Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Can The Google Pixel Slate Beat The iPad Pro?”.
Now this is fitting the fact that this device just showed up pixel slate, because, as many of you know, i’ve been running this experiment with the ipad pro. I am going to go laptop list computer-less with the exception of this right here. If you want to call it a computer, i don’t know if it is yet, if that’s what’s going on with the ipad, this is google’s play at a similar scenario: a futuristic computing device, a chrome and android-based device, a combination, a hybrid, along with a cool looking Keyboard case and pen input google’s bet on the future of computing, actually kind of looks a lot like apple’s, just with a slight difference on the software side, 8th gen, core i5 processor, 8 gigs of ram 128 gigs of storage. Now i have been using this guy. This has been the experiment, one i’m gon na do two weeks, just this no computer at all.
I have some thoughts. I have some feelings, as you would expect. That’S the 11 inch version super portable 12.3 inches. So this one lines up more competitively against the bigger ipad pro.
So just keep that in mind. Anyhow, there is the device and notice it has these big front-facing speaker grilles, as you can see right there. So simple, look at the back of it. Just a tiny little g up there, that’s it.
We have some metallic connectors down on the bottom for the various accessories, two type c connectors your power switch, slash, fingerprint scanner, recessed very nice type c to mini jack connector included no headphone jack on here. Unfortunately, oh no, there we go 3000 by 2000 pixels. It’S a full chrome browser.
Of course. That’S the advantage here, full powered chrome, which is kind of one of the things that people complain about not having living the ipad lifestyle. This is chrome, like you would have it on a legitimate laptop. Now, it’s not just chrome. You can also install android apps on here multitasking button here, which will show you the various things that you have open at any given time: the keyboard, the circular keys.
That’S a very unusual choice. This is a throwback all right. So what is this made out of? I don’t. I don’t know this soft interior.
It can go in a couple of different standing styles. Just for a comparison, the ipad one has this sort of fabric style cover on on top of the keys over here. This is plastic like hard plastic, oh there’s, no flex, it feels more similar to an actual laptop keyboard that is encouraging i’ll.
Give you a little sneak preview on my experience with the ipad. This keyboard is going to have a tough time, replacing a really nice laptop keyboard you just that is a pretty strong magnet there, and this goes here. What is this origami thing going on? Oh, my goodness, wow, that’s pretty cool the way that this magnet system works in the back allows you to put any angle on the display it kind of clicks in at this maximum degree.
As you pull it up, it will also stop at the very bottom at the minimum angle. Like surprisingly sturdy, maybe even lappable, you might be able to put this on your actual lap and anywhere in between. As you can see here, this implementation here very attractive.
I must say, and that’s right, there’s a trackpad – let’s see here: oh wow, okay, oh this is lappable. You can lap this, it’s not a laptop per se, but you can lap it. I’M lapping it definitely.
On a desk surface, you are going to forget you’re on a tablet because of how they decided to design this keyboard case, and if you want to take it a step further, you can use the pixel book pen all right, oh just like that. No pairing! No! Nothing i’m tapping precision here i launch a browser, i go to youtube and so on scrolling. So this gives you this interesting kind of input. It’S a type of input that i’ve actually been enjoying on my ipad experiment kind of nice at the kitchen table to have these alternative options for how you would interact with your display.
This, of course, is not something you would typically do on a laptop. I don’t know, there’s something about this particular angle. That makes you want to reach out and touch it big disadvantage between this and the ipad is like: where do you put the pen? There’S no, will there’s no magnet right? Is there anywhere to put the pen? Oh, i found a magnet there. Are you to do that dad? Is that how they show it off? Well, it would stay there.
You know what i mean. I don’t know if it’s intentional or if it’s just picking up the magnets underneath it’s better than nowhere. I would say this is magical, dare i say here we go like there’s something about that which is just so convenient, and you know where it is: it’s a strong mag and it charges the pen. This one, on the other hand, takes a aaa battery, so quadruple a battery. Let’S do a little typing test on this circular keyboard, the quick brown fox. You know i could get used to this. I, like the look i like the circular keys.
The track pad is actually really nice like better than i expected me. I don’t know, maybe it’s not macbook level, but i think it’s better than the pixel book. Let’S test the speakers 11 inch ipad pro course firing out of the sides.
Both sides – maybe a little more clarity here, because it’s firing at you, but i think, a little more bass. What they’ve done with the speaker setup on here is actually really impressive, considering the form factor actually another quick test, while we’re here thinness wise there’s the ipad pro 11 inch versus the pixel slate, you can see they’re both impossibly thin, all right. So listen! It’S a full-fledged chrome, os, chromebook, capable of android apps a little bit mobile a little bit desktop with ios. You get opened up to the various apps that are touch centric that exist in that app store over.
Here, though, you get a full on chrome browser with all the things that you can do in a desktop or laptop browser. You get two usb type-c ports. You get the front-facing speakers, of course, there’s a fingerprint unlock on the ios side on the ipad pro side. You have the face unlock face id just like the new iphones here you have this pen compared to the apple pencil that one has a really convenient place to go where it stays all the time this one less so it’ll stick to the back, but it’s kind Of like it doesn’t even feel like it really should go. There definitely can’t live there.
When you have the thing propped up in laptop form from a form factor perspective, it just feels like a laptop when you’re on it at a desk. The fact that you can pick any angle with the keyboard case also simulates a laptop experience, a lot more closely than the keyboard case on the ipad. That said, for strictly touch-based input, i think that’s kind of where the ipad shines.
I’M intrigued enough here to consider possibly flipping to this one. After the ipad pro experience, i’ve already been laptop less almost 10 days, i’m still living, i’m still breathing. Maybe after that one, i go pixel slate here and this can be my main and only computing device. I think that might be the best way to evaluate it’s exciting times, though. Finally, we’re seeing some real developments in the mobile computing space and not just smartphones so far, laptops are still mostly better at most things, but we’re starting to see some some cracks in in the foundation of the laptop rain, including devices like this one, the pixel slate. It’S chrome, i think i should compare and contrast the two you.
Let me know if you’re interested that’s been an unboxing of the brand new pixel slate, i think, is pretty cool. .