14 DAY TRIAL // As was expected, Google finally lifted the veil off of the much-anticipated Nexus 9 tablet. But this big announcement wasn’t made during a big, flashy event, but came out pretty quietly.
Google just posted the information on its official blog, without going into full length details. The tablet which comes with an 8.9-inch form factor is said to be “small enough to easily carry around in one hand, yet big enough to work on.”
The Nexus 9 wants to take on the Surface Pro 3
Apparently, the real focus is on productivity, as the Nexus 9 will be offered with magnetic keyboard companion which can be folded in two different angles. There’s no problem if users want to keep the tablet/keyboard combo in their lap, as the accessory is designed to work well in this scenario.
As the rumor mill prophesied, the Nexus 9 is the first tablet to run Android 5.0 Lollipop. The device is manufactured by HTC and represents the company’s comeback in the slate market, after an absence of three years.
The new tablet will be up for pre-order starting October 17 and will hit the streets on November 3. Google said the tablet would be available Google Play but also third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Staples or Walmart.
Nexus 9 comes in three variants
Taking a look at the first promo pictures, we can see the tablet will be offered in black, white and sand (for the LTE model coming later this year).
The new Nexus tab will be offered in three configurations:
- 16GB for $399 / €312
- 32GB for $479 / €375
- 32GB with LTE of $599 / €468
Judging by these price tags, it appears the Nexus 9 is the most expensive Nexus tablet to date.
We were expecting a plastic-made Nexus 9 and the tab has a plastic back but a metal frame. It boasts 2047 x 1535 pixel resolution display with 4:3 ratio, as anticipated.
The slate is also the first 64-bit Nexus product, taking advantage of NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 Denver chip fitted with 2GB of RAM. The battery inside should be capable of delivering a life cycle of up to 9 hours.
The tablet also takes advantage of HTC's own BoomSound speaker technology.
It’s impossible not to make a comparison between the Apple iPad Air, as the tablet seems to follow the outlines of the Apple design.
Speaking of which, the Cupertino tech giant is expected to hold a major iPad event tomorrow, just a day after the Nexus 9 finally stepped into the wild, where the iPad Air 2 should see the light of day.
Google also unveiled the Nexus 6 smartphone today.
