TL;DR
- Google seems to have added a new hardware switch to the Pixel Tablet.
- It might be used as a privacy switch to physically disable the microphone and camera.
Google seems to have added a physical switch to the Pixel Tablet since the last time we saw it. Newly leaked renders of the upcoming slate were posted by SnoopyTech on Twitter. The two images show the alleged Google Pixel Tablet from the front and the back. The latter image is interesting as it now appears that Google’s put in some extra hardware on the side of the device.
If you look closely, you can spot the new toggle on the top left edge. This particular switch wasn’t present on the Pixel Tablet images Google officially showed off at Google I/O last year. You can see both the official (left) and leaked render (right) side-by-side below.
Folks at 9to5Google speculate, and rightly so, that the new switch is likely a physical privacy button found on many smart displays and speakers. It’s no secret that the Pixel Tablet will double up as a smart home screen, complete with a docking station. Adding a physical privacy switch makes all the sense so that users have an easy and foolproof way of ensuring the device is not listening in through the microphone or watching through the camera at all times.
Of course, there’s no confirmation from Google’s end about the functionality of the new switch on the Pixel Tablet or that it even exists. We’ll have to wait and see if the company indeed added it to the device or if these leaked images are incorrect. Google I/O 2023 is just around the corner, and we expect to hear more about the Pixel Tablet at the event.
