Google Pixel Tablet 3 could be a true Laptop Replacement

Yeah, the Google Pixel Tablet 2 isn’t even announced yet, and we’re already seeing leaks for the Pixel Tablet 3. But that’s the nature of the mobile industry. And now, thanks to Android Authority, it sounds like the Pixel Tablet 3 might actually replace your laptop.

The publication has uncovered the fact that Google is adding a second USB-C port controller to the Tensor G6. That port is going to support external displays via DisplayPort. This is also meant specifically for tablets, so it won’t be a feature coming to smartphones like the Pixel 11.

The Pixel Tablet technically already has two exposed USB ports, one with the USB-C port that you can use to charge and the other with a USB 2.0 connection inside the pogo pins for the dock. But the second USB port controller is for the charging USB-C port, which also means that Google is committed to keeping the dock option around until at least 2027.

This port will be USB 3.2 compliant and will support DisplayPort Output

So what could this USB port be used for? Well, it’s pretty likely that it will be used to connect to an external monitor and use desktop mode. We’ve seen various hints that Google is working on a desktop mode, and it looks like we might finally get it by the time 2027 rolls around.

Android isn’t built to be an entire desktop OS. However, Samsung has made some great strides in making it a desktop OS. With their DeX features, you get a pretty good-looking desktop experience that works just as you would expect. Of course, by 2027, we will have two more versions of Android released, so there could be lots of changes and experiments done between now and then.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this report is the fact that Google is committed to the Pixel Tablet for at least another 3 years. It looks like Google is planning to release the Pixel Tablet bi-annually, so it will be released in odd years. Which isn’t a bad idea, since tablets aren’t a huge market.