Google's Google Chrome OS tablet may have been leaked by keyboard maker

Product photos from the Brydge Bluetooth keyboard manufacturer seem to give a first impression of Google's Chrome OS tablet, codenamed "Nocturne", some of which will be announced on October 9 alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones. Images that have been spotted by AboutChromebooks, show a tablet with two front speakers, a Type-C USB port and a side fingerprint sensor.

Since these snapshots were provided by a keyboard manufacturer, they naturally focus on the keyboard, which connects to the tablet through a pair of staples and seems to communicate via Bluetooth rather than with a physical connection. It is also very possible that the images on the tablet are Brydge models, not a real Google device.

Picture: AboutChromebooks

But if they are genuine, this could be the same device as the new Pixelbook we saw last week, which also appears in online ads recently. However, it is not clear if this device has the removable keyboard that seems to be present here.

Rumors about the next tablet have begun to swirl since the beginning of August when references to "Nocturne" began to appear in the source code of Chrome OS. Nocturne may or may not be accompanied by a second device, called "Atlas", when it is announced in October.

We've already seen a Chrome OS 2-in-1 tablet this year – the Acre Chromebook Tab 10 – but at the time, we did not think the operating system was ready for a tablet. However, since then, Chrome OS version 70 has introduced a number of improvements to its touch interface.

Chrome OS quickly turns into a worthy successor for Android on tablets. The big question now is whether Google intends to present this with a flagship device of its own.