Pixel Tablet 2 codenames leak: why I’m hopeful for a Gemini fix

It looks like Google might be cooking up a successor to the Pixel Tablet, based on codenames that have popped up in the first beta of Android 14 QPR3 for its Pixel phones. These codenames – Clementine and Kiyomi – were unearthed by 9to5Google and while details are scarce, the citrus theme leads me to believe we’re looking at the early whispers of a Pixel Tablet 2 since the original Pixel Tablet shared fruit codenames. And this got me thinking about what I would want in a follow-up device and it’s pretty simple: a much better digital assistant.

You see, one of the big promises of the Pixel Tablet is that it’s an Android tablet that you can use as a consumption device around the house or in the office but when docked it becomes a smart display, similar to the Nest Hub Max. A great smart speaker with a detachable screen, sounds great right? Well, unfortunately, the Pixel Tablet didn’t deliver on this promise, and the docked use case feels like a parlor trick most of the time.

But with AI getting built into the Pixel 8 series and Tensor G3, could the Pixel Tablet 2 get a similar integration and finally deliver a helpful digital assistant? Imagine a Pixel Tablet 2 with seamless Gemini integration, allowing for helpful assistant features when docked and when using the device just as a tablet. This sort of AI integration, coupled with the Tensor G3’s performance prowess, could finally deliver a killer digital assistant and overall excellent user experience.

And while the rollout of Google’s AI efforts has been a bit convoluted and confusing, I think the rebranding of Bard to Gemini is a sign of good things to come. Google said back in October that the Assistant with Bard was on the way and with the recent rebranding announcement we’ve already seen Gemini replacing the flailing Assistant on Android phones. I can only hope this takeover will happen on other devices with the Google Assistant, like smart speakers and smart displays, in the coming months. And I think a new Pixel Tablet 2 with Gemini built-in would be a great way to get the word out about an all-new Google digital assistant.

While it’s fun to speculate and dream, we have to remember that the discovery of these codenames is just the beginning. While I’m hopeful for a Pixel Tablet 2 with Gemini built-in, there isn’t much evidence here to even support the existence of a new device at this point. But I do think Gemini could be the saving grace for the Pixele Tablet 2 so here’s to hoping! What features would you like to see in a new Pixel Tablet 2? Let us know over on X.