Google Nexus 9 Review – Strong graphics performance in a sleek body

Android tablets haven’t always offered the greatest experience when compared to smartphones, but there’s one word that perfectly describes the change this market needed: Lollipop. In my opinion, Android 5.0 is the best thing that has happened to the tablet space in a while, and the Nexus 9 is the first place you’ll officially get to see it in action. That being said, there are a lot of factors aside from a pure software experience that make the Nexus 9 a great device. Welcome to our full review of the HTC-made Google Nexus 9. Has Google made a triumphant return to the tablet space, or is this just something to tide you over until another company steps up to the plate? Let’s go ahead and find out the Google Nexus 9 Review with Lifetravell!

Hardware and design

Based on design alone, it would be easy to convince someone that the Nexus 9 is the love child created from a Nexus 5 and the NVIDIA Shield Tablet. It takes on most of the design characteristics from both of those devices, but in a slightly different package. That’s not a bad thing in any way, but if you’ve held either of those devices, then you already know how the Nexus 9 feels.

On the back side we have a soft touch plastic material with Nexus and HTC branding and an 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash. I’m not a huge fan of the matte finished plastic on the black version because it tends to get a little grimy after a while, but it’s nothing a small cloth can’t fix with a few passes. Also, on the front side is a 1.6-megapixel camera (f2.4), but like myself, you’ll probably only ever use it for the occasional Hangout or Skype call.

One edge of the Nexus 9 is home to its lock button, volume rocker and a small microphone. Because the buttons sit so close to the body, I found it hard to locate them at times. It’s not a deal breaker, but they don’t protrude enough in my opinion when compared to other tablets. On the top you’ll find a 3.5mm headphones jack, while the bottom makes room for the Micro USB charging port and a secondary microphone.

Storage

Like all Google’s Nexus devices, there’s no microSD expansion slot, so you’ll need to be sure about how much storage you need when you order. The 16GB model is £290, while the 32GB model can be found for £350. However, £60 is a huge premium to pay for just 16GB of extra storage space, as you can get 48GB of extra storage for £80 if you decide to upgrade to the 64GB iPad Air 2. You can get a more reasonable deal if you buy the 32GB 4G model of the Nexus 9, though; £459 is a reasonable price for a 4G 32GB tablet, compared to the £499 and £579 you’ll pay for a 16GB or 64GB 4G iPad.

Software and performance

There’s no doubt that the Nexus 9 is built to perform, and because it’s running a clean install of Android 5.0 Lollipop, it has every opportunity in the world to do so. Lollipop makes this tablet a dream to use. This isn’t going to be a Lollipop review, but I’m certain that Google’s latest mobile OS is a life-changing experience for all Android devices. We’ll bring you full thoughts on Lollipop at a later date.

Thanks to its processor and GPU setup, the Nexus 9 flies through tasks like a boss. Multitasking is smooth, animations are slick, and if you’re a fan of Android, then you’ll fall in love with the software experience here. Material design is a big change for Android. Everything is animated and you get a real sense of direction when navigating through the user interface. There’s a nice flow to every transition and the tablet apps have seen a lot of optimization which is always a welcomed improvement.

Gaming on the Nexus 9 is a breeze. Though it’s not a difficult task for most high-end flagships these days, the Nexus 9 took on top Play Store titles with ease and stability. One thing I did notice is that the Nexus 9 gets warm to the touch during heavy use. About one fourth of my unit began to warm up in the top corner by the camera when playing games. It wasn’t hot, but warm enough that I noticed it regularly.

With its front-facing speakers, this tablet is a media powerhouse. I enjoyed hours on end of Netflix, YouTube, and the occasional music playlist. As I mentioned before, the speakers aren’t fantastic, but the fact that they are front-facing makes them miles better than all of the rear-facing competition.