic punk and rock music.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

Since my original review in October 2015, I have continued to use the Pixel C as my at-home tablet and the device I take to press events to make notes on, so I felt an update how it performs with regular use was worthwhile.

First, despite the release of Android 6.0.1 for the Pixel C, I have personally found my complaint of delayed and laggy key presses has become slightly worse. It's not a deal-breaker of a problem, but it happens regularly enough – about once per typing session – to be an irritation.

There have been improvements, too. Since my original review, I have been able to get a Bluetooth mouse to work on the Pixel C, which is very useful when working at a desk where precision control is key.

Build-wise, there has been little in the way of nasty surprises. I can't say I've been the most careful owner of the Pixel C and it's picked up a few scrapes and scuffs, but generally speaking it's in good condition considering its workload. All the buttons still work and there isn't any annoying, ugly dirt sitting in the small joins between the screen and the chassis.

Also worth mentioning is the next version of Android, 7.0 Nutella. If the features included in theAndroid N developer preview make it through to the final build for consumers, the Pixel C will benefit hugely, thanks to its multi-window support and better notifications system. Since this is a pure Google device, it'll be among the first devices to get the official update, which is a huge boon. When the next version of Android officially launches, I will update this review again with my impressions of the OS on on the Pixel C.

SHOULD I BUY THE GOOGLE PIXEL C?

The Pixel C is a technical marvel that easily outclasses competing Android tablets when it comes to processing prowess and battery life. If you want a top-end Android tablet that can double as a small laptop, the Pixel C is the only option worth considering.

However, with pricing starting at £399 for the basic 32GB model and the keyboard costing a massive £119 extra, its perks come with a hefty upfront cost.

Considering the lack of applications that need the Pixel C’s raw muscle, there are better deals out there. The Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 costs a meagre £150 and is more than powerful enough to meet most people’s gaming and entertainment needs.

VERDICT

The best Android tablet yet, but it’s let down by a lack of software optimisation.