Google is pulling out all the stops for its latest and greatest Nexus 9 tablet. Just when Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 are running low on stocks on Play Store, Google announces the Nexus 9, and it’s just in time for the upcoming unveiling of Apple’s much rumored iPad Air 2 on Oct. 16.
Pre-orders for the Nexus 9 will be accepted on Oct. 17, and Google will start shipping the slates on Nov. 3. With a starting price of $399, however, the Nexus 9 is more expensive than its $299 Nexus 7, although it is still $100 less than the entry-level iPad Air. The 32GB version is available for $479 and the 32GB with LTE, which won’t be available until later in the year, will come at $599.
The Nexus 9 was manufactured in partnership with HTC, and this marks the first time in four years that the company worked with Google after its work on the Nexus One in 2008. With Android 5.0 Lollipop and a whole slew of top-of-the-line features on this tablet, it’s safe to say the Nexus 9 is HTC’s best tablet yet.
For starters, the 8.9-inch Quad HD display is just the right size for work and play. It’s small enough to carry around like the iPad Mini yet big enough to do work like the iPad Air and Microsoft’s Surface Pro. Its 4.3 aspect ratio, the same aspect ratio Apple used on its iPads, will allow for crisper texts, more vivid colors and an overall better viewing experience than previous Nexus tablets.
HTC also incorporated its BoomSound technology to the dual front-facing speakers on the Nexus 9, a feature that most tablet users have always been looking for as they would rather sit back and relax than cup their hands over the back speakers to get good sound quality. This and the HD screen allows for a richer experience when viewing videos and playing games.
Google is also going for the business market with the Nexus 9, adding in a keyboard (available for an additional $130) that can be magnetically attached to the screen.
“The magnetically attached keyboard allows you to type at different angles,” says Google on its Nexus 9 page. “Sold separately, it helps you get stuff done at home, at the office, and on the go.”
Under the hood, Nexus 9 is powered by NVIDIA’S screaming fast Tegra K1 64-bit processor, an upgraded version of NVIDIA’S 32-bit processor for its own Shield tablet. Google says this, along with 2GB of RAM, generates “all the power and graphics of a desktop computer” and allows users to switch from watching YouTube videos to editing Google Docs or answering emails with butter-smooth quickness.
One thing that many users will love, though, is the 6700mAh battery. That’s not better than the iPad Air’s 8,600mAh battery just yet, but the Nexus 9 can last up to nine hours of browsing on Wi-Fi and up to 30 days in standby mode. Combined with the battery saver mode on the new Android Lollipop, this will help users extend their tablet’s battery life far longer than previously possible.
But my *favorite* feature of the Nexus 9? The 6700 mAh battery! Combined with Lollipop's Battery saver mode, this baby goes & goes & goes...
— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) Oct. 15, 2014
Other features worth noting is HTC’s Double Tap to Wake function, a nice alternative to picking up the tablet to press the power button, an 8-megapixel back camera with optical image stabilization, and support for super-fast 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi.
The Nexus 9 will be available in black, white and sand from the Play Store and from other retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Staples and Walmart, as well as wireless carriers in the U.S.
