Google Pixel Slate with Chrome OS, Pixel Slate Keyboard, Pixelbook Pen launched

Alongside the **Google Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL** , the **Google Home Hub** , the company also launched a rather interesting product – the Pixel Slate, Google’s first Chrome OS tablet and no, it’s not called Nocturne. Pixel Slate pricing starts at $599 (up to $1,699 for the top-spec model). The companion Pixel Slate Keyboard costs $199, and Pixelbook Pen costs $99. According to Google, all three will be available later this year on the Google Store and at major retailers in the US, Canada and the UK. We don’t yet know if the device is coming to India. The choice of Chrome OS is a rather intriguing one. Rather than modify Android for tablets, as Google has done in the past, Google has opted to offer Chrome OS, which offers a mix of desktop and mobile device features. It’s a combination that Google believes is perfect for a tablet, and we tend to agree with them. Tablets are designed for a different use-case than phones, after all, and it makes sense that they use an OS that’s designed to be more capable. Chrome OS on the Slate promises the full, desktop-class Chrome browser, full support for Android apps via Play Store integration and a whole suite of apps that were originally designed to be used with the laptop form-factor of Chromebooks. The slate will now directly compete with iPads and Surface Pros, and surprisingly, can even give Apple’s 12-inch MacBook a run for its money. [caption id=“attachment_5348271” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Google Pixel Slate, Google Pixel Slate Keyboard and the Google Pixelbook Pen. image: Google Blog[/caption] The tablet is powered by an 8th generation Intel Core m3, i5 or Celeron chip, 4/8/16 GB of RAM and between 32 GB and 256 GB of storage. The display is a 12.3-inch LTPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2000x3000. Oh, and you get two USB-C ports and a smart keyboard connector. It is missing a headphone jack, though. Apple’s 12-inch MacBook offers a similar CPU and RAM configuration, a smaller, lower resolution display and only one USB-C port. Pixel Slate has dual front speakers. As a bonus, buyers will get three months of YouTube TV free on its purchase. The device also features a camera on the back and front. Both of them are 8 MP sensors. You can shoot photos using portrait mode. Finally, coming to the battery, the Pixel Slate offers up to 10 hours of battery life, according to Google. Pixel Slate Keyboard Along with the Slate, Google also announced the Pixel Slate Keyboard, which connects to the Pixel Slate. It is a full-size backlit keyboard, with round ‘Hush keys,’ so that you type quietly. It also has a dedicated Google Assistant key and an extra-large trackpad. The rear of the Keyboard doubles as a stand and can be used to set the Slate at any angle you’d like, even flat on its back. Pixelbook Pen A new Pixelbook Pen has been launched matching the dark blue colour of the device itself. The pen is really just the same as the previous stylus that launched with the Pixelbook. We guess the only difference is the new colour.