I'm kind of disappointed by the new crop of Nexus devices this year, particularly the Nexus 9. Android Lollipop looks like it's going to be fantastic, but I won't be buying the new Nexus devices. The Nexus 6 seems too big and both devices seem too expensive. I thought the point of the Nexus program was to deliver a pure Google experience at a super low cost?
As for both devices, I'm disappointed with the use of the Tegra K1 Processor because they're only going to have 2 GB RAM. What's the point of having a 64-bit processor if you're not even going to take full advantage of it? Obviously I'm not asking for 6 GB of RAM, but more and more phones are coming out with 3 GB RAM so it would be nice to see Google catch up. Or, even better, Google could have blown the competition out of the water by releasing the first phone and first tablet in history to come with 4 GB RAM. But if they just wanted to go with 2 GB RAM I would have been fine with it if they didn't bump the price up to a ridiculous amount. Couldn't they have just nixed the super expensive K1 Processor to bring it back down to a more comfortable price?
But although I wouldn't use a 6-inch phablet, I'm okay with the Nexus 6 because it does feel like a total improvement over the Nexus 5, even though it costs twice as much as the N5. Most of my disappointment is targeted toward the Nexus 9. For a 9-inch device it should have cost less than the Nexus 10. Sure, it has a K1 processor, but upgrading the processor is just par for the course when releasing a new device so I don't think it warrants such a high price tag.
It's nice that it has an 8 MP rear camera with flash, but come on, anyone who uses their tablet to take pictures looks like a skadoosh. And the 1.6 MP front-facing camera annoys me. Most people use the front-facing camera on their tablets far more than the back-facing camera, since on a tablet the front-facer is more useful since you can use it for video calling in Google Hangouts or for taking selfies. To me it at least doesn't look as awkward to take a selfie on a tablet than it is to hold up a tablet and use the back-facing camera. I wish they put their money into upgrading the front-facing camera. At the very least, if you're making video calls in Hangouts, a 1.6 MP camera doesn't cut it. I don't know, I for one would like to look presentable when video chatting.
Also, the screen kind of sucks. I don't mind the 4:3 aspect ratio, but I do think Google hit gold with the 3:2 aspect ratio of the Chromebook Pixel. I think 3:2 is the best compromise between 16:9 and 4:3, and they should have stuck with that ratio for the Nexus 9. 3:2 looks better while watching movies and it's still square enough for reading magazines or PDF's. Also, a 3:2 ratio would have set the Nexus 9 apart and made it that much more unique. More importantly, the pixel density is a huge step down from the previous Nexus tablets. Every source states that it has a 245 PPI screen. I'm sorry, but what the heck? After TWO YEARS, the Nexus 10 STILL has the highest pixel density of ANY 10-inch tablet. And for a while, the latest Nexus 7 had the highest pixel density of any tablet ever, and while it's been bested in that department, at 323 PPI it's still one of the sharpest tablet displays out there.
All in all, I just don't think the Nexus 9 is an improvement over the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10. The Nexus 7 2012 completely changed the Android tablet landscape and the Nexus 7 2013 was and still is a premium device at a ridiculously low price. The Nexus 7 is still a much better deal than the Nexus 9. At $399, the Nexus 9 is probably going to get lost in a sea of similarly-priced 9 to 10 inch devices. The market is flooded with $399 tablets, and I don't think the Nexus 9 has what it takes to stand out among the crowd. Sure, the processor is good, but they're not taking advantage of it. HTC's BoomsSound speakers seem nice, but otherwise it doesn't have any other specs that really stand out. After over a year the Nexus 7 2013 is still one of the best tablets ever made and it's also the best deal you can get for a tablet. I had plenty of incentives to upgrade from my 1st gen N7 to the 2nd gen, but I just can't justify upgrading to the $400 Nexus 9. Even if I had a Nexus 10 I wouldn't upgrade to the Nexus 9.
As for both devices, I'm disappointed with the use of the Tegra K1 Processor because they're only going to have 2 GB RAM. What's the point of having a 64-bit processor if you're not even going to take full advantage of it? Obviously I'm not asking for 6 GB of RAM, but more and more phones are coming out with 3 GB RAM so it would be nice to see Google catch up. Or, even better, Google could have blown the competition out of the water by releasing the first phone and first tablet in history to come with 4 GB RAM. But if they just wanted to go with 2 GB RAM I would have been fine with it if they didn't bump the price up to a ridiculous amount. Couldn't they have just nixed the super expensive K1 Processor to bring it back down to a more comfortable price?
But although I wouldn't use a 6-inch phablet, I'm okay with the Nexus 6 because it does feel like a total improvement over the Nexus 5, even though it costs twice as much as the N5. Most of my disappointment is targeted toward the Nexus 9. For a 9-inch device it should have cost less than the Nexus 10. Sure, it has a K1 processor, but upgrading the processor is just par for the course when releasing a new device so I don't think it warrants such a high price tag.
It's nice that it has an 8 MP rear camera with flash, but come on, anyone who uses their tablet to take pictures looks like a skadoosh. And the 1.6 MP front-facing camera annoys me. Most people use the front-facing camera on their tablets far more than the back-facing camera, since on a tablet the front-facer is more useful since you can use it for video calling in Google Hangouts or for taking selfies. To me it at least doesn't look as awkward to take a selfie on a tablet than it is to hold up a tablet and use the back-facing camera. I wish they put their money into upgrading the front-facing camera. At the very least, if you're making video calls in Hangouts, a 1.6 MP camera doesn't cut it. I don't know, I for one would like to look presentable when video chatting.
Also, the screen kind of sucks. I don't mind the 4:3 aspect ratio, but I do think Google hit gold with the 3:2 aspect ratio of the Chromebook Pixel. I think 3:2 is the best compromise between 16:9 and 4:3, and they should have stuck with that ratio for the Nexus 9. 3:2 looks better while watching movies and it's still square enough for reading magazines or PDF's. Also, a 3:2 ratio would have set the Nexus 9 apart and made it that much more unique. More importantly, the pixel density is a huge step down from the previous Nexus tablets. Every source states that it has a 245 PPI screen. I'm sorry, but what the heck? After TWO YEARS, the Nexus 10 STILL has the highest pixel density of ANY 10-inch tablet. And for a while, the latest Nexus 7 had the highest pixel density of any tablet ever, and while it's been bested in that department, at 323 PPI it's still one of the sharpest tablet displays out there.
All in all, I just don't think the Nexus 9 is an improvement over the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10. The Nexus 7 2012 completely changed the Android tablet landscape and the Nexus 7 2013 was and still is a premium device at a ridiculously low price. The Nexus 7 is still a much better deal than the Nexus 9. At $399, the Nexus 9 is probably going to get lost in a sea of similarly-priced 9 to 10 inch devices. The market is flooded with $399 tablets, and I don't think the Nexus 9 has what it takes to stand out among the crowd. Sure, the processor is good, but they're not taking advantage of it. HTC's BoomsSound speakers seem nice, but otherwise it doesn't have any other specs that really stand out. After over a year the Nexus 7 2013 is still one of the best tablets ever made and it's also the best deal you can get for a tablet. I had plenty of incentives to upgrade from my 1st gen N7 to the 2nd gen, but I just can't justify upgrading to the $400 Nexus 9. Even if I had a Nexus 10 I wouldn't upgrade to the Nexus 9.
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