Google managed to surprise everyone yesterday with the introduction of its high-end Android Tablet, the 10.2-inch Pixel C. The Pixel C boasts a high-quality brushed metal finish, a sharp 10.2-inch 2560 x 1800 pixel display at 308 pixels-per-inch and serious performance thanks to a NVIDIA Tegra 1 chip paired with a Maxwell GPU and 3GB of RAM.

Those specs aside, the Pixel C supports a rather clever Bluetooth keyboard. The keyboard, in the same brush metal finish as the Pixel C, attaches via a magnetized hinge that can rotate up to 135-degrees for multiple viewing angles. Judging by Google’s demo, the magnetic connection is strong enough to keep the keyboard and tablet together even when held upside down by either device.

Once connected, the Pixel C recognizes the external keyboard and immediately hides the on-screen software keyboard. The keyboard is charged inductively off the tablet every time it is closed. Google says a charge will last up to two months – pretty impressive considering you don’t really need to remember to charge the keyboard.

Bluetooth keyboard attaches to Pixel C via magnetic hinge

The Pixel C’s processing power, screen size and the inclusion of the keyboard naturally pits it against similar offerings from Apple and Microsoft, namely the iPad Air 2 and Surface 3.

Pixel C vs. iPad Air 2 vs. Surface 3: Tech specs

Looking beyond just technical specs, the Pixel C excels in some areas while disappointing in others.

Display

At 10.2-inches, the Pixel C is right in the middle when it comes to screen size but it does have the best resolution with 2560 x 1800 pixels at 307 pixels-per-inch and a backlight capable of 500 nits.

Storage

The Pixel C comes in 32GB and 64GB options but, like the iPad Air 2, lacks the option to expand storage via an SD card. The Surface 3 has the advantage over both by supporting expandable storage via micorSD card.

Ports

Both the Pixel C and iPad Air 2 lack external ports, offering only a USB-C and Lightning connector respectively. By comparison, the Surface 3 has a full-size USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, and Micros USB port for charging.

Productivity and multitasking

The entire point of a larger-screen tablet with a detachable keyboard option is often increased productivity. While both Android Marshmallow and iOS 9 offer multitasking features, the Surface 3 has the advantage here running a full copy of Windows 10 and it ships with a one-year subscription to Office 365 and OneDrive cloud storage. Despite the availability of app versions of popular productivity applications like Microsoft’s Office suite and others, the overall experience and efficiency levels may always be better on a full-blown operating system – at least for now.

Optional keyboard

Based on what we know so far, the Bluetooth keyboard compares favorably to the Surface 3 Type Cover and may even have the upper hand thanks to its premium finish, clever magnetic attachment, and inductive charging. The iPad Air 2 unfortunately, does not have an Apple-made keyboard option, but a variety of third-party keyboards are for sale.

Stylus

Last but not least, the Surface 3 supports Microsoft’s Surface Pen. Both the Pixel C and the iPad Air 2 lack support for a stylus. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the stylus, it does add a range of useful functionality to a mobile device – even Apple has embraced the idea with the introduction of the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro.

Images via google.com