Nexus 9 vs Nvidia Shield Tablet

[nick5530]

Should I get the Nexus 9 or the Shield Tablet?

My main uses are for watching videos or browsing the web. I hardly ever play games on my tablet, and I don't have a pc with a nvidia graphics card so I have no use for the game stream. I currently have an iPad mini but am looking to convert all of my mobile devices to android. I'm open to other suggestions, but these are the main two tablets I have been looking at to buy. 

[TheSLSAMG]

Nexus 9.

 

Technically, the Shield Tablet is better for video watching due to the 16:9 screen, but the Nexus 9 has higher DPI, a more powerful CPU and better speakers (though not by much.)

[cityle]

Don't forget that also the Nexus 9 have pure Android and Lollipop out of the box (and I'm desperated to when my Nexus 5 will get the update). And the ratio of the Nexus 9 is better for browsing web pages and have a bigger screen.

[nick5530]

Nexus 9.

 

Technically, the Shield Tablet is better for video watching due to the 16:9 screen, but the Nexus 9 has higher DPI, a more powerful CPU and better speakers (though not by much.)

The only thing I'm worried about is the verge said that the nexus 9 lags and takes a while to load apps

[cityle]

The only thing I'm worried about is the verge said that the nexus 9 lags and takes a while to load apps

If it this the case it gonna probably be fix by software update. Nevertheless both have the same processor (but with slightly higher clock speed on the Nexus 9) and have front facing speaker so ideal for watching video.

[EthanMcL]

Take that Verge article lightly.  Reading it over, I notice Dan has quite a fanboyism towards the iPad in this article.  It is so obvious, that it makes it hard to believe that article.

 

Read more than one review and make a decision.

[TheSLSAMG]

If it this the case it gonna probably be fix by software update. Nevertheless both have the same processor (but with slightly higher clock speed on the Nexus 9) and have front facing speaker so ideal for watching video.

But they don't have the same CPU.

 

The Nexus 9 uses the Denver variant of Tegra K1. It has a dual-core 2.3GHz 64-bit processor.

The Shield Tablet uses the ARM variant of K1. It has a quad-core 2.2GHz Cortex A15 processor.

[cityle]

But they don't have the same CPU.

 

The Nexus 9 uses the Denver variant of Tegra K1. It has a dual-core 2.3GHz 64-bit processor.

The Shield Tablet uses the ARM variant of K1. It has a quad-core 2.2GHz Cortex A15 processor.

Oups my bad

[nick5530]

I have decided that I will get the Nexus 9.

[vyogan]

Shield Tablet for me. The microSD slot is so much more useful than an extra inch of screen and slightly sharper screen.

[typographie]

The only thing I'm worried about is the verge said that the nexus 9 lags and takes a while to load apps

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8670/google-nexus-9-preliminary-findings

Anandtech did a semi-review of the Nexus 9 and mentioned no such thing, although they did say theirs was running firmware dated August 29th. Certainly there have been changes since then.

 

It looks to me like the Nexus 9 is a vaguely superior tablet to the Shield, but the Shield is still excellent and available for a bit cheaper.

[nick5530]

I don't use much memory on my tablet considering that I have 7gb left on my 16gb iPad mini, and I hardly use any of the apps on it. Most of the apps are games that I downloaded when I younger and don't want to delete them because I got far in the games.

 

Shield Tablet for me. The microSD slot is so much more useful than an extra inch of screen and slightly sharper screen.

[Aniallation]

The Nexus 9 uses the Denver variant of Tegra K1. It has a dual-core 2.3GHz 64-bit processor.

The Shield Tablet uses the ARM variant of K1. It has a quad-core 2.2GHz Cortex A15 processor.

Not many things you do everyday on your Android device uses 4 cores though (even gaming on PC barely does). The Denver architecture of the K1 in the Nexus 9 means that it will be quite a lot more powerful and snappy then the SHIELD Tablet when in apps that use only one or two cores.  

[Chaingun74]

Nexus 9.

 

Technically, the Shield Tablet is better for video watching due to the 16:9 screen, but the Nexus 9 has higher DPI, a more powerful CPU and better speakers (though not by much.)

The Nexus has a DPI of 288, whereas, the shield has a DPI of 283; the difference in DPI isn't noticeable, although, the nexus does have a more vibrant display. The K1 inside the shield out-performs that of the Nexus, and many people believe that the shield produces greater sound quality and outputs sound at a higher volume.

[Pomfinator]

Not many things you do everyday on your Android device uses 4 cores though (even gaming on PC barely does). The Denver architecture of the K1 in the Nexus 9 means that it will be quite a lot more powerful and snappy then the SHIELD Tablet when in apps that use only one or two cores.  

So far most reviews have noted that the Nexus 9 has some serious throttling issues, and some things can't be forgiven, like lack of microSD slot, if the tablet came in 64/128GB configs I'd forgive that, but my god 16/32 is terrible.

[Mew]

The nexus 9 isn't as good as it first appeared to be. http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/11/11/nexus-9-vs-ipad-air-2-a-mostly-subjective-comparison/

[nick5530]

So far most reviews have noted that the Nexus 9 has some serious throttling issues, and some things can't be forgiven, like lack of microSD slot, if the tablet came in 64/128GB configs I'd forgive that, but my god 16/32 is terrible.

I don't mind the exclusion of the microSD slot because I hardly use any memory on my tablet, so for my use the microSD card is useless. I have used a 16gb iPad Mini for two uses and have never wanted any more memory then I currently have. Most of the memory is taken up by games that I haven't played in a year and a half.

[Pomfinator]

I don't mind the exclusion of the microSD slot because I hardly use any memory on my tablet, so for my use the microSD card is useless. I have used a 16gb iPad Mini for two uses and have never wanted any more memory then I currently have. Most of the memory is taken up by games that I haven't played in a year and a half.

Then frankly I don't know why you're considering buying an Android tablet then. It's no secret that the majority of Android tablets are just bad, with very few tablet optimized apps as well.  IMO, the only reason people should get Android tablets is: If they want to consume media more flexibly (NAS streaming works on iOS but it's horrendously buggy and glitchy), or if they want to game.  

 

I will stand by my opinion that in terms of being a tablet with a tablet workflow, iPads are way superior to Android tablets.  Thats why I have an iPad Air, it's just better at being what it is.

[nick5530]

Then frankly I don't know why you're considering buying an Android tablet then. It's no secret that the majority of Android tablets are just bad, with very few tablet optimized apps as well.  IMO, the only reason people should get Android tablets is: If they want to consume media more flexibly (NAS streaming works on iOS but it's horrendously buggy and glitchy), or if they want to game.  

 

I will stand by my opinion that in terms of being a tablet with a tablet workflow, iPads are way superior to Android tablets.  Thats why I have an iPad Air, it's just better at being what it is.

I don't want iOS devices anymore. I just can't stand the interface anymore. To me the Nexus 9 seems like the best android tablet. Also, the lack apps won't harm me because I hardly use any apps on my iPad anyway.