Shield Tablet vs Nexus 9

[SwiftHax]

Need a tablet and pretty much narrowed down to these 2. Mostly I use my tablets to browse the web, watch YouTube, play some games and watch movies. I like that the Nexus 9 has a bigger screen, but Shield Tablet is much cheaper, nearly in half considering I would buy the 32GB Nexus. Which should I get?

 

[Andy Bredemeyer]

Not sure the N9's bigger screen is going to help much with movie watching due to the 4:3 aspect ratio. I haven't done the math tho.

I've used the stylus a lot, which is obviously Shield specific. And it may not be supported with updates for quite as many months/years as the N9, but Nvidia is certainly committed to timely updates to the Shield for now.

You probably can't go wrong. I do wonder if the N9 is worth the extra cash, tho.

 

[angry english]

Grab a shield tablet, easier to hold, super quick, nice screen, better value for money, and better build quality.

I've had both and still have the shield

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Netforza]

So lets compare them:
Shield Tablet Pros:
+ Storage Expansion
+ Lighter (only 390g vs 436g nexus)
+ Direct Stylus 2 support
+ Glonass
+ Mini HDMI port
+ 5 Megapixels front camera

Nexus 9 pros:
+ Larger screen 8.9 inch
+ Higher resolution
+ AC WiFi
+ NFC
+ 8 megapixels back camera
+ Software upgrades directly from Google.

 

[npaladin-2000]

So lets compare them:
Shield Tablet Pros:
+ Storage Expansion
+ Lighter (only 390g vs 436g nexus)
+ Direct Stylus 2 support
+ Glonass
+ Mini HDMI port
+ 5 Megapixels front camera

Nexus 9 pros:
+ Larger screen 8.9 inch
+ Higher resolution
+ AC WiFi
+ NFC
+ 8 megapixels back camera
+ Software upgrades directly from Google.

And yet the SHIELD is getting Lollipop next week. So not exactly a big advantage going direct from Google.

The SHIELD's antennas frankly suck a bit. They're supposed to update the cellular modem, we'll see. Cellular connectivity rots. WiFi is OK but a little on the weak side. I still love the thing but those are serious issues with it for some (I could care less about the cellular).

 

[Netforza]

They're supposed to update the cellular modem, we'll see.

You mean the driver or there will be a new version of Shield Tablet?

 

[npaladin-2000]

You mean the driver or there will be a new version of Shield Tablet?

I mean they're updating the modem. It's an Icera software modem.

Sent from my Sony Xperia Z3 using Tapatalk.

 

[tflash]

And yet the SHIELD is getting Lollipop next week. So not exactly a big advantage going direct from Google.

The SHIELD's antennas frankly suck a bit. They're supposed to update the cellular modem, we'll see. Cellular connectivity rots. WiFi is OK but a little on the weak side. I still love the thing but those are serious issues with it for some (I could care less about the cellular).

You forgot some things that give the Shield tab a disadvantage:
I don't have a N9, but the N7 2013 still does some things better.

N7 - screen is brighter, sharper, and colors are better (white is white not gray or brown)
N7 - Screen mirror to Chromecast.
N7 - Slips into pockets better.
N7 - Runs Xcom for android
N7 - GPS picks up more satellites in a shorter amount of time.
N7 - lower price and 32GB
N7 - Camera focuses faster and handles exposure adjustment better.
N7 - Supports photosphere. (The ST has a gyroscope, but the Google cam app crashes when trying to use photosphere.)

ST - front facing speakers (not louder or better, just facing the front.)
ST - stylus is awesome!
ST - bigger screen
ST - HDMI out
ST - SD card slot
ST - 5Mp front camera (but who cares)
ST - Faster CPU/ GPU by a mile, but I don't notice this much.
ST - WiFi direct game controller and cool controller games.

More later as I use it.

Edit: new update for ST that came with Android 5.0 -
GPS now locks properly
Google camera app now works in photosphere

 

[jdelgado]

I am in the same boat I am not sure which tablet to get the Shield 32GB or the Nexus 32GB.

 

[ced2334]

I am in the same boat I am not sure which tablet to get the Shield 32GB or the Nexus 32GB.

I'm waiting till black friday to see what deals there are but I am more than likely going to get a shield.

 

[Donald Smith2]

I'm leaning towards the shield as well; the price point of the N9 would be Ok but I'm bothered by the light-bleed issues and not thrilled about the soft-push on it's back (e.g. the bubble)... A lower price point and I might reconsider - we'll see how this plays out over the next few weeks.

 

[SwiftHax]

I'm leaning towards the shield as well; the price point of the N9 would be Ok but I'm bothered by the light-bleed issues and not thrilled about the soft-push on it's back (e.g. the bubble)... A lower price point and I might reconsider - we'll see how this plays out over the next few weeks.

Same here, price pretty much kills it. You can get a 32GB LTE Shield Tablet with a controller and 128GB card for the same price as a 32GB Wifi only Nexus 9, that's just ridiculous. The Nexus 9 is the first 64-bit Android device, so it will take some time before developers start optimizing their apps for 64b-bit processors, I'm assuming when the new Snapdragon 810 comes out. But even then, what is the thing that requires most power? Gaming. Nvidia has every tablet beat in that space at this point, it's simply an unmatching experience. I will look out for some black friday deals on either of the devices.

 

[Donald Smith2]

I had the same thought running through my mind - I'd like the 64-bit for future proofing, but odds are by the time 32-bit is a serious constraint I'll be looking to upgrade anyway.

 

[Netforza]

How exactly do you imagine 32bit to be a constraint?
It's not like you are going to upgrade the ram on your 64bit tablet.
With 99.9% of Android devices being 32bit at the moment I don't believe anyone will start making 64 bit only apps.
Competition is fierce the way it is now, making apps that will work only on 0.01% of devices is not going to happen.

 

[SwiftHax]

64-bit Snapdragon 810 chips are coming out next year, so you'll be seeing most phones and tablets have that. We should see much more attention pointed toward 64-bit devices next year.

 

[Zorro1]

OK fans, where exactly can you get your hands on one of these? I handled the N9 last week at Best Buy, the very knowledgeable guy there said they haven't stocked the Shield...and had no idea why? So who does?

 

[npaladin-2000]

Newegg, Amazon, eBay, NVIDIA themselves, the usual. Gamestop might carry it, not sure. Maybe AT&T also?

Sent from my Sony Xperia Z3 using Tapatalk.

 

[Zorro1]

Yeah, I meant to actually see one live, in the plastic/metal....still kind of torn between these two, even tho' I'm not a gamer. The price of the N9 gives me pause, just to web browse, FB, play cards, check weather, etc. And read a book now and then...

 

[npaladin-2000]

Even the SHIELD tablet may be overkill for that, it's on the heavy side and there are much cheaper tablets for content consumption.

The SHIELD tablet's unique factors are the stylus input, the front-facing speakers, the gaming capabilities (particularly gamepad->touchscreen mapping without needing root) and finally the hyper-fast updates because it's essentially a GPE/Nexus software build. Most of that you'd also get with the Nexus 9 (minus the gamepad mapping and stylus) but there's also lighter options like the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and the Galaxy Tab S and 4.

 

[MrSlippery519]

Thing is for the price, regardless of what your tablet needs are the Shield offers great bang for your buck.