Review: Google Nexus 9 Tablet (by HTC)

The Nexus 9 tablet is manufactured by HTC, runs Android Lollipop, and costs $400 on its own. Google is pitching this as a productivity, work-forward device, so it’s also selling an HTC-made magnetic keyboard accessory for $130. We test both of these in this review. Alex Washburn / WIRED

When Google’s Nexus 9 tablet first came out a few months ago, I tested it in direct comparison with the iPad Air 2. I decided Apple’s tablet was the better choice for mobile computing at the time. Now that the Nexus 9 has been around a bit (and many of Android Lollipop’s shortcomings have been addressed) I’m going to look at the Nexus on its own. You can consider this our definitive review. I also tested the tablet with a handy accessory: HTC’s companion folio keyboard, which closes magnetically, pairs wirelessly, and offers you a physical typing experience akin to what you’d get with a laptop.

Meet the Tablet

Google’s first brand-name Android tablet, the Nexus 7, went through two iterations. The first was $200, and the second, even though it was more powerful, was still only $230. At those base prices, they were unbeatable devices. They found the sweet spot on the good/cheap graph. On the other side of the coin, we also saw the Nexus 10, Google’s 10-inch tablet that cost $400 when it launched in October 2012. It wasn’t a bad tablet, per se, but it also wasn’t a good tablet, per se.

Flash forward. Google’s newest tablet is the Nexus 9, with hardware made by HTC. Starting at $400, it couldn’t qualify as cheap and doesn’t have the same sticker appeal as Google’s 7-inchers. So the question then becomes, “Is it good enough to be worth the expense?”

Let’s start off with the basic specs. The Nexus 9 weighs 15 ounces and has external dimensions of 8.98 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches. That makes it just a little lighter, shorter, and narrower than Apple’s iPad Air 2, though the Air 2 is thinner. (Read our full Nexus 9 vs iPad Air 2 comparison) The Nexus has an 8.9-inch IPS LCD screen with a 1536 x 2048 pixel resolution, which gives you 281 pixels per inch (PPI). It has 2GB of RAM and it runs on Nvidia’s speedy Tegra K1 (with Kepler DX1 GPU) clocked at 2.3GHz. And of course, it runs the latest version of stock Android, straight out of Google’s toolshed: Android 5.0, aka Lollipop.

Physically, it’s fine to look at. It lacks the aluminum or glass back you find on the iPad Air 2 or Sony’s Xperia Z3 phablet, respectively. Instead you get brushed plastic. The result is that it doesn’t look or feel as high-end as the others, but hey, let’s not be shallow. That plastic back is actually far grippier than glass or aluminum, and as a result, I felt much less likely to drop the Nexus 9. It’s thicker than those other two tablets, but it’s so nicely balanced that it’s very comfortable to hold.

One of the best physical features on the tablet: the dual-front facing speakers. Not only do they pump out a lot of sound, but they do it very cleanly—for tablet speakers, anyway. Because they’re on the front of the tablet, it’s nearly impossible to block them with your hands. This is especially great for gaming. When playing Dead Trigger 2, I actually had to turn the volume down some because it was really stressing me out. In contrast, put D’Angelo’s new album on there and you’ll be ready for baby-making at any volume.

The software is generally excellent. Lollipop is unquestionably the best version of Android yet.

The display is good, if not world-changing. It has very high PPI, and indeed, individual pixels are indiscernible to the naked eye. It also pumps out a lot of light, which helps keep text readable and images clear when you’re sitting in the sun. Unfortunately, the screen is very reflective, so some of those gains are lost to glare. Colors look very good, but the display doesn’t have those deep, inky blacks you find on the Super AMOLED screens Samsung uses on its high-end devices.

The software is generally excellent. Lollipop is unquestionably the best version of Android yet. It looks and works a bit better on phones (such as the Nexus 6, Nexus 5, and Moto X) than it does here, but it’s still fluid, capable, and generally very intuitive.

While initially testing this tablet a few months ago, my impressions were that the software wasn’t quite up to snuff yet. There was a lot of lag, delay, and other weird anomalies. I’m happy to report that subsequent software updates have definitely improved things. That said, the experience still isn’t as fast or as smooth as the iPad Air 2. Apps definitely don’t launch as quickly, and there’s just a bit more delay when scrolling around. It’s weird. Sometimes it hesitates, and sometimes it’s lightning fast. I have a feeling it’s a memory allocation issue, but that’s just a guess.

Add the Keyboard Case

I also spent the last couple weeks testing the $130 Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio. Made by HTC, this optional extra is both a Bluetooth keyboard and a cover that protects the tablet’s front and back. In theory, it would put the Nexus 9 in contention with other tablet/laptop hybrids, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3, or transform it into a more capable Chromebook. While I wouldn’t go as far as saying this keyboard is better than what you’d get on a laptop, the keyboard is pretty good in a lot of ways.

The optional keyboard folio case, also by HTC. Google

For starters, the whole unit is nice and slim, so it protects both sides of the tablet without adding very much bulk at all. Despite that, the keys have a solid amount of travel and offer a very satisfying click. They’re a bit close together, especially if you’re coming from a full-sized laptop, but I was shocked at how fast I was able to adjust. After five minutes of messing around, I took some online typing tests and was already banging out text at a 70 to 75 words per minute clip. That isn’t far off my normal top speed.

Unfortunately, there are some things I don’t like about it. For one, you will be tempted to pick up your tablet by the keyboard. Don’t. The magnets that hold it in place aren’t that strong. Second, the tablet sometimes gets confused about when the keyboard is attached and when it isn’t. Like, if you’re standing on a crowded train and just want to use it like a tablet with a normal cover—your natural instinct is to just kinda fold the keyboard around the back. Then, the next time you tap a text input field, no onscreen keyboard will pop up, which means you can’t type anything unless you fold out the keyboard or fully detach it. Also, sometimes when you fold the keyboard all away around so it’s flat on the back, the magnets tell the Nexus 9 that the keyboard is closed, so it switches the screen off. Pretty infuriating.

Is It Worth It?

The verdict? The Nexus 9 is a really good tablet. It not a speed demon, and doesn’t blow your mind in any one way (except the exceptional audio), but for $400 it’s a very solid choice, and if you’re wanting an Android tablet I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

As for the Keyboard Folio, it really is a surprisingly good keyboard. But only go for it if you’re planning on doing a lot of writing on your tablet—like writing blog posts or answering emails all day. For most tablet users, though—the ones who will mostly be surfing the web, playing games, and Netflixing—the $130 sticker price is just too much to justify.