Google's new Pixel C tablet is a surprisingly great budget option - with one big drawback

Google's new Pixel C tablet, available today, represents an important step for the company.

In the past, Google has reserved the Pixel brand for the highest-end Chromebook devices.

But the Pixel C, selling for $499, is the first-ever Android tablet to bear the name - and the first Android tablet designed by Google itself, not a manufacturer partner, from concept to finished product.

This is against the backdrop of reports that Google is moving away from the Chrome operating system entirely to focus on Android.It means that the Pixel C is very likely our first glimpse at what Google sees as the future of computing.

Plus, a major part of the Google Pixel C's sales pitch is that it's been designed around an optional-but-not-really $149 keyboard accessory. That's just like the Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablets, both of with which the Pixel C now competes.

That's a heavy burden for a little, 10.2-inch tablet. Fortunately, the Pixel C is up to the challenge, resulting in a very pleasant surprise.

Here's how the Pixel C stacks up.