LONDON: HTC Google Nexus 9 still doesn’t post a completely unblemished set of results. Under the hood is a dual-core Nvidia Tegra K1 chip running at 2.3GHz and an Nvidia Kepler DX1 GPU, accompanied by 2GB of RAM. This combination performed brilliantly in the benchmarks, coming a very close second to the iPad Air 2 in the more demanding tests
Since the launch of the Nexus 10 three years ago, Google has chosen to concentrated on its smartphone and compact, rather than full-size, tablet ranges, but it’s now time for a comeback. After effectively leaving the Nexus 10 to gather dust, the Nexus 9 has the iPad in its sights once again. See also: The best tablets of 2014.
But just how good is this HTC-manufactured tablet? Can it sock it to the iPad Air 2, or is it just another Android also ran, destined for the try-again discount pile?
Nexus 9 review: design
If it were all down to appearance and build quality, the answers to those questions wouldn’t be particularly positive. Pull the Nexus 9 from its box and the first thing you might wonder is where all your money has gone.
The Nexus 9 is ringed with brushed aluminium, which looks smart enough; it’s topped with shatter- and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3; and it has a pleasingly minimalist appearance, too. Sadly, though, it’s undermined hugely by cheap-feeling plastic on the rear and underwhelming build quality.
Nexus 9 – with Android 5 (Lollipop)
Tap the rear lightly and it gives disconcertingly; twist the tablet and the whole thing creaks and groans. Pull at a corner of the panel and it starts to come away from its mooring, although the rear isn’t designed to be user-removable at all. If you choose the “lunar white” or “sand” versions, be prepared to get the cleaning cloth out frequently: it picks up grime like nobody’s business. Alternatively, choose the “indigo black” version instead.
The Nexus 9 can’t hold a candle to the iPad Air 2 or, for that matter, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9in or our current favourite Android tablet, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet, all of which are more solid-feeling and attractive.
The only positives are that it’s comparatively light – in fact, at 425g, it weighs a fraction less than the equivalent iPad Air 2, and its smaller overall size (it measures 154 x 7.95 x 228mm) means it’s possible for folk with large hands to grasp in one mitt. Otherwise it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Nexus 9 review: prices, options and features
Usually, Nexus devices represent fantastic value for money, which counteracts any issues arising from slightly inferior build quality and features. At £319, the Nexus 9 certainly undercuts the iPad Air 2 – however, simply being cheaper isn’t good enough these days.
Nexus 9 – bottom edge
At this price, the Nexus 9 is in direct competition with the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9in (£319), the Samsung Galaxy S 8.4 (£275), the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet (£369) and the original iPad Air (£319), all of which offer more features, have a more attractive design, or both.
And to add to its woes, there aren’t many options for would-be purchasers either. You can buy a 32GB Wi-Fi Nexus 9 for £399 and a 32GB 4G version for £459, but that’s your lot. Anyone wanting more storage will be stuck, particularly since there’s no microSD slot for expansion – a big miss in our opinion.
Nexus 9 review: Display
The Nexus 9’s screen makes a slightly better first impression. Turn the Nexus 9 on, and you’re greeted by a bright, vibrant, crystal-clear image. It measures 9in across the diagonal, so it’s a touch smaller than the iPad Air 2’s display, but with an identical resolution of 1,536 x 2,048, it narrowly outdoes it for pixel density, at 284ppi.
Google Nexus 9 front
We also like the 4:3 aspect ratio that this resolution delivers. Normally, the screens on Android tablets are 16:9 or 16:10 affairs, which feel a little awkward – they’re too tall to practically use in portrait orientation and too short in landscape. With the Nexus 9, we felt comfortable whatever way up we held the tablet. In portrait, you get plenty of room to read most websites at their full width without having to zoom in, and in landscape, there’s enough height to the screen that you don’t feel you’re having to scroll all the time.
The disadvantage of the 4:3 ratio is that movies don’t look quite as good, with much wider black bars above and below, but it’s an acceptable compromise and shouldn’t affect your enjoyment too much.