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Google Nexus 9 |OT| Looks like an iPad, must be an iPad!
- Thread starter Aiii
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indigo-cyclops
Member
I really feel like I should just cancel this. It's yet to be marked as shipped on Amazon and really, there's just too much uncertainty. I could wait it out and see what happens with the next batch, or just skip on getting a tablet another year. The OS and the unrestricted hardware was a major draw for me but if I can just get something nicer and then root it and throw stock Lollipop on it then why the hell dive in on this if it's not near perfect?
Honestly I'm more tempted to just drop my work bonus on a Wii U or Xbox One than this. My HTC One M7 is still kicking. I mainly wanted this tablet for digital comics reading, some gaming, and browsing while I sit in my recliner.
Very lukewarm on this whole thing now.
Honestly I'm more tempted to just drop my work bonus on a Wii U or Xbox One than this. My HTC One M7 is still kicking. I mainly wanted this tablet for digital comics reading, some gaming, and browsing while I sit in my recliner.
Very lukewarm on this whole thing now.
shamo42
Member
Thanks for the impressions. Could you maybe upload a pic of light bleed on the black bars when a video is playing. Did you notice any of the performance issues mentioned in the reviews before and after the update?
fluffydelusions
Member
Kind of unfortunate. I remember getting the n7 at launch and it suffered from light bleed and screen lift. I guess I'll wait for future batches where the issues are resolved. For me, I hate light bleed. Really annoying when watching movies in bed at night. I imagine with the screen ratio on this there would be black bars for some stuff? That would make it even more noticeable.
Ken Masters
Banned
So the nexus 9 is a tablet, and the verge compares it to the competition market leading tablet, the iPad
Who woulda thunk it that they would have the audacity to compare a tablet to the another tablet it's competing against, those bastard apple fanboys... The nerve to prefer the iPad over it, which most are saying already it's better, how dare they
The verge constantly bashes the iPad over just that, Jesus christ you fanboys just live in your own little bubble
I know I'm not The Verge or Phonearena, but I really like mine. I'm not a reviewer, but I think criticisms were overblown. Android Police mentioned some stuttering, but I just don't expereience that. It could be the 268MB update I had to download before even using the tablet.
If you're an Android fan, and you probably are being here, then this is [imo] the best tablet out. The size sits beautifully between an iPad Mini (7.9") and the iPad Air (9.7"). I've heard people comment that Android app devs need to alter apps to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio... I haven't expereienced that either. Android by nature is "responsive" and relative to the screen size. I've yet to encounter an app that I thought looked odd... now my iPhone 6 is a different story... still waiting for some devs to update apps for the larger screen.
There are a few apps that seem to not be updated to Lollipop, or maybe just yet to have support enabled for N9 hardware. Two that I used semi-often are Dropbox and Sportscenter, so I'd hold off if your life depends on Dropbox. I use Drive more often (mom had 100GB free from a Chromebook).
The build quality is on par with the Nexus 5 I'd say. I'm scared to push in the back, but I'm sure it's as flimsy as any other N9. During usage, though, it does not feel loose or flexible at all.
I'm kind of rambling now, trying to cover points of contention as they pop in my head. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
Oh, and if you're curious - I have the 32GB black version, bought at Best Buy. I originally bought a 32GB white from Amazon, but they had yet to ship as of 7pm last night and the "estimated delivery" was today. I did not feel like taking that risk.
If you're an Android fan, and you probably are being here, then this is [imo] the best tablet out. The size sits beautifully between an iPad Mini (7.9") and the iPad Air (9.7"). I've heard people comment that Android app devs need to alter apps to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio... I haven't expereienced that either. Android by nature is "responsive" and relative to the screen size. I've yet to encounter an app that I thought looked odd... now my iPhone 6 is a different story... still waiting for some devs to update apps for the larger screen.
There are a few apps that seem to not be updated to Lollipop, or maybe just yet to have support enabled for N9 hardware. Two that I used semi-often are Dropbox and Sportscenter, so I'd hold off if your life depends on Dropbox. I use Drive more often (mom had 100GB free from a Chromebook).
The build quality is on par with the Nexus 5 I'd say. I'm scared to push in the back, but I'm sure it's as flimsy as any other N9. During usage, though, it does not feel loose or flexible at all.
I'm kind of rambling now, trying to cover points of contention as they pop in my head. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
Oh, and if you're curious - I have the 32GB black version, bought at Best Buy. I originally bought a 32GB white from Amazon, but they had yet to ship as of 7pm last night and the "estimated delivery" was today. I did not feel like taking that risk.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I felt the complete opposite with Engadget's. It seemed like the reviewer was disappointed overall with the device.
I'll try and take a picture later, but like I said it's so faint that if you weren't told it was there you more than likely would never notice it, the only time I really saw it was when the tablet was booting up and the screen was all black. Even then I really had to look at it to see it at all. It's only on the top end by the front facing camera.
The device has been buttery smooth so far. No stuttering or lagging when switching apps. And that's going from stuff like Republique to Chrome to Play Store. It does get pretty warm by the camera when I play Republique, but not hot hot. Overall I find the build quality to be fine. Nothing feels loose or fragile. Yeah the back isn't fixed but again you will never notice that unless you look for it.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far. I kind of regret caving and getting the 16gb since theres only 11gb of usable space, compared to my Nexus 7's near 14, but even after packing it with all the apps and big games I want to play I still have 4gb left and OTG with USB stick works without root. So it's not a huge deal. I really should be saving my money so that nearly extra hundred bucks is better spent elsewhere.
Why are you always going out of your way to defend the website? Everyone knows they provide inconsistent, shitty reviews and it's clear that the Nexus 9 is one of those.
Had the device (white 32GB) now for about 5 hours, been sneaking time away with it behind my desk at work all day, to set it up and poke around.
I also have yet to notice much of anything in terms of slowdowns, it did slow down a little as I was installing an app, but come on, I was installing an app. Other than that switching in and out of applications, flicking around stuff, opening this and that all went smooth as butter, not a single complain there at all.
I have little complaints about the build quality, though I did notice the slight light bleed at the edges when I went looking for it on a black background and turned the brightness up to max (I keep it around 30% normally). The back does indeed have a little room around the "US" of the Nexus branding on the back. It's small, but it's there, underneath it is solidness, so it sort of feels like an ill fitting skin tight sleeve would. I don't notice it at all when holding the device (I prefer to keep it in portrait mode, for what it's worth), so I don't see it as a problem at all, probably will forget about it in a week or so.
Other than that, I agree with Nitsuj23 and will echo that it feels every bit as good as the Nexus 5 in terms of overal build quality. The tap-to-wake is very convenient, as is the addition of vibration to the tablet, this is the first time I had a tablet that has a vibration motor and while it might seem insignificant, it really helps.
Can't judge battery life yet, I've been charging and using it through my laptop USB, so it's been a slow process so far. What I do think kind of sucks is that the "Notification Light" isn't actually a notification light as the Nexus 5 and 7 had, but a battery indicator instead. That's a shame, the notification light is great. However, notifications are still easily checked through tap-to-wake, so I guess that'll have to do.
As for the 4:3 app situation, as Nitsuj23 mentioned, most apps are pretty well built around a responsive design that does the trick for a lot of them. The only app (of the ones I use) I found to not take full advantage of the extra width in portrait mode was the Facebook app. Other than that, I'm loving the extra space on the homescreen for widgets and icons.
All in all, I think the device delivered on my expectations, I've been using Android L preview on the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 for months now and have loved its design, the 4:3 only adds to the enjoyment. For those on the fence because of the bad reviews, definitely go check the device out in-store somewhere or something to see if the (perceived and actual) issues are something you can't deal with.
I also have yet to notice much of anything in terms of slowdowns, it did slow down a little as I was installing an app, but come on, I was installing an app. Other than that switching in and out of applications, flicking around stuff, opening this and that all went smooth as butter, not a single complain there at all.
I have little complaints about the build quality, though I did notice the slight light bleed at the edges when I went looking for it on a black background and turned the brightness up to max (I keep it around 30% normally). The back does indeed have a little room around the "US" of the Nexus branding on the back. It's small, but it's there, underneath it is solidness, so it sort of feels like an ill fitting skin tight sleeve would. I don't notice it at all when holding the device (I prefer to keep it in portrait mode, for what it's worth), so I don't see it as a problem at all, probably will forget about it in a week or so.
Other than that, I agree with Nitsuj23 and will echo that it feels every bit as good as the Nexus 5 in terms of overal build quality. The tap-to-wake is very convenient, as is the addition of vibration to the tablet, this is the first time I had a tablet that has a vibration motor and while it might seem insignificant, it really helps.
Can't judge battery life yet, I've been charging and using it through my laptop USB, so it's been a slow process so far. What I do think kind of sucks is that the "Notification Light" isn't actually a notification light as the Nexus 5 and 7 had, but a battery indicator instead. That's a shame, the notification light is great. However, notifications are still easily checked through tap-to-wake, so I guess that'll have to do.
As for the 4:3 app situation, as Nitsuj23 mentioned, most apps are pretty well built around a responsive design that does the trick for a lot of them. The only app (of the ones I use) I found to not take full advantage of the extra width in portrait mode was the Facebook app. Other than that, I'm loving the extra space on the homescreen for widgets and icons.
All in all, I think the device delivered on my expectations, I've been using Android L preview on the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 for months now and have loved its design, the 4:3 only adds to the enjoyment. For those on the fence because of the bad reviews, definitely go check the device out in-store somewhere or something to see if the (perceived and actual) issues are something you can't deal with.
Ken Masters
Banned
But it isn't a shitty review. The iPad is THE tablet on the market so all tablets, especially one of such similar size and price, will be compared to it as that is its chief rival
Right, but what about people who do not want to use iOS. When The Verge puts a con of the LG R Watch as "not compatible with iPhone" how are you supposed to take anything they do seriously? Will they say a con of the Apple Watch is that it's not compatible with Android?
Honestly, the OS makes the difference to me. I prefer Android. On my tablet. On my phone. Everywhere. This is coming from someone who HATED Android pre-4.0. I'm 24 and have had my MacRumors account since 2004, I was 14. I have a long history of loving Apple. Comparing this to the iPad does jack shit for me because it runs iOS.
What tablet apps am I missing out on by not having an iPad? I'm not a touch screen gamer at all. I also don't do anything productive on a tablet (and when I do, Google's suite of office-esque apps serve their purpose). I don't need Pixelmator. I have a 13" MacBook Air and a pretty well off gaming PC.
For a tablet, this is what I want. I don't care the iPad has an all metal back when I (my personal preference) do not really like iOS. I hate not setting default apps. I hate copying URLs in Safari to open them in Chrome. I hate clicking tweets takes me to a mobile web Twitter. I just hate being in Apple's iOS sandbox. So no matter how much you bring up the iPad those things remain true.
So no, it's not THE best tablet. In YOUR (and The Verge's) opinion it's the best tablet. If it ran L, then yeah, it might be the best tablet. But it does not. So it's not.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Just cancelled. Got an email from Amazon saying it wouldn't arrive until fucking Dec 24! I wanted lunar white, so I don't really care to settle for a black one at best buy. Honestly I think I'm just going to wait it out and see how it all unfolds. Maybe there will be a second batch that fixes the hardware issues, but probably not. This whole thing has been bungled as fuck.
FallingEdge
Member
Nothing for me yet. Still waiting to hear anything from Amazon.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Yea that is exactly what happened to me. Not a peep about it. I even ccontacted CS chat last night and they assured me it would arrive today. Haha, what a joke. How out of the loop are they over there?
Is this real? I'll buy right now if not a scam
cuevas. PhD.
Member
limited quantities, probs sold out
SolidSnakeUS
Member
Same problem for me.
I'm on my phone at work with the same problem. It said white was sold out and it said black 400 dollars once though and couldn't load. Dammit!
threetri333
Banned
I had the cart button, but I had to refreshed the page. -_-
No, it's just a shitty marketing thing. They probably only had a couple hundred at most on sale for that price.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Managed to click the add to cart button but it just turns up no data when you click it. Probably crashed their server. The fact that I can't even get the original I ordered from Amazon just reassures me that I should wait. The fact that HTC is already doing a deal like this seems weird but it could be nothing.
HTC is making them so they can make the most margin. Plus did anyone even know HTC had a web store? This sales gets the word out.
threetri333
Banned
Can anyone post a screenshot of the website that has the promotion of Nexus 9 half off please?
No longer 50% off. $50 off now. Website getting blasted - can't get the damn thing in my cart.
http://www.htc.com/us/go/htc-hot-deals/
UltraMagnanimous
Member
Now do the same for the N5 Google!
It is a shitty review. It's fine to make comparisons to the iPad, but that review was excessive. That's not how you review a product. They should have a separate tablet comparison article.
I got more important information from Anandtechs preview than I did from all of the verge review.
Unlocking the bootloader is already done no problem it seems. Root should be achieved shortly as well.
I'd have less concerns about comparisons to the iPad if it wasn't the ONLY comparison they were making. It would seem to make sense to include the Galaxy Tab S in comparisons (maybe even the Kindle HDX for good measure), to provide an Android alternative. For example, they compare the screen of the Nexus to the iPad. Would a potential buyer want to know that an Android alternative exists with a superior screen to both? The implication is that if that aspect is important to you, the iPad is your best alternative to the Nexus. The whole article basically suggests you're choosing between a Nexus and an iPad if you're looking at a high-end tablet, which is a disservice to readers.
I'd say yes. I so far don't feel like 400 was too much for it. I'm quite pleased with it, but I've only had it for less than a day.
First thing I did, no reason to go through the whole set-up and configuring of the device another time when rooting is available.
Reddit: Review of Nexus 9 reviews
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2l7ih6/my_review_of_nexus_9_reviews/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2l7ih6/my_review_of_nexus_9_reviews/
YES
I've had the device today. Here is what I think of it.
The screen is nice but there is some flicker sometimes. Others have mentioned this I think but I would have noticed this myself. The screen ever so slightly inceases/decreases in brightness. There is also some light bleed at the top and at the bottom also.
Build quality... There is definitely gap that you can feel at the back. For me its in the middle but also on the lower left side. So when I hold it in portrait mode with my left hand, I can feel it in the lower left of the tablet. I wouldnt mind the gap too much if it was just in the middle... But I feel it every time I hold the device. Worse still is that it makes a slight click/tap noise every time I hold it.
Battery life is also not good. Currently as I type this post on the nexus itself, I've had just roughly 4 hours of screen time! With about 15% remaining and its stating that I have about 50 mins left. This is with no gaming or anything intense at all. Just GAF internet WiFi browsing. This is the biggest deal breaker for me. How google is getting that 9 hour plus figure I dunno.I haven't even tried any gaming yet! Wonder how long the battery would last then!
Charging is also really slow with this.
Yes the back top right of the device gets warm. But I don't think its really an issue. But bare in mind I haven't done any gaming on it so don't know how hot would be when under load.
I did have an update when I set the device up about 300 Meg ish. Brightness is set to about a third which is bright enough.
This is my first android tablet coming off an iPad air 1. I wanted to switch since I like the freedom that android offers (love my nexus 5 except the current shitty battery life). I hated the tab reloading/limit in safari, the placement of the speakers, having to jailbreak in order to do simple things like using emulators and constantly having to get new charging cables which cost a bit. This nexus solves all those issues... But now I have lacklustre battery life and build quality issues.
Say what you want about the iPads but their battery life has always been great for me.
I was considering getting a replacement, but with even HTC discounting it hugely after only one day...doesn't seem like they have faith in this product. I'm going to send this back to google and ask for my money back. Shame really since its got many nice things going for it. Lollipop is nice.
Any questions feel free to ask. I have one myself though...
I don't want to go back to my iPad. What's the best android tablet going at the moment which also has great battery life similar to ipads?
The screen is nice but there is some flicker sometimes. Others have mentioned this I think but I would have noticed this myself. The screen ever so slightly inceases/decreases in brightness. There is also some light bleed at the top and at the bottom also.
Build quality... There is definitely gap that you can feel at the back. For me its in the middle but also on the lower left side. So when I hold it in portrait mode with my left hand, I can feel it in the lower left of the tablet. I wouldnt mind the gap too much if it was just in the middle... But I feel it every time I hold the device. Worse still is that it makes a slight click/tap noise every time I hold it.
Battery life is also not good. Currently as I type this post on the nexus itself, I've had just roughly 4 hours of screen time! With about 15% remaining and its stating that I have about 50 mins left. This is with no gaming or anything intense at all. Just GAF internet WiFi browsing. This is the biggest deal breaker for me. How google is getting that 9 hour plus figure I dunno.I haven't even tried any gaming yet! Wonder how long the battery would last then!
Charging is also really slow with this.
Yes the back top right of the device gets warm. But I don't think its really an issue. But bare in mind I haven't done any gaming on it so don't know how hot would be when under load.
I did have an update when I set the device up about 300 Meg ish. Brightness is set to about a third which is bright enough.
This is my first android tablet coming off an iPad air 1. I wanted to switch since I like the freedom that android offers (love my nexus 5 except the current shitty battery life). I hated the tab reloading/limit in safari, the placement of the speakers, having to jailbreak in order to do simple things like using emulators and constantly having to get new charging cables which cost a bit. This nexus solves all those issues... But now I have lacklustre battery life and build quality issues.
Say what you want about the iPads but their battery life has always been great for me.
I was considering getting a replacement, but with even HTC discounting it hugely after only one day...doesn't seem like they have faith in this product. I'm going to send this back to google and ask for my money back. Shame really since its got many nice things going for it. Lollipop is nice.
Any questions feel free to ask. I have one myself though...
I don't want to go back to my iPad. What's the best android tablet going at the moment which also has great battery life similar to ipads?
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