The Pixel C was one of the best Android tablets available when I reviewed it close to a year ago. Having used it as my primary tablet since then I can confirm this remains the case, but that’s largely because noone has bothered releasing anything to challenge it.

The Pixel C’s hardware has aged well. Unlike most of the Android tablets I long-term test I haven’t noticed any serious slow down, or reductions in battery life with the tablet section of the Pixel C.

The Nvidia CPU and 3GB of memory aren’t the most powerful components around any more, but they’re still fit for purpose. The Pixel C still smoothly navigates between menu screens and plays even the most demanding of Android games and applications chug and stutter free.

Thanks to recent updates to its Android Marshmallow operating system, close to all the niggling bugs I occasionally noticed have been ironed out, making the Pixel C one of the most reliable tablets around.

The use of unskinned Android also means it’s almost certain the Pixel C will be upgraded to Android Nougat when the update arrives later this year.

The screen continues to be one of the best I’ve seen on an Android tablet, though it’s not quite on a par with the 9-inch iPad Pro’s. The panel hasn’t degraded at all and continues to offer great uniformity, colour balance and brightness levels.

Battery life for the tablet section remains strong. The tablet still lasts a solid three days with regular use. Regular use entails watching streaming cartoons before I go to work and bed, intermittently browsing the web and checking my social media feeds and the odd gaming session throughout the day.

Intensive tasks have begun to take a slightly larger toll on the battery, however. Streaming video now eats up between 10-15% of the tablet’s battery every hour. Brand new the process only ate up around 9-12%. Gaming also takes a bigger toll on the battery and eats up around 25% of the Pixel’s charge every hour, where before it only drained around 15%.

The keyboard dock hasn’t aged as well as the tablet. The key’s are still comfortable to type on and I have no complaints about the dock’s build quality, but the charging mechanism has become fiddly to use.

To charge the keyboard you have to place the tablet face down on it and connect it to the the mains. When I first started using the Pixel C the process worked a treat, but within the last month I’ve found it a little hit and miss. All to often I’ve left thinking I’ve left the tablet and keyboard charging, only to find the keyboard hasn’t picked up any juice. The connection fail is hit and miss and I’ve found no rhyme or reason to the inexplicable failures.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy the Pixel C at the moment, despite it having aged well as it’s currently overpriced. The £399 price tag was hefty when the Pixel C first came out and the fact Google has cut it means the unit is now too expensive.

There aren’t many rival devices out at the moment, but I expect we’ll see a fresh wave of Android tablets from Lenovo and Samsung at IFA in September. Google will also likely unveil a new tablet, hopefully a Nexus 7, later this year.

I’d recommend waiting and seeing what the new tablets bring to the table before shelling out for a Pixel C.

You can read Trusted’s original Pixel C review below

Google’s touting the Pixel C as “the most advanced Android tablet” ever made, and for good reason. It features a wealth of top-end hardware, including a powerful Nvidia X1 CPU, ultra-sharp 10.2-inch screen, and a latch-free docking mechanism that connects the Pixel C to an optional keyboard cover.

However, with Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 already jostling for prosumers’ interest, the Pixel C is facing pretty stiff competition.

Luckily, Google’s description is on the money, and the Pixel C is one of the best Android tablets I’ve ever seen, if not the best – at least from a hardware perspective.

Key Features:

The Google Pixel C is the first Android tablet designed and built exclusively by Google and it's damn fine start. The 10.2-inch screen makes the Pixel C feel more like an iPad Air than an iPad Pro, but the optional keyboard case features a brilliant magnetic hinge that makes it a really useful tool.

Of course, being a Google product, it runs a completely clean version of Android and it's been modified to work better on a tablet screen, which is nice. The only downside is the comparative lack of really good tablet apps, which gives the iPad a slight edge.

Still, this is a great tablet with a super screen that's blisteringly fast thanks to the Nvidia Tegra K1 processor. If you want an Android tablet, start here.

Buy Now at Amazon.co.uk from £479 | Amazon.com from $559

At time of review the Google Pixel C was available for £400 (without keyboard).