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I found mixed results while testing out the Pen's Google Assistant feature, where holding its button while circling an image asks the AI for help identifying the thing or person you circled. Circling multiple faces in a photo about mixed martial arts, Assistant correctly identified the athletes Anderson Silva and Ronda Rousy, but failed to get UFC honcho Dana White, instead suggesting he was John Cena (who you can't see, but that's neither here nor there).
The design is wonderfully mobile and, coupled with the tablet section’s super-light 0.7kg weight, means the Pixel Slate can 100% be used as a standalone tablet. Having lugged the Slate around London in my satchel, where it had more than a few accidental encounters with the sides of tables and a tube turnstile, I can also personally attest to the tablet’s build quality. Built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to connect this tablet to the internet, whether that's through your own home network, Wi-Fi at work or a public connection. Bluetooth will let you send files and folders wirelessly between Bluetooth devices, or even stream music to compatible speakers or headphones. The speaker setup is another key inclusion that differentiates the Pixel Slate from other Chrome OS and Windows tablets. On its front, you’ll see twin dual-speakers that Google claims are “custom-tuned to deliver industry-leading audio”. Using the tablet to watch Netflix in bed, I can confirm that there’s truth to this claim.
The i5 model sped through every task I threw at it. Multi-tab Chrome web ran smoothly, even with two windows open side-by-side. Android gaming apps played chug- and stutter-free, and basic photo editing in PhotoShop Express worked fine – although the rear of the tablet did become noticeably warm with prolonged use. PRO:The Pixel Slate has a lot of great features for users. It has a 10.5-inch display with a resolution of 3000 x 2000 pixels, making it perfect for use as both a laptop replacement and tablet. Additionally, it has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, 128GB storage, and a 12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash. That starting price gets you an unnamed Intel Celeron processor powering that 12.3-inch ‘Molecular’ touchscreen at a 3,000 x 2,000-pixel resolution. That’s paired with 4GB of memory and a 32GB solid-state drive.
The display, beset on both sides by booming (yet still tinny) speakers, uses new technology that Google calls its ‘Molecular Display.’ This tech employs low-temperature polymer crystals that move electrons faster than standard displays, which is what allows the display to produce such a high pixel density compared to other screens of similar dimensions. I’m also a big fan of the optional folio keyboard, which is better than that of the iPad Pro’s in nearly every way.
In many ways the Pixel Slate delivers on this promise, including top-notch hardware and intelligently presented software. If you mainly use Google’s suite of apps then the i5, or even M, configuration of the Pixel Slate makes for an excellent tablet and basic laptop replacement. The desktop mode has a similar application window system to regular desktop operating systems, and will be intuitive to anyone coming from MacOS or Windows 10. As a final nail in the coffin, if you want to take advantage of freeware such as Blender and GIMP, you’ll have to manually install the Linux versions using the beta mode in Chrome OS. This isn’t as easy as it sounds and will be a feat beyond most average buyers. Even if you do manage the install, the apps are buggy. Things fall apart when you attempt to use the Pixel Slate for creative work, however. This is because the screen covers only 66.3% of the Adobe RGB and 68.3% of the DCI-P3 colour gamuts favoured by artists working in physical media. Colour gamuts indicate the accuracy of the colours on-screen compared to how they’ll look when physically printed out. The higher the coverage, the better.CON:The Pixel Slate is not cheap and may not be affordable for everyone. Furthermore, its battery life is not as good as some other laptops on the market. The Best Features of the Google Pixel Slate I experienced serious Bluetooth issues that caused music to cut out on my headphones, but Google promises a fix. For basic office work, web browsing and media consumption the Pixel Slate’s screen is excellent. The “all new Molecular Display” is a 12.3-inch LCD panel with an impressive 3000 x 2000 resolution. The size and dimensions are large and sharp enough to make movie-watching and multiple window office work comfortable on the device. Overall, the Google Pixel Slate is a great device that offers high-end features at an affordable price. Tips for Setting Up Your Device The bottom navigation bar has shortcuts to installed apps, plus a battery icon and shortcut to basic settings for items such as Wi-Fi and screen brightness. On the left is a handy shortcut to Google Assistant. Google Assistant remains a key selling point; it’s step above Microsoft’s Cortana and Apple’s Siri in nearly every way.
Power users and creatives will run into trouble, though. The full-fat versions of popular creative suites such as Adobe Photoshop aren’t available on Chrome OS. To make matters worse, key mobile first suites that work on iOS – Procreate and Affinity Designer, for example – are also missing. All-in-all, my only concerns regarding performance would be around the Celeron version. Past Chromebooks I’ve tested with identical specs have been prone to chugging when performing even moderately demanding tasks such as multi-tab web browsing. Featuring 8GB of RAM, this computer has enough power for casual tasks like web browsing and word processing as well as more demanding jobs like complex spread sheets and image manipulation. The second issue is even odder: sometimes the Bluetooth setting in the options menu just disappeared. Opening the Settings app doesn't help, as Bluetooth wouldn't turn on there either. The only solution is to the reboot the Pixel Slate. If you’re a regular consumer who’s fully embedded in Google’s application and services ecosystem, and are looking for an all-in-one convertible that works equally well as a tablet and laptop, the Pixel Slate is a great device.The Google Pixel Slate tablet has been created with an Intel Core M3 processor and 8GB RAM. With a battery that will last up to 12 hours and weighting just 720g, this is a highly portable as tablet, that’s ready to take on work tasks and help with some casual gaming. Creation Consumer Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Register no. 311518). The Slate also dealt with video streaming and gaming surprisingly well. Streaming video on Netflix, with the screen at 150 nits (indoors), the Slate lost an average of 11-13% of its charge per hour. This is excellent by laptop standards, and competitive with most tablets. What we’re more excited about are the Chrome OS optimizations that Google has made exclusively for Pixel Slate. Features like a night light for blue light reduction, split screening apps and a ‘do not disturb’ feature help bring Chrome OS to parity with Windows 10 and macOS computers.
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