Nexus 9 - Oct 15 - $399

[tsupersonic]

I was going to buy one today at Best Buy, but there are no nearby stores that have it. I'd have to drive an hour to get it, no thanks. I've been reading reviews throughout the day, and I guess I will either wait a little more for Anandtech's review, or just not pick up an Android tablet at all.

 

[lopri]

Bendgate 2, the return of the soft spot

iPad Air has a similar "issue." I remember going through all iPads in an Apple store to learn that the hollowness was not a quality control issue. I am thinking it might be by design which means all Nexus 9's will have the same "issue."

 

[zerocool84]

Most of the reviews seem to be pretty much "Good, but no ipad" A lot of hate for the price. $489 for the 32gb model does seem excessive. If the base model was $399 and 32gb I'd be all over it.

Exactly what I've been saying since it was first announced, why buy it at that price when it's more expensive than the Mini. It should have been $100 cheaper. The Nexus 7 is great because it's a really good tablet for the price, this Nexus 9 just doesn't have much going for it at that price range.

 

[SpacemanSpiffVT]

read a couple of reviews and it looks pretty medicore. I was at best buy at saw the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and was pretty impressed. I am supposing there will be some good sales this holiday on it.Throw CM 11 on that sucker and it will be great (edit: CM isnt supported...hmm). I dont generally play that many "intensive" games on my mobile devices so im not sure if that will be an issue.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Just got a message from Amazon that my order that was suppose to arrive today (32GB white) has been delayed until December 24th.

I can't even be upset or surprised anymore. Just sit here and shake my head in dismay. And it looks like the Best Buys that had the black 16GB model are sold out already.

I guess the main annoyance is being told the day I was expecting the order that it would be delayed 7 more weeks. Seems like Amazon or Google could have communicated this delay a bit earlier and maybe I could have gotten it at Best Buy yesterday when it was briefly available. *sigh*

Oh well.

 

[Ravynmagi]

read a couple of reviews and it looks pretty medicore. I was at best buy at saw the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and was pretty impressed. I am supposing there will be some good sales this holiday on it.Throw CM 11 on that sucker and it will be great (edit: CM isnt supported...hmm). I dont generally play that many "intensive" games on my mobile devices so im not sure if that will be an issue.

Tab S 10.5 is pretty to look at. But I really love the much much much more power GPU in the Nexus 9 and front facing speakers. I also kinda like that it's 4:3.

 

[dlock13]

http://www.htc.com/us/go/htc-hot-deals/

So HTC's site is getting bombarded. Good luck getting that deal, but it is interesting that they'd hold such a sale the day after it officially went on sale.

 

[Ravynmagi]

http://www.htc.com/us/go/htc-hot-deals/

So HTC's site is getting bombarded. Good luck getting that deal, but it is interesting that they'd hold such a sale the day after it officially went on sale.

Haha... /facepalm

 

[Ravynmagi]

I went into Best Best to see if they might have any instock despite the website showing I'll need to drive 100 miles to the nearest store with it in stock. I asked for the Nexus 9 and the girl immediately walked to the stock room without even looking at her computer, so I took that as a good sign. 10 minutes later she comes back with a Nexus 9 in hand. Groovey.

So I have my Nexus 9 (only 16GB black sadly). Yes, the dang thing is hollow in the center of it's back. That's disappointing. Though it's not something I really notice most of the time when handling the tablet, so maybe this won't drive my OCD nerve crazy.

I'm still trying to setup the Nexus 9 (Android tablets are always a pain to setup on our work wifi because they don't like guest networks or WPA2-Enterprise out of the box).

 

[luv2liv]

Haha... /facepalm

^2
its a shame because i woulda bought the tablet $500 if it has mSD expansion and waterproof. no lie

 

[Ravynmagi]

http://www.htc.com/us/go/htc-hot-deals/

So HTC's site is getting bombarded. Good luck getting that deal, but it is interesting that they'd hold such a sale the day after it officially went on sale.

Apparently so, I can't get past the color option. I choose a color and there doesn't seem to be any button or option to continue on. I'm guessing part of the website isn't loading.

 

[Chrono]

Yeah I tried getting in on this deal as well but no dice. Just sold my Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" 32GB for a paltry $270 on ebay... so about $240 after fees and what not. Looking for my next tablet... I guess I may go ipad since there isn't anything out there that really stands out.

On a side note best buy is giving $50 gift card minimum + $50 off nexus coupon for any working tablet meaning potentially getting $100 off of a nexus 9.

 

[DownTheSky]

This @ $349 seems a much better buy.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-transformer-book-t100-review

 

[jacktesterson]

This @ $349 seems a much better buy.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-transformer-book-t100-review
Could have used a better screen.

If you are using specifically for a tablet you may be disappointed.

Weight, 16:9 screen and lack of good apps. Desktop mode offsets some of this but really isn't designed for tablet use.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

http://www.htc.com/us/go/htc-hot-deals/

So HTC's site is getting bombarded. Good luck getting that deal, but it is interesting that they'd hold such a sale the day after it officially went on sale.

It's like accepting that the product won't do as well as they wanted. Perhaps its the price point?

 

[PokerGuy]

Dang, I wish I could have gotten in on that $199 deal, that's absolutely fantastic for the best tablet around IMO.

Oh well, guess I'll buy an ipad instead for the holidays.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I'm not feeling too good about my Nexus 9 initially.

Most immediate concern is I can't connect to WPA2-Enterprise (after after using a hotspot to get passed the initial setup). It appears to connect and disconnect immediately. I'm the network admin here, so I'm able to check the ACS logs to see what is happening. It it shows the tablet is successfully authenticating with the wireless network. Just not sure why it doesn't stay connected yet. Though seems like I've seen this before with a new major OS update and it usually gets fixed later (the waiting sucks though).

Another problem is that it has problems connecting to guest wifi networks as well when there is a login page. It never shows the login page. I'm able to work around this by launching Chrome and trying to access the Internet, then I'll get the guest wifi login page.

Holy freaking lightbleed Batman! This tablet has a lot of lightbleed, far more than I normally see on an IPS display. I probably got a defect unit that needs replacing.

The volume buttons are virtually flush with the tablet and are hard to use. While the power button sticks out just right. Not sure why these buttons next to each other are not both protruding at the same distance. I'm debating if this is a quality control issue or intentional design to make the power button easier to use (I'll definitely never accidentally press the volume button on this tablet).

It's hollow. I guess it's not bothering me much. I think it's more an issue that I know it's there. In normal handling of the tablet, I don't really notice it much.

I think the squared corners is an unfortunately design step backwards. They should have been rounded like the Nexus 7. This tablet is not as comfortable to hold as that or an iPad Air/Mini is.

The tablet does have a bit of a weighty and thick feel to it. It's only slightly thicker than the iPad Mini 2, and a tiny bit thinner than my Nexus 7 2013, but because of the squared sides, it seems to feel chunkier.

It's not a bad tablet, but I'm not sure it quite deserves the premium pricing it's asking. I think $400 is a bit much for this tablet.

I'll probably keep it (definitely need to do an exchange because of the light bleed). Because I do like the 4:3 aspect ratio and find that a plus and I don't have any other quality alternatives. But with the iPad Mini 2 down to $300. The Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 around $250. Not sure the Nexus 9 is easy to recommend.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Haha, apparently Amazon shipped my Nexus 9 today. Which is funny because this morning they sent me an email saying my order would be delayed until December 24th.

Well, that's good. Hopefully it's in better condition than the one I got from BB. And I'd much rather have the 32GB white.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I would love to know if the screen is better. Does knock to wake work well?

 

[Ravynmagi]

Hopefully the screen is better on the one I get from Amazon tomorrow. I'll let you know. I'm hoping the volume buttons are better as well.

Knock to wake works great. Seems to work better than on my LG G Pad 8.3, which has problems if I double tap too quickly. So far the Nexus 9 wakes up every time when I double tap, even when I quickly double tap.

 

[SpacemanSpiffVT]

keep posting impressions... i am getting mine soon

 

[arandomguy]

Tab S 10.5 is pretty to look at. But I really love the much much much more power GPU in the Nexus 9 and front facing speakers. I also kinda like that it's 4:3.

Can you comment on (or anyone else for that matter) on some examples of how a more powerful GPU, or SoC in general, can be leveraged in current usage (aside from hypothetical gaming longevity)?

 

[jacktesterson]

Mine shipped yesterday.

I have a 32GB Black Model coming. I will post my initial feedback as well.

 

[Sid59]

I cancelled my preorder, the bi-polar reviews have me wanting a hardware revision. Based on website and people who own it, they've had problems or no problems with: lightbleed, stuttering apps, apps force close, general lag, speaker volume (though i think this is highly subjective), thermal throttling/too hot around the SOC, flimsy/janky buttons, and now wifi connection.

Most of these can be fixed via a patch but the lightbleed and janky buttons would need a hardware revision, if it's an issue.

 

[jacktesterson]

I cancelled my preorder, the bi-polar reviews have me wanting a hardware revision. Based on website and people who own it, they've had problems or no problems with: lightbleed, stuttering apps, apps force close, general lag, speaker volume (though i think this is highly subjective), thermal throttling/too hot around the SOC, flimsy/janky buttons, and now wifi connection.

Most of these can be fixed via a patch but the lightbleed and janky buttons would need a hardware revision, if it's an issue.

There will be many OTA's that will address many of these. The lightbleed issue seems to be very hit or miss. (More seem to be perfectly happy with the display).