New device codenames may signify a Pixel Tablet 2 is on the way

Google appears to be working on a Pixel Tablet 2 based on the discovery of new device codenames. As you may know, device codenames can be a hint into what Google has cooking in its hardware department. Even if things are only in research and development, these codenames can signify that Google is working on and actively testing an upcoming device. Just like with Android software, Google’s hardware devices each have a codename associated with them. For instance, the Pixel 8 is codenamed Shiba and the Pixel 8 Pro is codenamed Husky.

The Pixel Tablet meanwhile, is codenamed Tangorpro.  So how do those old codenames lead to the possibility of Google working on a Pixel Tablet 2? It’s all based on some codenames found in the code of the recent Android 14 QPR3 beta.

New citrus-themed codenames suggest a Pixel Tabet 2 is in the works

If you’re unfamiliar with where the citrus theme comes from allow us to explain. Tangor is a citrus fruit. But not just any citrus fruit. It’s a hybrid between a mandarin orange and a sweet orange. This is where the new citrus-themed codenames come in. 9To5Google has been digging through the recent Android 14 QPR3 beta 1 and found references to two new device codenames — Clementine and Kiyomi — two more hybrid citrus fruits. Obviously, the presence of a codename doesn’t mean Google is actually working on these new devices. Or that the company will ever release them if it is working on them.

It’s also possible that the codenames in use do end up as available consumer products but with different codenames when all is said and done. There are a lot of possible scenarios here. But Google is always using the same types of codenames for specific products. Phones for example use the codenames of animals. This year it’s dogs, last year with the Pixel 7 series it was big cats — Cheetah and Panther.

With the tablet, so far, it’s been citrus. So this very likely points to Google working on a new version of the Pixel tablet. Or at the very least, putting things through a conceptual stage.