Google introduced the Nexus 9 tablet made by HTC earlier this month. The first Nexus 7, its successor and the nexus 10 had screens with 16:9 aspect ratio, but this has a 4:3 aspect ratio, similar to the iPad Mini and the Xiaomi Mi Pad. We got to check out the latest flagship Nexus tablet. Here is the hands-on and the photo gallery.
The 8.9″ (2048×1536 pixels) IPS LCD display is sharp and at the same time it is huge, compared to the Nexus 7’s 7-inch screen. It has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The 4:3 aspect ration is more helpful to consume content in landscape mode. It is powered by a 2.3GHz Dual Denver Nvidia Tegra K1 64-bit processor with 192-core Kepler GPU and comes with 2GB of RAM.
The Nexus 9 has an optional keyboard folio case that is available for $129.99. It offers two angles that is helpful for both typing and for watching videos.
The keyboard is pretty good with large keys for comfortable typing. It runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
There is a micro USB slot on the bottom. It has brushed metal finish on the sides for a premium look.
The power/lock button and the volume rockers are present on the right side along with a microphone. Both these keys have metal finish.
The back cover has soft matte finish, similar to the Nexus 5. There is a large Nexus branding in the centre and a HTC branding on the bottom.
The Nexus 9 has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash.
The Nexus 9 is already available for pre-order in several countries starting at $399 for the 16GB WiFi variant and goes up to $599 for the 32GB LTE variant. It recently got priced on Google Play in India at Rs. 28,900 for the 16GB WiFi and Rs.44,900 for the 32GB LTE variant.
Srivatsan contributed to this report