Google’s upcoming Pixel Tablet could support the standard between USI (Universal Stylus Initiative) manufacturers, which will allow it to be used with a number of third-party pencil sharpeners, if a recently discovered entry in the list of certified products from the USI. The entry, which we detected through NuGiz, lists a Google device with the product name “Tangor” and the model number “Tablet”, which are presumably placeholder names for the Android tablet that Google announced earlier this month.
The USI is an industry-wide pencil standard that Google joined in 2018. It now supports a number of Chromebooks, allowing you to use them with a variety of pencils from different manufacturers. But while there are many offers for style / Android tablets (like Samsung’s S Pen for your Galaxy tablets), no tablet has been certified to work with the universal USI standard.
The first Android tablet that supports USI?
Earlier this year, USI announced version 2.0 of the standard. This version includes a new wireless charging feature that could allow you to charge compatible styluses by simply placing them next to a compatible device, similar to what Apple offers with the Apple Pencil 2 and certain iPads. It’s unclear which version of Google’s standard tablet might be supported.
As 9to5Google points out, it seems unusual for the Google tablet to appear in the USI database so soon after Google said it was aiming for a launch in 2023. According to the Wayback Machine, the list appeared for first time sometime after January. Neither USI nor Google responded to The Verge’s request for comment.