SAN FRANCISCO—Google today showed off its latest Android tablet, the Pixel C, which wasn’t a complete surprise thanks to various leaks.

Still, we didn’t know everything—like how it would differentiate itself from the Surface Pro and iPad Pro—and my hands-on time here answered some of those burning questions. For example, we know that the “C” does in fact stand for “convertible.” Knowledge!

The Pixel C is a 10.2-inch tablet that starts at $499, and Google showed it off with a magnetically attachable, $149 keyboard. Last year’s Nexus 9 ($575.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) tablet turned into a quasi-laptop with its keyboard folio case as well.

The Pixel C runs Android Marshmallow 6.0 on an Nvidia X1 Tegra CPU and comes with 3GB of RAM. While Nvidia processors have great graphics performance, they’re uncommon in retail devices; you really only see them in the Nvidia Shield line these days. 

Although I was looking at the screen in a dimly lit demo room, it was impressive. Google touts it as having 308ppi and more than 4.6 million pixels. Google didn’t give a screen resolution, but that’s greater than 2,560 by 1,600. 

The tablet uses the reversible USB-C connector, which Google has been pushing since it put the new port in the Chromebook this year. The new Nexus phones have USB-C, too.

The brushed metal frame and slick styling is more Chromebook Pixel than Nexus. The tablet weighs less than a pound, and it’s still under 2 pounds with the keyboard, putting it on par with the iPad Pro and Surface Pro.

Without the keyboard, the Pixel C is a high-end Android tablet. Don’t disregard that; there aren’t that many of those left, save for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 ($396.84 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . But Google really wants you to look at the Pixel C with the keyboard.

The keyboard connects to the tablet magnetically; a small piece slides up to create a firm connection. I could hold the tablet by the keyboard and felt pretty safe it wouldn’t slip off. When we get it into the lab, we’ll subject it to rougher treatment.

The keyboard has a battery that lasts for two months, but Google executives promise you will never have to charge it. Whenever the keyboard is attached, it charges inductively from the tablet.

So how did it feel to type on? I have used the keyboards on the Surface Pro, the iPad Pro, and now the Pixel C. Unfortunately, those experiences were weeks apart, making direct comparisons difficult. The iPad Pro and Surface Pro typing experiences were very similar. They worked, but they required some adjustments. I only wrote a few hundred words on the Pixel C, but it felt more like a traditional keyboard. I made fewer mistakes and the tips of my fingers didn’t get numb. (I hit the keys pretty hard.) That’s a good sign.

Google promises to update the software on the Pixel C every six weeks, making it a Nexus tablet even if it doesn’t have the Nexus moniker.

Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for getting the convertible-tablet ball rolling. It took a chance with a hybrid keyboard and tablet system with the Surface Pro, and clearly hit a chord that then spread across the Windows tablet world. Apple borrowed a few ideas for its iPad Pro, and Google may be able to keep the trend going with the Pixel C.

The Pixel C doesn’t have a firm ship date, but Google promises it will “be available for the holidays” from the Google Store. Pricing is pretty standard for a high-end tablet: $499 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB, but you should really include the $149 keyboard into both of those costs.

Is the Pixel C worth $650 given how competitive both tablet and laptop prices have become? That’s an especially tough call, considering Windows is so far ahead of Android on the kinds of productivity apps keyboard users tend to want. Stay tuned for our full review when units are available.