Why I think the Android/ChromeOS merger may be the reason the Pixel Tablet 2 never happened

Remember the Pixel Tablet 2? When rumors surfaced late last year that Google had pulled the plug on its second-gen tablet, the unofficial reason cited was concerns about profitability. At the time, it felt like a bit of a letdown and perhaps even a sign that Google was wavering on its tablet ambitions yet again.

But looking back now, knowing what we do about Google’s massive, ongoing project to merge Android and ChromeOS, that cancellation starts to look less like a retreat and more like a calculated, strategic move. Perhaps the profitability concerns were just convenient cover for a bigger pivot.

A platform in transition

As Joe recently detailed, we are on the cusp of one of the largest shifts in the history of Google’s computing platforms: the effective merger of Android and ChromeOS. While the public confirmations are recent, the internal work on this fundamental shift has undoubtedly been underway for much longer – likely overlapping significantly with the time the Pixel Tablet 2 would have been in its final development stages.

This massive transition necessitates a clear vision and likely a new piece of hardware to showcase what this unified future looks like: a device designed from the ground up to highlight the strengths of this new, converged OS.

Enter ‘Sapphire’

And that brings us back to ‘Sapphire’. As we uncovered recently, ‘Sapphire’ is the first development board based on the ‘Tanjiro’ reference design for a new wave of tablets powered by the incredible MediaTek Kompanio Ultra. It’s shaping up to be a powerful, premium tablet.

But the most telling detail? ‘Sapphire’ is being developed with an LED light strip, a signature hardware feature strongly associated with Google’s own Pixel devices. This makes ‘Sapphire’ the most likely candidate we’ve seen yet for a potential, Google-made Pixelbook Tablet – the perfect halo device to lead the charge for this newly-merged desktop OS from Google.

Knowing that the OS merger was already likely in the works when the Pixel Tablet 2 was cancelled completely reframes that decision. Why invest resources in launching a standard Android tablet like the Pixel Tablet 2, knowing that in the near future you plan to debut a fundamentally upgraded, converged OS, likely alongside a flagship device specifically designed to showcase it?

Launching the Pixel Tablet 2 would have muddied the waters, created a confusing narrative for consumers just before a major platform shift, and diluted the impact of what should be a landmark hardware and software launch. By cancelling the Pixel Tablet 2, Google was effectively clearing the way for what is next.

A tantalizing possibility

Now, let’s be clear: this is still speculation. We’re connecting the dots based on the evidence we have – the timing of the Pixel Tablet 2 cancellation rumors, the confirmation of the OS merger, and the existence of ‘Sapphire’ with its Google-y features. The decision to axe the Pixel Tablet 2, made many months before the fall hardware event, looks less like a lack of confidence and more like a necessary step in preparing for a much more significant, platform-defining launch.

While it is doubtful that we’ll really know much more before the end of 2025, I expect the early months of 2026 to be much more active on this front from Google. They’ve been pretty coy about it all thus far, not showing their hand too much; but I think the first half of 2026 will be far more informative both in the hardware and software conversations around this new desktop OS Google is working on. And I cannot wait!