The Nexus 9 is Google’s new 8.9in tablet that is designed to show off the best the new Android 5 Lollipop in a full-size tablet with a new 64-bit processor.
Google again has partnered with a manufacturer, this time HTC, to create its Nexus range of devices to demonstrate how it thinks Android should operate.
The previous Nexus tablet was a 7in device made by Asus, which was very solid and was considerably cheaper than its competitors. Google also partnered with Samsung a couple of years ago to make the heavy and bulky Nexus 10 tablet, with a larger 10in screen.
Square design
Google essentially designed an iPad to try to better Apple’s tablet. The Nexus 9 is one of the first Android tablets to use the squarer 4:3 screen ratio, which is still used by Apple tablets and was the norm for televisions before being replaced by the 16:9 “widescreen” aspect.
Almost all televisions sold today are 16:9 and all TV content is broadcast in the ratio. Most Android tablets are also wider in format, either 16:9 or 16:10, which suits video consumption and avoids black bars at the top and bottom.
The back of the tablet is made of a high-quality smooth plastic, but feels disappointingly loose in the hand. It visibly separates from the hardware underneath and flexes when pushed gently. It could be a one-off defect, but others have reported similar flaws. The white back also picks up marks very easily, which can be rubbed off but could be a chore to keep clean.
The sides of the tablet are brushed metal, but the edges touching the glass of the screen are rough when sliding a thumb over them. It is 8mm thick - 1.9mm thicker than the iPad Air 2 and 1.4mm thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S, and weighs 436g – virtually the same as the Air 2 and 29g lighter than the larger 10.5in Tab S.
The rest of the tablet is relatively well built, with only a little twisting of the body, but it just does not feel quite up to HTC’s usually very high build quality standards demonstrated by the excellent One M8.
The screen is sharp and of similar pixel density to the iPad Air 2 and Galaxy Tab S, with wide viewing angles. However, it fails to match the very high bar set by the Galaxy Tab S’s screen and is not as bright, vivid or colourful.
Two front-facing speakers at the top and bottom of the screen are loud and clear, but quickly collect dust. The screen is also a fingerprint magnet.
Specifications
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Screen: 8.9in 2048 x 1536 retina display (288 pixels per inch)
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Processor: Nvidia Tegra K1 64-bit 2.3 GHz dual-core
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Storage: 16/32 GB
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Operating system: Android 5 Lollipop
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Camera: 8MP rear camera, 1.6MP front-facing camera
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Connectivity: Wi-Fi (4G optional), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS
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Dimensions: 153.7 x 228.3 x 7.95 mm
- Weight: 436g
64-bit stuttering
The Nexus 9 is the first Google tablet to use a 64-bit processor. The dual-core Nvidia Tegra K1 gets noticeably warm close to the camera with even general use and almost uncomfortably hot when playing a graphics-intensive game.
Performance is a mixed bag, with lag and stutter noticeable throughout. Some apps load frustratingly slowly. Once they have done so they generally run well, but scrolling between screens can sometimes freeze even in the Google Play store.
The keyboard often lagged too, which was deeply irritating. Performance problems of any kind are uncharacteristic for Nexus devices, which promise to be lag and stutter free with the least bloated software available. A recent software update was meant to address these issues but did nothing appreciable to correct the annoying lag.
The tablet will last around a day of typical use for watching video, emailing and web browsing, similar to the Air 2 and Tab S, longer if only used infrequently as the standby time is a couple of days. Android Lollipop’s new battery-saving mode can also extend this period by limiting data access and app performance.
Like other recent Nexus devices from Google, the Nexus 9 lacks a microSD card slot for adding more memory, which means the 16GB storage will fill up very quickly with apps, games, movies, music and photos. The 32GB version is recommended, but even 32GB is relatively small when some apps and games can be as big as 1GB and movies even larger.
Sweet Lollipop
The Nexus 9 is the first device to run Google’s new Android software – version 5 “Lollipop”. The new software adds several useful features, including the aforementioned battery-saving mode, enhanced user profiles for sharing a device with family and friends and a slick new look and feel.
• Google Android 5 Lollipop review - faster, prettier and better battery life
One notable feature is the new Google Calendar app. It is a big improvement over the old one with a more modern interface that is much easier to read, with big images and intelligent icons that better represent scheduled events. It is expected to come to other Android devices in the future.
The Gmail app now supports email accounts from other providers, including Yahoo, Microsoft, Aol and Exchange for work email, which means all email can now be read in one place without the need for multiple applications. The Gmail app is also available on most other Android devices.
Camera
The eight-megapixel camera on the back of the tablet takes passable shots, which like most tablets are not as good as a decent smartphone camera, but will do the job for quick snaps. It can take a while to focus, and the low-light performance is not very good. The front-facing 1.6-megapixel camera is decent for video calling and average selfies.
Price
The Wi-Fi-only Google Nexus 9 costs £319 for the 16GB version and £399 for the 32GB version in black, white and beige. A 32GB version with 4G mobile broadband costs £459 in black only.
Verdict
The Nexus 9 is Google’s attempt to beat the Apple device with an iPad-like tablet, but it fails to live up to expectations.
It has a smaller screen than the iPad Air 2 and Galaxy Tab S, but is not any more portable. The screen isn’t as good as either the Air 2 or the Tab S, and the stutter and lag throughout is irritating.
The build quality is also not good enough for a tablet costing more than £300, and while Android 5 Lollipop software is a big step up, other Android tablets will receive it soon.
The Nexus 9 might improve with software updates, but for now the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is the best Android tablet by some margin and Google has given Apple’s iPad Air 2 nothing to worry about.
Pros: Android 5 Lollipop with rapid software updates; solid tablet camera; all-day battery life
Cons: thick; lag and stutter; loose back panel; gets very hot; average screen; limited storage
More reviews
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S review: the best Android tablet and a solid iPad rival
• Apple iPad Air 2 review : Apple’s best tablet yet, but is that enough?
• Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet review: a serious iPad Air competitor
