HTC Nexus 9, Android 5.0 Lollipop & Bluetooth 4.1

HTC Nexus 9 resulted from a partnership between HTC and Google. In some stores, the device is known as Google Nexus 9. HTC Nexus 9 been designed slightly larger than a mini tablet therefore ideal for both portability and productivity. There will be two variants for this tablet with a Wi-Fi only version being significantly cheaper. The more feature packed 3G + LTE model will support multiple frequencies including Kenya’s 3G and 2G bands. The sides on the Nexus 9 are covered in sleek metal courtesy of HTC and also features front-facing BoomSound speakers adding oomph to anything from movies, games, music or VoIP calls.

Android 5.0 Lollipop in comparison to KitKat and Jelly Bean has been perhaps the longest wait but not anymore. HTC Nexus 9 alongside its smaller sibling, which we will talk about in our later review, are the first to feature Android 5.0 this year. Most high-end tablets are certain to get this update but if you want to dive in right away, then the HTC Nexus 9 is right here for you. Android 5.0 introduces a more beautiful interface with smoother multitasking and ability to customize notifications so that you only get those that matter the most to you. One advantage the Nexus 9 is likely to have over other tablets is prompt software updates courtesy of its close ties with the Android creator.

HTC Nexus 9 is powered by Nvidia’s processor technology. A rather strange set of Denver CPU and Kepler DX1 GPU are provided. There is 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. HTC and Google didn’t provide external memory slots on both variants of the device. We couldn’t think of a good enough reason for excluding this. Nexus 9 however supports USB On-the-go (unofficially via third-party apps) therefore you can always attach a pendrive and use it in a similar manner as on personal computer.

The display measures exactly 8.9 inches with a modest resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels. This yields about 281 pixels per inch leaving us with nothing to complain about. The whole display is based on IPS technology and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. With up to 16 million colors, reading magazines is surely going to be a delight on this slate. The Nexus 9 provides powerful performance – thanks to Nvidia’s 64-bit CPU design, while still costing much less than equally capable devices. Hopefully, we are going to see this tablet hit the Kenyan market on time with the rest of the world.

Technical specifications

Device type -Tablet
Dimensions- (LxWxD) 228.2 x 153.7 x 7.9 mm
Weight- 425 grams
OS- Android OS, 5.0 Lollipop
Processor -2.3 GHz Dual-core, Nvidia Tegra K1 chipset (64-bit)
RAM- 2GB
GPU- Kepler DX1
Internal storage -16/32GB
External storage- No
Screen size- 8.9 inches
Resolution- 1536 x 2048 pixels
Pixel density 281 ppi
Screen type- IPS capacitive, 16M colors
SIM- Optional
Speed- Optional LTE
Wi-Fi- Yes
Bluetooth- 4.1
Battery- 6700mAh
Camera- 8MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels
Video- 1080p@30fps