Thinking of getting a Google Nexus tablet. Which is better? Google Nexus 7 (2013) or Google Nexus 9?

[TheFatDroid]

I want to get a Google Nexus tablet because I was told they are some of the fastest tablets on the plants. I was also told that it runs Vanilla Android, which if this is true, would be the selling point for me. I hate those awful OEM customization. Especially Touch Wiz... I threw up in my mouth a little when I said that.

That is all I want to know,
Nexus 7 (2013) vs Nexus 9
Are they as fast as everyone claims
Is it Vanilla Android

Thanks for the help in advance

Oh... one more thing. I see some tablets on Amazon and New Egg that say IPS-LCD and AMOLED. What is the difference between the two as compared to a normal LCD or Apple's Retina display?

 

[raptir]

Both are pretty solid options. I would really start with figuring out a range for the screen size you would like. The Nexus 7 handles more like a "large phone" while the Nexus 9 and other larger tablets are more "true tablets." They are both good in their own way, it really comes down to what you're looking for. That said, the Nexus 9 is much more powerful than the Nexus 7, but the Nexus 7 is a lot less expensive. Budget and screen size should be your starting points.

For displays, there are two primary technologies: LCD and AMOLED. LCD shines a backlight (well, many backlights) through a "screen" that provides the image itself. AMOLED uses combinations of colored LEDs in order to produce the image directly. AMOLED displays have more true blacks but "exaggerated" colors, while LCDs can be a bit gray and experience backlight bleed when displaying black. LCDs typically have more accurate whites though. It really comes down to personal preference. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 are the only tablets that use AMOLED displays that I'm aware of.

There are two main types of LCDs, In-Plane Switching (IPS) and Twisted Nematic Field Effect (TN). TN displays tend to have more poor viewing angles, but you honestly won't find many of them in tablets these days. Even inexpensive tablets like the Nexus 7 have IPS LCD displays. Apple's Retina display is just a high-resolution IPS LCD. You may also see "Super LCD" which just means that the glass is bonded directly to the display, giving you less glare/reflection.

 

[TheFatDroid]

Thanks for the clarification. I am just looking for a good replacement for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. Mainly because I am sick and tired of Samdroid (Samsung's OEM customization of android). I have tried CyanogenMod but the only versions that are stable (I don't use nightly) are CM 9.0.0 and CM 9.1.0, which is basically Android 4.0.4 and I was not particularly fond of Android 4.0.4.

I think I may go with the Nexus 7 2013 edition. It still has some pretty good specs for a 2013 tablet. After All, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro is still a pretty good processor, and 2GB ram in a tablet is a blessing. My galaxy tab 2 7.0 only has 1GB ram... scratch that... 860 MB ram and it is always 85 - 90% full. Even when I use apps like Cleaner Master, It goes down but goes right back up.

I have also heard that the Nexus 9 has had a lot of problems with things like stunning and really bad lag. Is this true or are they just blowing smoke?

Thanks for the help.

 

[raptir]

I had a Galaxy S3 (same "TouchWiz Nature UX" as the Tab 2 7.0) and couldn't stand it. I recently bought a Note 4 and the skin has improved dramatically. Still, in the tablet realm the only Samsung device I really like is the Galaxy Tab S and it's obscenely expensive for what you're getting so I still wouldn't recommend it.

The S4 Pro is definitely still solid, and you won't notice any lag or anything. The GPU in the Nexus 9 is much better but that's really only a concern if you do a lot of gaming. The Nexus 9 has had some bugs but the Nexus 7 did as well when it was first released. I ran into some bugs on my Nexus 5 with Android 5.0 as well, I think 5.0.1 will be on its way soon to resolve them.