My completely unscientific review of the Nexus 9

[VolMan37421]

Okay, I, like everyone else, have seen and read many reviews of the Nexus 9 since it came out. I really wanted one due to the new software and I was intrigued by the form factor. However, my excitement was dimmed somewhat by the less than stellar reviews and the price tag to be honest. I wanted the 32gb but settled for 16gb due to the price and decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. As a point of reference, I have owned several iPads, the Nexus 7 2013, the Nexus 10, the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and 12.2 (Good grief, I've owned and traded away way too many tablets. No wonder my wife makes those faces, sheesh!).

I traded in my Galaxy tab pro 8.4 for the Nexus 9 but kept the tab pro 12.2. I ordered it from Amazon and have avoided the big hardware issues that many have spoken about. The back feels solid and there is minimal, if any, light bleed. The transitions are snappy and fluid, the colors are great, the sound is fine (I didn't realize so many relied on the speakers anyway; I use headphones mostly), and the form factor surprised me. I'll be glad when some of the apps I like are updated for Lollipop but that's not the tablet's fault so I can be patient (I bought a LG G3 and waited a long time for some of the apps to become compatible. the 9 is already better at that than the phone was). The tablet is easy to hold and great to read on. The screen is bright enough for me turned up only half way (again better than my G3) and the images and video look great. I don't mind the letterboxing of videos. The way I looke at that is if I want a bigger picture, I should by a bigger sized tablet. The quality is great and realistic looking to my eyes.

To me, the bottom is buy the tablet based on what you like and what you need. I would encourage anyone to find a store that has one on display to see what you think before you buy. I do wish it would have been priced lower (but don't we wish that about everything we buy these days) and the battery life could be better (couldn't they have put a bigger battery in it for the same price). With all that being said, I am very happy with the tablet. Apps run smoothly, images and videos and crisp and sharp, text is wonderful and easy to read, colors are great, and I don't find it difficult to hold at all. I would highly recommend this tablet to anyone who is considering buying it. If you are concerned about possible hardware issues, make sure you know the return policy at the location you buy it. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too.

 

[LFC1956]

I agree with OP buy the N9 “based on what you like and what you need”.

Here in Canada the 32GB is $100 more than the 16GB version. $100 for an extra 16GB in my opinion is just down right greed. The N6 on the other hand is only an extra $50 here to double the storage from 32GB to 64GB.

If you primary consumption on a tablet is games and media then I cannot recommend the N9. I do not use a tablet in portrait mode so the 4:3 form factor hinders me. I gave the N9 a try, I had it for 10 days before returning. The only concern I had with the N9 hardware was that the backside by the camera did get quite warm.

Sadly there is no one form factor that suits all needs with either one compromise has to be made by the user.