This year's Nexus range includes the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9. The latter, which displays Google's latest OS in a tablet form, was somewhat highly anticipated, because of last year's success of the Nexus 7. Google has begun developing a good working relationship with its hardware partners, resulting in the amazing Nexus line this year. The Nexus 9, in particular, comes from HTC, which is renowned for its gorgeous HTC One M8 smartphone. In terms of design, there is every reason to expect the best from HTC, which in my mind, rivals Apple head-on. That is a good thing too, because the Nexus 9 is designed to compete with the iPad.

Pros

Stunning design
Android 5.0 (Lollipop)

Cons

App optimisation lacking
Keyboard dock not included (not surprising but still)

Design

HTC custom designed the Nexus 9 unlike Motorola, which just expanded on its Moto X template. The results are stunning. The Nexus 9 vindicates HTC's reputation for superb design. The Nexus 9 features a thin bezel, brushed metal sides and a clean design. The soft grip back and slightly curved corners are designed make it easier to carry around without compromising on weight and portability. The pictures are quite impressive and speak for themselves. The size of the device 153.68mm x 228.25mm x 7.95mm means it thicker than the iPad Air (7.5 mm) but slightly lighter (the LTE version is 436g vs 478g in the comparable iPad Air). There are two models: Wi-Fi only (425g) and the LTE (436g), available in three colours - indigo black, lunar white and sand - and two storage configurations - 16 GB and 32 GB.

Display

The Nexus 9 comes with an 8.9" IPC LCD display, with a 2048x 1536 resolution, maintaining 4:3 aspect ratio (similar to the iPad Air). It also comes covered in Gorilla Glass 3 for high durability and an impressive double tap wakeup system. While the screen size is smaller than the iPad Air (9.7"), the aspect ratio should make it easier to work on portrait mode. Early reviews on the resolution seem positive.

Performance

Underneath the hood, the Nexus 9 comes loaded with a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz. The 192-Core Kepler GPU and 2GB RAM further compliment the performance. In addition, the Nexus 9 comes loaded with the standard suit of sensors such as GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and ambient light sensor. It will also feature the latest 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO) Wi-Fi standard and the NFC Bluetooth 4.1 system.

Camera

The Nexus 9 features two cameras. The primary 8MP camera features auto-focus, LED flash and an f/2.4 aperture. The secondary camera features a 1.6MP, f/2.4 shooter. Megapixels aren't everything, however, and HTC has had a rotten time with its cameras. Therefore, it’s best to wait for hand-on-access to determine its real quality.

Battery

Google boasts the Nexus 9's 6700mAH battery is capable of up to 9.5 hours of Wi-Fi browning or 8.5 hours of LTE browning. Alternatively, it packs 9.5 hours of video playback. Wi-Fi standby is set at 30 days while LTE standby seems to hold at 30 days too. Like so many other things, battery power is one more item you really need to try first-hand.

Android Lollipop

The Nexus 9's true purpose is to display Android on a larger screen in all its glory. Early reviews suggest that it has done a very good job. However, unlike Apple, Google has done a shoddy job of optimising apps for the larger screen. Therefore, while the OS can function quite well, there is no guarantee that the plethora of Android apps will work will with the Nexus 9. This continues to be one of Android's major weaknesses.

I discussed the benefits of Android 5.0 last week. The main advantages include improved multi-tasking, notifications and security. Overall, 5.0 is one the most significant upgrades in Android's history.

Price and Conclusion

If you want to pre-order the device, you cannot do it here. But you can do so on Amazon. The 32 GB Wi-Fi only device sells for $480 while the 16 GB variant sells for $400. The 32 GB Wi-Fi and LTE model sells for $600. So, should you get your hand on one? If you are an Android fan then the Nexus 9 is a good choice because it comes loaded with the latest version of Android and features hardware by one of its best manufacturers. The configurations depends on your needs. So if you are going to use the Nexus 9 primarily for leisure you may want to opt for the Wi-Fi versions. If you plan on doing a bit of work, however, then the LTE version may seem like a more prudent choice.

By Navam Niles