Okay, the Google news is expected to come hot and heavy over the next week. Why? It’s because Google is releasing a new version of Android which is 64-bit and is likely to be named Lollipop. With fall updates to Android, Google likes to release Nexus branded devices to showcase what the new version of their software is capable of. So here is where it gets interesting.
What is expected is a Nexus 9 announcement on October 15th, with pre order starting immediately. The release date is hotly rumored to be November 3. Price is also hotly rumored to be $399 which is likely a 16GB model, with a 32GB model likely priced at $50 to $75 more, but likely at $499. Then comes the Nexus 9 4G edition which will climb even higher in price. The tablet is made by HTC and their executives have confirmed this week that they are making the Nexus 9.
In the past, Google limited some releases of their Nexus devices to Google Play Store. In this case, the Nexus 9 is expected to be widely available which will include all the major retailers in Canada including Future Shop, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Amazon.ca and others.
We’ve also seen in the past few weeks, leaked photos of a Nexus 9 keyboard case that is similar to what the Microsoft Surface tablet uses. Don’t expect that to be cheap, but a keyboard case can make this quite the ultraportable computing solution.
What you need to know about the Nexus 9 is that it’s 8.9-inches and will feature a 64-bit Nvidia Tegra K1 Denver processor. The resolution will be a 2048 x 1440 pixel display, front-facing stereo speakers, and 2GB of RAM. The backing of the Nexus 9 appears to be the same material that is used on the Nexus 5. These are the latest rumors and with such a close announcement, these should be very accurate.
Update October 11, 2014:
Nexus 9 Specs:
iPad Mini 2 (2014) vs Nexus 9
This is going to be interesting. You may very well be seeing the Nexus 9 show up one day prior to the Nexus 9 unveiling. It certainly seems that Google is going head-in with Apple and it’s quite intentional. A Nexus 9 vs iPad Mini is a fair comparison. As more details emerge, the better our comparison will be. Right out of the gate, Google and their Nexus 9 is going to be cheaper. That’s a given. From that point you start getting into weight, size and battery life. I’m expecting this next version of Android to have the best battery life usage yet. We’ve been told as much. In general Apple has been able to beat the competition (Android tablets) quite easily when it comes to the all important battery life. Here is the year, 2014 when that margin of victory for Apple is about to shrink by a good margin, if not completely. Expect the iPad Mini to be of a higher quality build, but that’s expected when the price is significantly higher than the Nexus 9. Front facing speakers? That could be a big win for Google if Apple doesn’t bring that to the table in their 2014 version iPad Mini. We consume media on tablets and we all know that side mounted speakers is far from ideal. Look for a win by Google when it comes to audio and sound.
Nexus 9 vs iPad Air 2 (2014)
With the Nexus 9 landing right in the middle of both sizes of iPads, the iPad Air 2014 may not be quite a fair comparison. None the less, I’m sure you want to know how the Nexus 9 stacks up and what compromises you might have to make should you choose one over the other. We are awaiting more solid specs before we can make a fair assessment. Stay tuned, more is upcoming!
