Upcoming Google Nexus 9 Tablet - Overview and Impressions

Anthony10 · October 25, 2014

The upcoming Google Nexus 9 Tablet was officially announced by Google recently, and preorders have already started! This tablet is very compelling in a price:performance:function perspective. This tablet definitely gives the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 we reviewed a run for its money.

Tech Specifications:

Size

153.68mm x 228.25mm x 7.95mm

Weight

425g (Wi-Fi), 436g (LTE)

Battery

6700 mAh

Display

8.9" IPS LCD

QXGA (2048x1536)

Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

CPU

64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver @ 2.3GHz

192-core Kepler GPU

Memory

2GB RAM

16GB & 32GB storage

Network

Quad-band GSM, CDMA, Penta-band HSPA, LTE

Wireless

802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO)

NFC Bluetooth 4.1

Camera 8MP Rear camera 1.6MP Front camera

Ports & Connections

Micro-USB 2.0

3.5mm audio

Dual front-facing speakers with HTC BoomSound

Dual microphones

Software

Android 5.0 Lollipop

The specs look great, very pleased with them. I would have loved to see a usb 3.0 port or something else, but for GabeN's sake PLEASE get rid of the flimsy and out dated Micro-USB 2.0

The Tablet really shines in battery size (6700mAh), beautiful IPS 1500p 8.9inch screen, and its Nvidia Tegra K1 processor which has proven to be a beast of a processor and gpu with benchmarks of other products using it (e.g. Nvidia Shield/Tablet).

Being built by HTC, the Nexus will have a similar look to a super-sized HTC One M8, with its front facing speakers. To be honest, it really looks more similar to an iPad in my opinion than the One M8 - which is a good thing.

Accessories

Likewise of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, Google is selling their own accessories.. or accessory.. for the tablet.

Unfortunately there is only one accessory being sold by Google, which is a magnetic 2 setting folio-type leather (I think?) case. There is not much information about it released yet, but I am assuming it is your standard bluetooth keyboard with an integrared folio case. I would have loved to see a trackpad included to use the tablet as a small laptop/netbook, however travel distance is so short from the keyboard to the screen that it is not too big of a deal to me

Value

For a parent or an uneducated consumer, the go to tablet is the iPad. With its easy to use OS and well known name, it is a trusty choice when spending $500+ on a tablet. Yes your iPad can do basic programs that have to be on the app store, can web browse easily, is thin and light, and does everything that you need to let your kid use it for games or use it for work, the Nexus 9 can achieve all of that (except the as easy to use GUI, hopefully Android 5.0 Lollipop can compete with iOS) at a lower price and with more horsepower.

With this extra performance behind it's beautiful 1500p IPS screen, and its Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, this tablet could be a very viable option for a game streaming tablet for users with Nvidia GPUs in their system. Not only that, but the Tegra K1 is very powerful on its own. Playing popular ported games on android will be at playable FPS's and will offer on the go gaming and productivity.

The long battery life is also very compelling, as the on-the-go business man is ALWAYS in need of more battery. This 6700mAh battery is rated pretty impressive but most likely very generous battery life:

Wi-Fi Browsing: Up to 9.5 hours

LTE Browsing: Up to 8.5 hours

Video Playback: Up to 9.5 hours

Wi-Fi Standby: Up to 30 days

LTE Standby: Up to 30 days

Considering previous battery life statistics from reputable sites like anandtech.com of the Nexus 10 that are pretty close to Google's statistics, I would consider this graph feasible.

Conclusion

The Google Nexus 9 Tablet is a very promising upcoming tablet, and I personally might find myself buying one. The impressive specifications, long battery life, high resolution screen, Nvidia game stream capability, and simplistic design are very good selling points. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a tablet. For $399 (16gb) and $479 (32gb) this tablet is right in the middle of premium and competitive pricing, but is well worth every penny in contrast to its competitors.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. this is an article I wrote on my website and thought I'd share it here for anyone who is curious about the Nexus 9. Hope this helps anyone deciding to buy one or not or just informs you about the product. Thanks again for reading!