Google has a history of scrapping products even if they have proven popular with customers. From Chromecast to Google Podcasts and from Hangouts to Google Stadia, the tech giant is seemingly unbothered by axing hardware and software that millions use and love every day.

Now it seems that Google is continuing with its ruthless streak, with reports suggesting the firm has canned the next version of its Pixel Tablet, its Pixel-branded Android tablet. The first version is still sold alongside its increasingly popular range of Pixel phones, and is notable for its compatibility with an optional charging station that also acts as a speaker and turns the slate into a smart home screen when docked.

According to Android Authority, Google had planned to release a Pixel Tablet 2 in future with improvements including an official keyboard accessory, something the original lacked. Also rumoured were the device’s use of the Tensor G4 chipset currently found in the Pixel 9 phones, which would have been a powerful upgrade on the aging Tensor G2 in the first Pixel Tablet.

But the publication went on to report that the Pixel Tablet 2 has been scrapped despite it being in development for a 2025 release. Further details are sketchy, but the updated tablet would reportedly have had both a Wi-Fi and 5G version available, with a better screen.

The reason for the cancellation, according to Android Authority's sources, is that Google felt “the company would lose money on it”. This means Google is worried the next-gen Pixel Tablet 2 might not have sold well enough to justify releasing it in the first place.

If we don’t see a Pixel Tablet 2, the original Pixel Tablet could end up a curious standalone product in Google’s history, similar to the Google Pixel Slate, which was a tablet released in 2018 that ran Chrome OS and worked with an optional keyboard. There was never a sequel.

Originally announced in 2022 but not released until June 2023, the Pixel Tablet has a metal construction and 11-inch display. Google decided not to pitch it to buyers as a direct iPad rival, even though the tablet can run all the usual apps you would expect from Android. Instead, it sold it with a speaker dock in the box that at launch was compulsory to purchase, making the whole package start at £399.

Google now also sells the tablet on its own for £299 without the dock.

We found the dock to be useful as you can put the tablet in your bedroom or kitchen or living room and use it as a smart home screen. The dock charges the device, and clever software stops it from constantly charging if you leave it on there all the time, hopefully meaning the battery won’t get nuked from being plugged in 24/7.

But the speaker quality of the dock is poor, so we didn’t use it to listen to music very often, instead mostly using it to set timers and check the weather - tasks you can do on the £89 Google Nest Hub smart display.

If Google has cancelled the Pixel Tablet 2 we can’t say we are that surprised, but it would have been good to see the company try again to bring an Android tablet to market that could truly rival the iPad for usability and affordability.