back to article Nexus 9: Google and HTC deliver Android 5.0 'Lollipop' at iPad prices

Google and HTC's new Nexus 9 tablet is most notable for being the first device to ship with Android 5.0 "Lollipop," making it attractive to Android fans. But it also delivers a bright hi-res screen and impressive performance that could win more than a few converts to the Nexus camp, provided they can stomach the mid-tier price …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe...maybe not.

    I still haven't bought a "tablet". I've owned Windows XP swivel laptops (Screen swivels and lays flat) that acted like one, but I still haven't bought one of these new, post trendy gadgets. The price just seems too high and the battery life...well. But maybe this Christmas I'll buy this thing, before they go extinct.

    "What's more, it's not clear that Android has the same appeal as iOS to the kind of well-heeled customers that Apple draws." - If Apple, Android, or whoever is still worried about style in tablets, they have no style.

    " the Nexus 9 is a powerhouse. It's built around a dual-core" - Hmmmmmm...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Maybe...maybe not.

      I was the same way and took the plung two years ago with the Nexus 7. Love it for laying around, surfing the web, reading books. My kid took over it so I bought another one last year for less than half the price I paid previous. It all depends on what you do and how much play money you got. It works for me, my wife, an apple iPhone user, hates my tablet, so.....

      400 is high, too high in my opinion. Think I'll be skipping this year until prices drop or I can get a used one for half.

      1. Jyve

        Re: Maybe...maybe not.

        Exactly how I feel. The Nexus7 price/formfactor is great. When it gets Lollypop I think it'll be an even better device than it already is.

        1. qwarty

          Re: Maybe...maybe not.

          Same here. I like the Nexus 7 and look forward to the Android 5.0 update, the appeal of a stock Android device is we don't need to wait for Samsung or the others to decide whether to offer the update on our devices or delay the release to incorporate crapware.

          I'd been looking forward to a 2014 update to the Nexus line so this Nexus 9 is a big disappointment. I prefer a 16:10 or 3:2 display to old-school 4:3 on a larger tablet. But the deal-breaker for me with the 9 is inadequate SSD storage. £399 for 32Gb is expensive for an Android tablet and to move forward from my Nexus 7 I expected to have the option of 64Gb (or a SSD expansion slot). The 64-bit Denver is a great choice for SoC but I can't understand why the entry level remains 16Gb (same as the £200 Nexus 7 2013).

          I hope Google recognize how badly the 9 compares with the 7 and move entry level to 32Gb, adding a 64Gb option as should have been done in the first instance. And review pricing.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Maybe...maybe not.

            "I hope Google recognize how badly the 9 compares with the 7 and move entry level to 32Gb, adding a 64Gb option as should have been done in the first instance. And review pricing."

            Just buy a Hudl 2 and stick in an SD card?

          2. timshep

            Re: Maybe...maybe not.

            I thought the same as soon as I saw the new N9. In my opinion after have a N7 2012 for couple of years I wanted to upgrade as soon as the new Nexus tablet came out, but 9", 4:3 and £400 is too much of a jump. So I looked around and found that the N9 is very closely based on the NVidia Shield Tablet - but 8" (better size) and the 32Gb LTE (4g) is only £299. For me it also has the benefit of console mode 1080p which is great for console gaming whilst working away each week and being in hotels. For approx £375 I got the tablet, console controller (shield controller) and cover (with extremely good magnets for position). Once the Shield get Lollipop (which will be soon as N9 is based on same chipset) it's own performance will move from amazing to astounding.

        2. Chavdar Ivanov

          Re: Maybe...maybe not.

          I've been running Lollypop on my Nexus 7/2013 since the developer preview image was made available a few weeks ago without any problems. It is quite good, actually.

    2. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Maybe...maybe not.

      And what was the battery life like on your XP convertible?

    3. Jamie Jones Silver badge

      Re: Maybe...maybe not.

      You can buy a reasonable tablet for only £30 (free postage too) http://www.focalprice.com/7-Tablet/ca-013001018.html?Currency=GBP

    4. kmac499

      Re: Maybe...maybe not.

      I got a Samsung Note8 a year ago. Tablets are briliant for content consumption around the house, especially when linked to a pair of Bluetooth headphones/speakers.

      I recently added a mini bluetooth keyboard and can now easily update the Google Docs thaat I use fo sketching out ideas for development work on the Big computer on my desk..

      A couple of other neat tricks, the tablet makes sense for:-

      Spotify out through the bluetooth Soundbar on the TV

      'throwing' Youtube vids to the TV.

  2. OmgTheyLetMePostInTheUK

    Not sure Andriod tablets have the same appeal?

    The sold out so fast. most of us saw the announcement that they were up for pre-sale long after they were already gone... Almost instant sell out.

    Personally, I do not expect to buy one. I just prefer being able to use a real keyboard and my very nice 29 inch 21:9 format IPS panel ultra-wide monitor vs attempting to read something that is much, much smaller.

    But if I were to every want one, I already know it would be a Nexus unit.

    1. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Not sure Andriod tablets have the same appeal?

      I sort of agree. I use dual 24" monitors at work and a 24" + 11" at home (Samsung ATIV Windows tablet). If I am doing serious work, I want a proper keyboard and a decent, large display.

      That said, being able to undock my tablet and use it on the move (especially taking notes in meetings using a stylus) is a very handy.

      The problem with iPads and Android tablets is that you can't use them as a desktop replacement and the problem with Windows tablets is that they don't run iOS or Android... For me, the Windows tablets offer enough in tablet mode to make it the best compromise and plugged into a desktop dock with a decent monitor and keyboard / mouse, I can carry on working without worrying about having to sync everything first.

      1. Arnold Lieberman

        Re: Not sure Andriod tablets have the same appeal?

        There you go, Windows and Android at the same time in a tablet:

        http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=x98+windows+android

        What could go wrong?!

    2. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Not sure Andriod tablets have the same appeal?

      "I do not expect to buy one. I just prefer..."

      Yeah. I'm in the same boat. I was thinking of buying a wheelbarrow, but overall I really prefer a bicycle. So, going on the assumption that I couldn't possibly have one of each, I think I'll stick with the bicycle.

  3. HMB

    $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

    To me screen quality really matters. I know not everyone feels that way though. Tablets like the iPad and Nexus series have IPS screens with great definition, brightness, contrast, colour and viewing angles. Try getting that in a laptop without spending north of £750, you'll struggle, especially if you want a 15" screen.

    1. Lyle Dietz

      Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

      Not to mention that in 10 inches your screen resolution is likely to be something like 1366x768, maybe less.

      I'm waiting for a 17 inch laptop that has a resolution better than Full HD.

    2. big_D Silver badge

      Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

      I have a cheap(ish), 2 year old Samsung Windows tablet, it is "good enough" for most things, although it is getting long in the tooth now. The screen is okay, but nothing special.

      I agree, you get what you pay for. This time round I am looking at the Surface Pro 3 or a Lenovo Yoga Pro. But the same would go for an Android tablet, if I bought one, I'd be willing to pay a bit extra for decent screen quality.

      I looked at the Kindle Fire HDX line, the 8.9" is great, and if I were to buy one, that would be the model. But the Kindle is too restrictive for my needs.

    3. jason 7

      Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

      The big problem with the new £200 Windows laptops is the CPU they use.

      The CPUs are basically tablet level in terms of performance and they struggle pushing Windows 8. I have had customers bring them to me asking if I can make them go faster. The only thing I can is put a SSD in them to help reduce the lag. But by then they may as well have paid £350 for a laptop with a proper CPU in it.

      These machines are a big mistake. Avoid anything Windows based that sells for less than £350.

      Under £350...buy a Chromebook. That will work just fine.

      1. big_D Silver badge

        Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

        Expectations, jason 7. That is what it comes down to.

        If you buy a 1L Fiesta, because it was cheap, you know it isn't going to be able to keep up with the RS version, but it is fine for pottering around town.

        The same goes for cheap tablets and laptops.

        1. jason 7

          Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

          I take it you haven't used one of the new breed of £200 Windows 8.1 laptops?

          If you think having a laptop that runs (well grinds) at 100% on both its 1GHz cores for most of the time (reminiscent of using a laptop from 1999) as fine for 'pottering around' then fine.

          I'd rather buy second hand or pay the extra £150 for a proper CPU.

          I have a Pentium 1.3GHz dual core CULV laptop from 2009 that runs rings round these arthritic CPUs. Progress? Nope inventory clearing of crappy tablet CPUs that no one wants.

          Plus are you saying the Average Joe really knows what that are getting for £200? I don't think so by the number of them I'm getting brought to me fresh out of the box. "It's too slow!!" It's like Windows 7 Netbooks all over again.

          I have nothing against cheap tablets. I love the Hudl and still use a antique 1Ghz dual core Playbook. But then the CPU and OS was specifically designed for the device...

          Full Windows 8 should not run on tablet level CPUs for a good/usable experience.

          1. big_D Silver badge

            Re: $200 Laptop Comparison - Screen Quality

            I am using an Atom Z2 series hybrid at the moment (Samsung ATIV), driving the internal display and a 24" external display, running Outlook and Firefox. It is okay. It isn't blindingly fast, but it is fluid and usable.

            The 1GB RAM on these newer devices is probably more of a problem.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I am in the market for a casual tablet

    But with this I'm not so sure. My Transformer Book comes with full Windows 8.1 and Office, for less than Google's offering*. And since I'm OS agnostic, at this price why not just go for the iPad?

    * Though to be fair, the keyboard stays on the Transformer Book pretty much 100% of the time - it's a great NetBook but I don't enjoy using it as a tablet.

    1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

      Re: I am in the market for a casual tablet

      Check the cheap tablets from China. You can get an octacore 2GB/8GB 1900x1200 for 140 quid. www.focalprice.com

      1. timshep

        Re: I am in the market for a casual tablet

        Don't go cheap you will regret it quickly. The best cheap tablet is the Hudl2 from Tesco (good spec and latest operating system (not sure on lollipop update). Alternatively get the Nexus 7 2013 at a discount which will have a lollipop update within weeks. Too many cheap laptops are still being developed with Honeycomb or Gingerbread Android operating software which is slow and battery hungry. You will constantly be worried about batteries or waiting for web pages to load which in turn will put you off tablets and you will not use it.

  5. saif

    iPad vs !pads...can Nexus compete using specs and features?

    Being faster, with a better screen, a more sophisticated UI and good battery life and cheaper, picking these devices may seem like a no-brainer. Unfortunately all of these still fail against brand recognition. People on the street don't play the numbers game. The majority of potential purchasers will continue to ask things like "will iTunes work?" does it do "Facetime?" and see tablets as either ipads or !pads.

    1. Semtex451

      Re: iPad vs !pads...can Nexus compete using specs and features?

      @saif

      I agree, and if folks own an iPhone, they're already on apple heroine with their investment in iTunes & apps.

  6. Michael Habel

    What about Root, and the abillity of Apps writing to either the Int. or Ext. SD?

    So how easy is it gonna be to root these things? My understanding is it will be anything but, simple. Seeing that you have to install a custom Kernel do to so. Again what has google done to address the fact that Apps can no longer be written... Or, indeed write to the SD Card. Be this Internal, or External, and therefor limited to the very limited System Partition of most Devices?

    1. joeldillon

      Re: What about Root, and the abillity of Apps writing to either the Int. or Ext. SD?

      Nexus devices tend to be very easy to root; indeed, you should be able to grab the 5.0 AOSP source tree when it's released and build new images from it from source out of the box.

  7. Cosmo

    I'm not sure about this....

    I have an original Nexus 7 that is just over two years old now, and has served me extremely well on my daily ~1hr commute. When I heard rumours of the new Nexus 8/9 I was already prepping my credit card. But hmmmm I'm just not sure.

    So this is £319 for 16GB and £399 for 32GB. The iPad Mini 2 is £239 for 16GB and £279 for 32GB and the iPad Mini 3 is £319 for 16GB and £399 for 64GB.

    Once you lose ~3GB for the OS, the 16GB version might struggle for space, so if I wanted the 32GB version, I might as well buy a 64GB iPad Mini 3 for the same price?

    Or going slightly leftfield, I could by a Hudl 2 for £129 and shove in a 32GB card for a tenner to have a slightly inferior tablet for £139...

    If the prices don't drop (and I can't see that happening for a while) then I'm not entirely sure that I can justify it :-/

    1. jason 7

      Re: I'm not sure about this....

      Apparently Google thinks that selling the new Nexus line at full price will bring them to the attention of the general public. High Street retail friendly prices I guess.

      Just as the High Street is rolling in it's death throws.

      Hmmm way to go Google. Let's be honest the no.1 reason why most of us tech folks bought Nexus gear was the low price....followed a way down by the specs and open build.

      Yes I'm a bit peeved as a long term Nexus buyer.

      1. big_D Silver badge

        Re: I'm not sure about this....

        Don't forget, the Nexus was concieved as a susidised developer platform to start with. The last couple of models have gone mainstream, so they are no longer just subsidising developers.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I'm not sure about this....

          big_D, apparently they are not even targeting developers any more. See small SSD, screen aspect ratio etc. Shame.

    2. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: I'm not sure about this....

      Google has been experimenting with the "Reassuringly Expensive" approach to marketing tablets in past year or more. No deals. Their stiff (both meanings) prices have been nibbling away at the delta of the purported Apple Tax, until it's effectively nil.

      Posted from an original Nexus 7, which was cheap, then on sale, and then with an applicable store coupon. All in the first few days of being released. Bargain. Acceptable tablet. Too bad the Chrome browser code is maintained by morons.

  8. corcoran

    I bought an iPad Air2 the other day and am generally enjoying it but GOD HELP ME I'm this close > < to stacking it off and getting one of these instead because I want to be able to DNLA stream mkv files from my media server. Incomprehensible that Apple make this so difficult.

    But games like Hitman Go, Civ Rev (2), and the Silent Age just keep me locked in.

    Maybe I just need to man up.

    1. Alan Edwards

      > DNLA stream mkv files from my media server

      It's DLNA, BTW...

      VLC Media Player on the iPad will play MKVs from Plex's DLNA server.

      I have found that not all DLNA servers will do all the formats though. The one in my Kingston mobile wifi drive doohickey doesn't do MKVs.

    2. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Solution to the ecosystem decision dilemma...

      Buy one of each.

      Wifi at home is free. No monthly fee. Dollars per hour of use is negligible.

      It's simply a better way.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Competition

    I've held off a tablet for some time, and while I do now find myself tempted, its certainly not this unit that's tempting me. The Nvidia Shield Tablet, while admittedly lesser in several respects, beats this one for value, particularly the 32GB LTE version and the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact tablet (?) seems more desirable. Both of these have SD card slots, not that Sony makes that very clear on its glittery but uninformative website. And both do streaming gaming, should that be a selling point.

  10. Infernoz Bronze badge
    Meh

    I'll stick with my better value Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 thanks.

    The Samsung Galaxy Tab S is plenty fast enough with 4 big and 4 little CPUs, 3GB RAM and a much better screen than this currently half-baked Android 5 tablet, and it will very likely get an Android 5 upgrade. Sorry 2GB and no micro-SD card slot is completely unforgivable on /any/ new premium tablet, especially one with the new supposedly game friendly NVidia chipset.

    As for cheap tablets, you get what you pay for, serious compromises. Windows 8.* is bloated spyware, so I will only use that at work. Anyone still running Windows XP on a chunky so-called 'tablet' PC with feeble battery life should be ashamed of themselves, it is very dated and insecure!

    1. jason 7

      Re: I'll stick with my better value Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 thanks.

      Interestingly I have modified an old Tecra M7 tablet laptop from 2005 (1440x900 screen) with -

      6GB of Ram

      2.2GHz dual core CPU

      120GB SSD

      Windows 8.1 Pro

      Cost of the upgrade was around £120 and my time and it works a treat.

  11. Carl Williams

    My Nexus 7 will soldier on for another year

    7" in the perfect sofa surfing and commuting format and dropping the 7 seems like a massive miss to me (although you can still buy them from other retailers how long will it be before stock dries up?). This format is kind of nowhere, too big for sofa surfing and too small from any sort of proper work. I'll pass this year I think.

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: My Nexus 7 will soldier on for another year

      No. 7.9" is perfect. Steve said so.

      (Posted from original Nexus 7.)

  12. Toothpick

    Ars Technica

    Summarises

    The good

    Game performance simply blazes

    Thin and light body matched with Nexus line's clean, unobtrusive design

    We want to see tap-to-turn-on functions on every tablet from now on

    Solid battery life

    Android has matured enough that apps generally hold up well on the bigger screen

    The bad

    Stuttering and pauses between app switches are too common

    Slightly loose plastic backing gives the device a cheap feeling

    White bleed from the top of the screen is unfortunate

    Auto-EQ on speakers goes so far as to ruin certain music and loud scenes

    The ugly

    8MP camera suffers from second-plus delays to shoot photos

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I've been looking at previous post, something I rarely do, and one thing I keep seeing is people talking about storage space. Why does everyone need so much space? Not bashing, just really, really curious. My first Nexus was either the 8g or 16g version, can't remember because they dropped the 8 very fast when the 32g came out, but my point being is I never filled it up. I use the 32g now and still have over 20g left, and that's after a few movies, tons of books, documents, spreadsheets, some music....

    I've never came close to running out of storage, so its hard to imagine what others are doing that would cause that.

    1. Pristine Audio

      Depends on how you use it. My Note 3 phone (32GB) has a 128GB MicroSD card in it that I bought when I'd filled the original 64GB card. I certainly wouldn't by a tablet without a card slot.

    2. jason 7

      I agree. I'm baffled why people need to carry around so much digital baggage. I tried it once loading up devices with all the music and fave movies etc. and found I just didn't have the time to use them. That was on a 64GB tablet.

      Not to mention all the 'oh that will be really handy' apps that I actually never used either, that just sat there mining my data and using up battery (possibly).

      All gone now, just the essential stuff and 9GB free on my 16GB Nexus 4.

      However, I admit different strokes and all that.

    3. Cosmo

      In my current 16GB Nexus 7 I have:

      3.4GB of Apps and app data

      4 GB of music

      2GB of iPlayer videos

      1GB of gallery pictures/videos

      With the OS overhead, that is pretty full, and I wouldn't call myself a power user.

      1. Pristine Audio

        I run a record company. One of our longest releases in its 24-bit FLAC version (a Wagner opera) takes up 2.6GB. So if I want to carry much of this kind of thing around with me I do need a lot of space, hence the big MicroSD.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Happy

          One of our longest releases in its 24-bit FLAC version (a Wagner opera) takes up 2.6GB.

          Proof that the Teutonic reputation for brutality is well founded. Their operas last three or four days, and they have no word for fluffy.

    4. qwarty

      I'm using around 20Gb on my 32Gb Nexus 7 (illustrated books, photos, couple of games, music and some video). Imagine I could pare it down to under 16Gb but why should I bother when NAND costs less than $1/Gb retail?

      I like to think a new tablet will give 3+ years useful life and can imagine plenty of ways future apps will benefit from greater storage. Given the devices are not expandable, why should I support built in obsolescence aspirations of manufacturers by saving a few quids worth of parts on a £300+ device? I expect (speaking as a developer) we are going to see growth in 1-2Gb apps over next couple of years which will make the 16Gb systems look old fairly quickly.

    5. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      I've got an iPad 3, 64GB. I've got 4GB spare.

      Sure, I could go through and prune out stuff to keep memory free, and maybe with lots of work have got away with a 32GB one, but why should I have to? It's bad enough that Apple take the piss on storage prices, at least they have the "honest" motive of grabbing as much filthy lucre as possible.

      Google's war against storage is just bizarre. I'm not going to use Google services any less, just because they allow me to store my music on my tablet!

      That's just content. I could set up some kind of home sharing for that. But I have a bluetooth speaker in the bedroom and a CD player in the sitting rooom with a USB dock. So I'd have to upgrade both of those, or use a tablet/phone/iPod anyway.

      So I've got 25GB of audio. 2GB of photos. That's not to mention the gigabytes of podcasts that live on my iPod. I might want to put them on my tablet? Then we add in the apps. OK they do need a clear-out, there's some I've not used for ages, but looked useful. Then comes the games. Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 are 3.5GB! The 2 Lego apps I put on there for my nephews are 1GB each. 500MB for the CBeebies app. I've got about 10 games that I like on there, each at 1GB. I could rotate them on and off as they get used. Again, why should I, storage is cheap. Or should be.

      Finally we come to video. There's none on there, that does get streamed. But next time I go on a long journey, I'll probably do some BBC iPlayer downloads, maybe even an NFL game or rent something from iTunes? That needs lots of space.

      I want storage. My tablet gets used offline all the time. I won't buy a tablet that doesn't have a decent amount of it. Google need to get over themselves and realise that not everyone goes to work on a free company bus, with free company WiFi.

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