Nexus 9 Impressions & Reviews

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Haven't seen a thread like this for the Nexus 9, so thought we could start one.

Basically this thread is to collate all tech media impressions/hands-on/reviews of the Nexus 9. When the tablets start shipping out and people here start getting them, we might have another thread with Android Central posters impressions/reviews.

I'll start off with some recently posted hands-on with the Nexus 9:

The Nexus 9: hands-on with Google's latest attempt to take on the iPad | The Verge

Hands-on with the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, Google’s shot at “premium” flagships | Ars Technica

Hands-On With The Nexus 9 Tablet | TechCrunch

Overall pretty positive so far. They're very brief (they only had about 15mins each with the device), but still a nice hands on, giving us some more video and a better idea of what to expect.

Post more if you come by more articles and of course, we can discuss their impressions.

 

[jstwondrng]

Sounds good! Looking forward to contributing. So far, the initial impressions are very favorable. I'll check for some tomorrow.

J

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Yeah the impressions are quite favourable.

Seems like they love the design and build of the tablet, which is great, seeing as you'll be holding it so much, you want something comfortable to hold.

Also like that they included the double tap to wake feature on the tablet. It's very handy.

 

[analogmonkey]

It all looks good. I get annoyed with the clumsy navigating, though. Sometimes, I wonder if people have actually used Android. I forget which one of the videos had the dude with the long fingernail. All I could think is that he needs to get that thing clipped!

As far as I can tell, everything looks perfect. I sure wish we had more details about performance scores and videos of real life apps being run on it. Those will come in a few days, I am sure.

 

[jstwondrng]

I'm really happy they didn't decide to do all metal. I can't imagine that feeling comfortable in your hands at that 8.9 size. The grip material on the back seems to be more pleasant.

In regards to real world tests and videos, yes, I have a feeling in the next week or so, we'll be bombarded with loads of reviews, tests, etc.

J

 

[analogmonkey]

Yep. Love the iPad build quality, but I have to slap a case on it, and I've never been satisfied with the backing after I purchased the first generation of the N7. It made such a difference to have a grippy feel, and I don't really see the point in fetishizing aluminum at the expense of usability.

Some truly gorgeous iPad Air 2 screen display shots out there. I know they are both IPS, but I am kind of wondering now if we'll get the same feel of the displayed content floating so close to the surface of the glass. Besides saying it looked good, no one commented on the N9 display much in the reviews, did they? I wish they'd spend more time showing stuff and talking about it rather than doing silly things like opening and closing notifications while telling us how smooth it is. Yeah, it's been smooth for a while now for that kind of stuff...

 

[ollieg]

Nexus 9 review roundup: it's good, but it's no iPad
http://www.androidpit.com/nexus-9-review-roundup

This guy has a funny take on those "favorable" reviews. We're so used to being looked down upon we don't even notice.

 

[jstwondrng]

Nexus 9 review roundup: it's good, but it's no iPad
http://www.androidpit.com/nexus-9-review-roundup

This guy has a funny take on those "favorable" reviews. We're so used to being looked down upon we don't even notice.

Thanks for sharing that article! Good roundup and I agree with him in saying the media is definitely biased on Apple products.

J

 

[Google10]

Usually I pre-order, but this one feels risky so I'm going to wait for the full reviews. Might even have to wait for the MobileTechReview video which often isn't out right away.

 

[analogmonkey]

A lot of the reviews are just bad, that is all, whether they are looking at the iPad or the N9. Many reviewers seem genuinely stumped by people's interest in cameras on tablets and ridicule the users and/or the feature. They seem to lack the creative capacity to imagine a world in which someone might, for example, want to take a photo of a document, or take a video of their children without having to squint at a tiny screen. I don't know. Any number of uses! Is it really so difficult to conceive?

Here is a reasonably good review of the Surface vs. N9 that can't help mentioning how odd the camera is. It's been there for several years now! Get out of your basement, go to a classroom or business meeting, and figure it out. Heck, just go Skype someone and try to show them something (a computer screen, document, the kids playing outside) and you'll finally get it!
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/...exus-9-vs-microsoft-surface-pro-3-comparison/

So, asking them to look objectively at a tablet's features is asking a little too much. They'd rather fiddle around with the camera lens (one review kept using blurry shots that gradually came into focus for the iPad) or tap around aimlessly on tablets they obviously don't understand. Give me a minute with the N9 and I will at least not show you stupid images of me walking upstairs with it.

I appreciate the tablet comparisons, even if the reviewers are often unable to fully grasp the complexities of what they are reviewing. After all, as consumers we are often picking among wildly different tablet choices, so we need someone out there trying to put them all together somehow. It's just too bad they can't also help us imagine how these things will fit into our lives. For example, the reviewer linked above probably doesn't understand how easy it is to get work done on mobile devices these days, and is still stuck in the "consumption device" confines of his tiny imagination. Google, Apple, and Microsoft ought to send me their devices

 

[quadtronix]

I found some video hands on on YouTube... Slashgear, cnet and Android Central have them...

 

[quadtronix]

Also AC has an article up now too... http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-9-hands-and-first-impressions

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Also AC has an article up now too... Nexus 9 hands-on and first impressions | Android Central

Was about to link this.

Nice hands on from AC, seems to be pretty positive overall. From the article and the video it seems Andrew was holding back on praising/criticizing the device too much, as I'm sure AC will be saving that stuff for the full review. He seemed to like the 4:3 aspect ratio (or at least commented that he'd gotten used to it) and that the screen was nice.

Can't wait for my unit to ship out.

 

[analogmonkey]

A so-so review. He needs to get someone else to hold the camera or duct-tape it to his head. The camera shots (like many videos) are not so great. I wish Google would put more stuff in there so that the reviewers could give us a better sense of the performance, and I like how he made it clear that what we are seeing is not necessarily how it will look when we set it up with our own accounts. I'll definitely be checking back for the full review.

 

[eRod v1.0]

Btekt initial hands on video. Makes me want it more.

Nexus 9 hands-on!: http://youtu.be/lqQApO8rhzk

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[analogmonkey]

Finally. A well-done review. I think we got a really good look at the device, and this is probably about the best we are going to get until reviewers get their hands on them for extended testing.

It looks beautiful.

 

[jstwondrng]

Finally. A well-done review. I think we got a really good look at the device, and this is probably about the best we are going to get until reviewers get their hands on them for extended testing.

It looks beautiful.

It does! Can't wait to get my hands on it.

J

 

[quadtronix]

Here are some new ones...

A first look at the Nexus 9 | Pocketnow

Nexus 9 Hands-on - A Look at the First Android 5.0 Lollipop Tablet | TechnoBuffalo

 

[quadtronix]

I found this hands on from GSM Arena...

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_google_nexus_9-review-1154.php

I haven't read it yet but it looks fairly in depth for a hands on (3 pages)... Can't wait for the full reviews to start hitting the web! Was reading a hands on on techcrunch.com and it was very favorable towards the tablet. And that's not even an android site... Nov. 3rd can't get here soon enough!!

 

[ollieg]

Hands on: Nexus 9 review | Tablets Reviews | TechRadar