Google Pixel Tablet vs iPad (A16)

Google Pixel Tablet came out of Google I/O on 10 May 2023, and Google was still selling it on 19 September 2026, with no Pixel Tablet 2 to replace it. iPad (A16) is nearly two years newer; Apple announced it on 4 March 2025 as its base iPad. What makes the Pixel different isn’t the tablet itself but where it lives: Google built it to sit on a speaker dock that charges it, not to clip into a keyboard.

The differences at a glance

Spec	Google Pixel Tablet	iPad (A16)
Announced	10 May 2023	4 March 2025
US price	$499 with the Charging Speaker Dock at launch; from $399 on the Google Store, 19 September 2026	$349 Wi-Fi, $499 cellular (128GB); education $329 and $479
Software	Android	iPadOS
Display	10.95-inch LCD, 16:10, 2560 × 1600, 276 ppi, 500 nits typical	10.86-inch Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 × 1640, 264 ppi, 500 nits
Refresh rate	Not published	Not published; no ProMotion or 120Hz listed
Chip	Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security chip	A16: 5-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory	8GB LPDDR5	Not published
Storage	128GB or 256GB (UFS 3.1); no microSD	128GB, 256GB or 512GB
Pen	USI 2.0 stylus, sold separately	Apple Pencil (USB-C), or 1st generation with an adapter; sold separately
Keyboard	No first-party keyboard	Smart Connector for a folio, sold separately
Ports	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1; 4-pin dock connector	USB-C at USB 2.0, up to 480Mb/s, with DisplayPort; Smart Connector
Cellular	None; Wi-Fi only	Wi-Fi + Cellular model, $499
Dock	Charging Speaker Dock: up to 15-watt charging, 43.5mm speaker	None

The dock is the Pixel’s whole idea

The Charging Speaker Dock is a magnetic, pogo-pin stand with a 43.5mm full-range speaker. The tablet sits on it magnetically and connects through a 4-pin connector that carries charging, data and audio, charging at up to 15 watts. Park it on a counter and it’s a speaker with a screen; lift it off and it’s a tablet. You can also charge it over USB-C, with a charger sold separately unless your box is the dock bundle.

Google sells both: dock bundles and tablet-only boxes. The 10 May 2023 launch price of $499 was for the tablet and dock together, and a tablet-only box has no speaker until you add one. Rose was a bundle color; Porcelain and Hazel are the Google Store finishes.

There’s no first-party keyboard. The dock is the accessory Google built for it. iPad (A16) has no dock connector and no speaker dock; its accessory port is a Smart Connector for a keyboard folio, sold separately.

Bring your own pen

Pixel Tablet works with USI 2.0 styluses, a standard rather than a Google pen, and there isn’t one in the box. If you already own a USI 2.0 pen, it should work; if not, budget for one. It isn’t an Apple Pencil or a Samsung S Pen.

On the iPad side, Apple Pencil (USB-C) works, and so does the 1st-generation Pencil through Apple’s USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter. Pencil Pro and hover aren’t on its list, and neither Pencil comes in the box. Buy the pen that matches the tablet you choose; they don’t cross over.

Two screens just under 11 inches

Pixel Tablet’s 10.95-inch LCD is 16:10, at 2560 × 1600 and 276 pixels per inch, rated 500 nits typical, with 24-bit color and an anti-smudge coating. iPad (A16)‘s 10.86-inch Liquid Retina IPS screen is 2360 × 1640 at 264 pixels per inch, rated 500 nits, with True Tone and an oleophobic coating. Apple doesn’t list P3 color, full lamination or an antireflective coating for it. The two 500-nit figures are each company’s own rating, not one test of both screens.

Tensor G2 and 8GB, or the A16

Pixel Tablet runs Google’s 2023 Tensor G2 with a Titan M2 security chip and 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, with 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and no microSD slot. iPad (A16) runs the A16, with a 5-core CPU, a 4-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. It starts at 128GB, with 256GB and 512GB costing more and no 1TB model.

Ports, wireless and cellular

Pixel Tablet’s USB-C port is USB 3.2 Gen 1, next to the 4-pin dock connector. Wireless is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, 2x2 MIMO, on 2.4 and 5 GHz at once), Bluetooth 5.2, an ultra-wideband chip and Google Cast. There’s no cellular model, so it needs Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot wherever it goes.

iPad (A16)‘s USB-C port handles charging and DisplayPort at USB 2.0 speed, up to 480Mb/s, so it’s the slower port of the two. It comes in a Wi-Fi + Cellular version, which launched at $499.

The Pixel’s cameras, speakers and battery

Both of Pixel Tablet’s cameras are 8 megapixels, with 1.12μm pixels, f/2.0, an 84-degree view and a 1/4-inch sensor, recording 1080p at 30 fps. The rear camera is fixed focus; the front adds Live HDR+ and Speech Enhancement for calls. Four speakers and three microphones with noise suppression sit in the tablet itself, separate from the dock’s speaker, and the fingerprint reader is in the power button.

Google rates the 27Wh battery for up to 12 hours of video streaming. The tablet measures 258 × 169 × 8.1mm and weighs 493 grams, and Google’s launch post describes an aluminum body with a nano-ceramic coating. For the iPad’s cameras and battery, see the iPad (A16) guide.

Software and updates

Pixel Tablet runs Android, and Google’s Pixel Drop announcements through 2026 still mention it. It’s a 2023 tablet, though, so its remaining update window is shorter than the one Google promised at launch. iPad (A16) runs iPadOS, which is the reason to pick it if you already live in Apple’s apps.

Price

Pixel Tablet launched on 10 May 2023 at $499 with the Charging Speaker Dock. On 19 September 2026 the Google Store listed it from $399, and some views showed it out of stock; a 2026 listing is older stock, not a new model. iPad (A16) launched on 4 March 2025 at $349 for Wi-Fi and $499 with cellular, both with 128GB, or $329 and $479 with education pricing; more storage costs more. The two $499 prices are nearly two years apart: the Pixel with its dock in 2023, the cellular iPad in 2025. Pens are extra on both. Check what’s in the Pixel’s box, and how long Google will keep updating it, before you buy.