Nexus 9 impressions

[Mouettus]

I'm not much a review type of guy but I'll give you my impressions after about 12 hours with the device. Feel free to give  your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Didnt care about specs, went past the okay build quality (the back cracks when I press on it), ok speakers, light bleed on the edges of the screen and everything else because I wanted a big tablet for web content and a clean android experience which only the nexus could provide.

 

I only have one thing to say: lag, stutters and slowdowns make this tablet frustrating to use. I don't know if it's the poor performance frome the K1 processor or the lack of optimisation from the software but it bugs the hell out of me. Enough to make me want to return the unit.

 

The Nexus 9 should've been better, especially for that price. I would've endured it if it was 299$ but for 399$ (429$ in Canada), hell no! I'm now considering an iPad...

[+Warwagon MVC]

I thought the K1 was a power house

[Sikh]

I thought the K1 was a power house

 

Is in raw specs. But if the OS isn't optimized for it, then its a pos. Reports are saying that lollipop isn't optimized for the K1.

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

well,  that is disappointing. i was waiting to pick one of them up after new years.

[+Warwagon MVC]

hmm.. Just watched a video review and they said it ran great, so maybe you got a lemon.

[Max Norris]

Well can't comment on the 9, but got a few 7's in the house, none of them experience any noticeable lag or performance issues, figured the newer 9 would be even better. But then again these are still on Android 4.x, not 5.. bugs? May have to postpone updates when they hit for a little bit.

[MikeChipshop Member]

I'd take yours back.

My colleague has one and it's as smooth as one of those bald Egyptian cats covered in butter,

[Mouettus]

I dont understand the reviews as well. Some say it lags, some say it doesn't. How can it be optimised on a copy and not the other?

[techbeck]

I dont understand the reviews as well. Some say it lags, some say it doesn't. How can it be optimised on a copy and not the other?

 

May have a bad software load or a hardware issue.  Just like a car, some products may have issues right out of the box.  It happens.

[Mouettus]

May have a bad software load or a hardware issue.  Just like a car, some products may have issues right out of the box.  It happens.

What leaves me scratching my head is if I stumbled upon a lemon, I'd be fine with it. Just a simple exchange and voil?. But I'm not the only one experiencing those issues.

[techbeck]

What leaves me scratching my head is if I stumbled upon a lemon, I'd be fine with it. Just a simple exchange and voil?. But I'm not the only one experiencing those issues.

 

Could be a bad batch then.  What happens when you are an early adopter.  And if it is a major issue, waiting on HTC to report it and hopefully they will make good on replacements.  Sounds like hokey build quality if it is making a cracking sound when you touch the display.  Or just a really bad unit.

[Order_66]

I don't know if it's just bad luck or my UPS driver hates me but every Nexus device I have ever bought directly from google had to be returned because of a defect.

 

Nexus 4 (2 of them) 5, 7 and 10, everything from screen glitches to microphone issues or the unit not powering on at all (nexus 10).

[tsupersonic]

Based on the initial reviews, there are just so many inconsistencies. I blame this on Google - worst launch ever. Lollipop isn't officially out, certain bits and pieces aren't finalized, and I think they are bum rushing everything. They should've held off till Lollipop was ready to go, then released N6 and N9. I would rather have a less buggy experience even if it meant having to wait. I also blame consumers and wanting updates based on the yearly time frame. 

[techbeck]

I don't know if it's just bad luck or my UPS driver hates me but every Nexus device I have ever bought directly from google had to be returned because of a defect.

 

Nexus 4 (2 of them) 5, 7 and 10, everything from screen glitches to microphone issues or the unit not powering on at all (nexus 10).

 

Only thing I bough directly from Google was the ChromeCast.  I got my N7 from...dare I say it, Walmart because that was the only place around that had it in stock. 

[Mouettus]

Anyone got a hold of a unit yet?! Surely I must not be the only one here?!?!

[tsupersonic]

I'm not sure if I want to get one - the reviews are making me nervous. I have an iPad Air (WiFi only), which I have no complaints about, but I do want an LTE variant.

My 2 options are:

- Sell iPad Air, buy Nexus 9 LTE

- Sell iPad Air, buy iPad Air 2 LTE

 

Hopefully the N9 LTE will have some of these problems addressed.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

I just got my Nexus 9 yesterday. i think it's fantastic. it's been nothing but fast and smooth. i dont see/experience any of the issues you claim Mouettus. The screen is bright and beautiful. The construction feels great.

[MikeChipshop Member]

Kinda related (in that it's from Google) but i recently went through three screen replacements for my Nexus 5 before i found one that was usable.

[Mouettus]

Just to give you guys a little heads up.

 

Went to best buy to exchange my unit today and the new one:

- Less light bleed/discoloration

- My old unit had perfectly flush power and volume buttons. The new one, while shallow, you can now feel them when you slide your finger over 'em

- Lag: I've just had a couple minutes of use with the unit before going to work but I must say that so far so good. I'm not really experiencing major issues. Very small animation lag but nothing like the 1-3 seconds of hang time from the old unit.

 

I'll be using it more in the coming days but so far the QC from HTC isn't very good.

[tsupersonic]

Handled a N9 yesterday at Best Buy, and I was not impressed with the build quality. For that price, I would expect a build quality that is like the One M7 or One M8. I can't see myself buying this for more $250

[technord]

Yeah, I'm the same as the OP

 

My mum asked me last week to recommend a tablet for my dads christmas present.  Being an android fan I obviously said the Nexus 9.

 

Damn!  they seriously dropped the ball.  The build quality is ok, but not for the price.  The 2014 nexus line is priced in the premium bracket, so standards have changed.  This is not good value for money.

Android 5.0 was supposed to be fast, fluid and stable.  It isn't......same old android story yet again.  Too many apps doing the same thing, very confusing for people like my parents, laggy, forced closing apps...blah, blah, blah

 

Luckily I managed to be able to return it and went around the local stores looking for an alternative (had the samsung tablet in mind).

 

Ended up walking out with the ipad air 2....doh!  I don't want to have to say it, but it just represents the best value for money tablet right now.  Build quality is stunning, screen is stunning, the os seemed to me to be flawless, apps seemed to open and close as fast as blinking an eye, and not once did I get an error like the forced closed ones on the Nexus 9.  I'm not usually an apple fan, but think it's the right one for dad.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

I'm not usually an apple fan, but think it's the right one for dad.

 

Fanboyism doesn't help anything or anyone.  Better to choose the best tool for the job - that job includes the person is going to use it.  I am glad you left your pre-conceptions about Apple and their products at the door, and chose the tablet you thought would best suit your father.

 

I too am agonising about what to buy.  My Nexus 7 died this week and I really don't know what to get next...

[Anibal P]

Seems to me most of you shouldn't be buying early release hardware, the first batches will have inconsistencies, that's normal, same with Android 5, it's technically been released but still has a few bugs that will be fixed soon, if your time is "too precious" to deal with a few bugs here, and there, wait, this goes for ALL hardware, not just Android devices