Android

The Past, Present, and Future of Android Tablets

Google gave us that feeling of déjà vu when it said tablets are the future, so we dove into the history of tablets running Android to see what went wrong and what can be learned from it.

Mishaal Rahman
March 4, 2024

April 3, 2026

On this week's episode, we go full Christmas Carol on the evolution of Android tablets, focusing on how Google gave them a special treatment with version 3.0 Honeycomb, then undoing all of that shortly after before finally giving them another look in the past couple of years thanks to the rise of foldable phones in the consumer space. J.R. Raphael, author of the Android Intelligence newsletter, joins us.

  • 02:26 - How did Honeycomb come about and what was it like?
  • 09:19 - Why did Android for tablets die?
  • 16:18 - Why is Google interested in optimizing Android for larger screens again?
  • 22:54 - Why not leave all this to the OEMs?
  • 30:38 - What's there to look forward to in Android 12L and 13?
  • 37:32 - Is Google making a convergence play between PCs, Chrome OS, and Android?
  • 44:04 - How does Esper adapt to the future of Android tablets?

About the Podcast

Android Bytes (powered by Esper)

A weekly show that dives deep into the Android OS

Android Bytes (powered by Esper) is the podcast that dives deep into the engineering and business decisions behind the world’s most popular OS. 

Android powers over 3 billion devices worldwide and is the platform of choice for over a thousand companies. You’ll find Android on smartphones, tablets, watches, TV, cars, kiosks, and so much more. How does Google architect Android to run on so many form factors, and how do companies fork AOSP to make it run on even more devices? These are the kinds of questions the Android Bytes podcast considers each week.

Join cohosts Mishaal Rahman and David Ruddock, two journalists with extensive knowledge covering the Android OS platform and ecosystem, as they speak to system architects, kernel engineers, app developers, and other distinguished experts in the Android space.

Get in touch with us at Esper if you’re looking to use Android device management for GMS or non-GMS devices — we have the experience you need.

Our music is “19” by HOME and is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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Mishaal Rahman

Mishaal Rahman is a Technical Editor at Esper. He has been an Android user for over a decade and has been at the forefront of Android news coverage for half a decade. His in-depth breakdowns of new Android versions have been referenced across the Internet.

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7 min read