Nexus 9 Review

I think it would be informative if we started doing reviews of new devices we buy. I recently bought a Moto X 2014 and wanted to review it. After having it a few weeks, I got lazy and never did it. However, since I just got a Nexus 9 and it is a completely new device, I wanted to review it.

Design
The design of the Nexus 9 is nothing special. It really is like a Nexus 5 but larger and with an aluminum frame. The camera sticks out a bit, but really didnt bother me like it did on my wife's iphone 6 mainly because it helps the tablet lay flat. The bezels are the perfect size and the back area is somewhat grippy soft touch plastic. The bottom line is the iPad air feels like a much more premium device worthy of its price.

Hardware
Under the hood, the tablet is quite powerful. It does not beat the iPad Air 2 on graphics test, but is very close. It is very fast with no lag when switching between apps or going back to the home screen. It handles 10+ tabs open on chrome with no problem. I play a very intensive multiplayer FPS on it (Shadowgun Deadzone) and it is far quicker than my Nexus 7 was. The screen looks great and doesnt have the over saturation that my Moto X has. The camera is the weak point, but I would never take a picture with my tablet so it is irrelevant. Battery life is better than my Nexus 7, but doesnt seem amazing. It is more than I need from my tablets though- nearly 5 hours of screen on time before a charge.

Software
Where the Nexus 9 really shines its the software. Lollipop is far better than I expected it to be. It is so smooth and fast. It finally feels like Android is on par with iOS in terms of smoothness. Having animations at 60fps and little scrolling effects at the bottom of a screen go a long way. You can read Lollipop reviews that are more eloquent than I am, but just know Lollipop compliments the Nexus 9 better than I thought it would.

Negatives from Other Reviews
If you read every review on a device like I do, you will see some pretty big concerns on the Nexus 9. The back having some give and screen bleed are two complaints on the hardware. I have a little screen bleed that I have only noticed a couple times and the back does have a little give. However, I feel like most of the negatives are people using the tablet with half baked software. As soon as I powered on the tablet, I received a 200 mb update that reviewers had not received on theirs. I have no flaws with the software at all. Some apps are incompatible with 5.0, but that isn't HTC or Google's fault.

Conclusion
When I first got the Nexus 9, I wanted to return it in an hour. I wasn't impressed with the design at all and felt like I wasted $400. However, every minute I play with it I love it more and more. Mainly, the software is great, it is very fast and screen looks beautiful compared to my Nexus 7 2012. I still think it is worth $299-349, but that isnt the price for a premium tablet running Android's first 64 bit chip. I do think it will come down in price fairly quickly though. I would never return it now and am far more impressed with it than I was with my Nexus 7.

Is it better than the Air 2? Simply no. The Air has better hardware and better apps designed for tablets. However, if you are hooked on Android as I am, it is a great device that will do everything you need very well.