GOOGLE NEXUS 9 | The Definitive TABLET

The Nexus 9 tablet is manufactured by HTC, runs Android Lollipop, and costs $400 on its own. Google is pitching this as a productivity, work-forward device, so it’s also selling an HTC-made magnetic keyboard accessory for $130. Excellent front-facing stereo speakers and a very nice screen. Light, comfortable to hold. Runs the latest version of stock Android, which has improved since launch. Very solid battery life. Keyboard cover Folio (sold separately) is a nice option for entering lots of text.

Not as consistently fast as it should be. Screen is too reflective for some outdoor conditions. Optional Keyboard Folio is buggy, and using it on the fly can grow annoying. HTC’s companion folio keyboard, which closes magnetically, pairs wirelessly, and offers you a physical typing experience akin to what you’d get with a laptop. Google’s newest tablet is the Nexus 9, with hardware made by HTC. Starting at $400 or approx. 28,000 Rs, it couldn’t qualify as cheap and doesn’t have the same sticker appeal as Google’s 7-inchers. So the question then becomes, “Is it good enough to be worth the expense?”

The Nexus 9 weighs 15 ounces and has external dimensions of 8.98 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches. That makes it just a little lighter, shorter, and narrower than Apple’s iPad Air 2, though the Air 2 is thinner. The Nexus has an 8.9-inch IPS LCD screen with a 1536 x 2048 pixel resolution, which gives you 281 pixels per inch (PPI). It has 2GB of RAM and it runs on Nvidia’s speedy Tegra K1 (with Kepler DX1 GPU) clocked at 2.3GHz. And of course, it runs the latest version of stock Android, straight out of Google’s tool shed: Android 5.0, aka Lollipop.

Physically, it’s fine to look at. It lacks the aluminum or glass back you find on the iPad Air 2 or Sony’s Xperia Z3 phablet, respectively. Instead you get brushed plastic. The result is that it doesn’t look or feel as high-end as the others. That plastic back is actually far grippier than glass or aluminum, and as a result, I felt much less likely to drop the Nexus 9. It’s thicker than those other two tablets, but it’s so nicely balanced that it’s very comfortable to hold.

One of the best physical features on the tablet: the dual-front facing speakers. Not only do they pump out a lot of sound, but they do it very cleanly—for tablet speakers, anyway. Because they’re on the front of the tablet, it’s nearly impossible to block them with your hands. This is especially great for gaming.

THE SOFTWARE IS GENERALLY EXCELLENT. LOLLIPOP IS UNQUESTIONABLY THE BEST VERSION OF ANDROID YET. The display is good. It has very high PPI, and indeed, individual pixels are indiscernible to the naked eye. It also pumps out a lot of light, which helps keep text readable and images clear when you’re sitting in the sun. The display doesn’t have those deep, inky blacks you find on the Super AMOLED screens Samsung uses on its high-end devices.

 Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio, made by HTC, this optional extra is both a Bluetooth keyboard and a cover that protects the tablet’s front and back. In theory, it would put the Nexus 9 in contention with other tablet/laptop hybrids, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, or transform it into a more capable Chromebook.The Nexus 9 is a really good tablet. It not a speed demon, and doesn’t blow your mind in any one way (except the exceptional audio). As for the Keyboard Folio, it really is a surprisingly good keyboard. But only go for it if you’re planning on doing a lot of writing on your tablet.