Google Nexus 9 vs Apple iPad Air 2

Apple’s design with the iPad Air 2 is a meticulous one, since it employs favorable, premium materials that help to deliver a package that’s sophisticated and elegant in design. Quite simply, its aluminum body feels significantly sturdier than the matte plastic finish of the Nexus 9. Even though the two are relatively easy to handle with comfort and ease, we can’t overlook the engineering marvel of the iPad Air 2’s incredibly thin 0.24-inch profile – it makes the 0.31-inch thinness of the Nexus 9 look thick by comparison!

Neither tablet is outfitted with an extraordinary set of hardware features, as they mostly offer the usual essentials around their trims – like their power buttons, 3.5mm headset jacks, volume controls, and charging ports. However, we will point out the iPad Air 2’s Touch ID finger print sensor, which offers us another option of securing the tablet. Meanwhile, the Nexus 9’s front-firing dual speakers are appreciated, as they project audio towards us, instead of against.

Display

Having a fully-laminated display, the iPad Air 2’s 9.7-inch 1536 x 2048 Retina Display sheds some layers in the process to maintain its impressive thinness – one that’s truly commendable. However, the Nexus 9’s smaller, 8.9-inch 1536 x 2048 IPS LCD display actually holds up equally well in most departments, allowing it to match Apple's proposition.All in all, there aren’t major differences in terms of detail with their display, thanks to their sky-high resolutions. Things are considerably more interesting when we look at their color reproduction, as both exhibit slight inaccuracies and imperfections that makes comparing them kind of fun. Color temperature is around 7000 K with both devices, meaning their blues are slightly more accentuated than their reds, but this kind of deviation is more than tolerable. However, the Nexus 9's white point has a noticeable shift towards the purple hues, which can be easily seen in the display benchmark charts below. Meanwhile, the iPad Air 2 manages to hold on to a more natural-looking white. When all is said and done, neither IPS screen is flawless, but they are both a joy to view.

When we look at the big picture, we can certainly agree that iOS 8 brings forth some welcome features to its package, which in hindsight, guarantees it a competitive level of versatility. For all of the new features, like its support for third-party keyboards, discrete interaction with notifications, and an enhanced spotlight feature, iOS 8 still continues to adhere to the principles set forth by Apple – that, of course, is simplicity and ease of use.Meanwhile, it's good to see that Android 5.0 Lollipop introduces a fresh visual update to the platform. First and foremost, there’s the matter with the platform’s Material Design, which brings a playful, dynamic look. The fun doesn’t stop there, seeing that the most up-to-date version of Android is filled with several secondary features that deepen its experience even further, with features such as support for multiple users, prioritized notifications, and more.If we compare the core propositions of both plaforms, Android 5.0 Lollipop proves to have some more depth and customizability to it, which is something that we truly appreciate. Looking at the software ecosystem aspect of the equation, though, it appears that developers are paying much more attention to Apple's tablet, than those running on Android. The sheer number and impressive quality of iPad-optimized applications easily overshadows what could be found out there for Android-powered tabs.

Impressively, the two tablets here don’t disappoint with their performances, as they achieve the same level of finesse with basic tasks. The iPad Air 2 is greeted with a triple-core 1.5GHz Apple A8X chip based on 64-bit architecture and coupled with 2GB of RAM, while the Nexus 9 is powered by an equally formidable dual-core 2.3GHz NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM. Even though they effortlessly perform basic tasks, the iPad Air 2’s GPU goes into higher gear when it comes to running today’s 3D intensive gaming titles.

Sorry folks, neither tablet offers expandable storage – so we’re left to relying on their internal capacities. Specifically, the iPad Air 2 is available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB configurations, whereas the Nexus 9 is only sold in 16GB or 32GB.

Surfing the web is a task that’s easily accomplished by the two, as they offer speedy page loads, sharp screens, and buttery navigational controls – the hallmarks of any high-end device. Knowing that, there’s not one we’re greatly using more for the occasion than the other.


Obviously, they’re available as Wi-Fi-only options, but as an alternative, they can also be bought with LTE connectivity – for those who require wider connectivity, naturally. Moreover, they boast nearly the same set of connectivity features, such as aGPS and Bluetooth 4.0. However, the Nexus 9 comes with NFC.

Simplicity – this is one of the main principles that the two tablets abide by – and we see it exactly with their respective camera apps. So much so that the major focus of their interfaces is the viewfinder, with a relatively small emphasis being put on manual controls or different shooting modes. Armed with 8-megapixel rear cameras, it would seem that there’s not going to be a huge disparity between their qualities. 

Well, that’s certainly true with the exception of exposure – where the iPad Air 2 seems to do a slightly better job at it, as the Nexus 9’s shots sometimes appear over-exposed. Details are pretty much identical in all sorts of lighting conditions, which means that there’s not a significant winner in this category. Meanwhile, the images of the iPad Air 2 tend to look a tad livelier compared to those produced by its opponent.

You’d think that the iPad Air 2 would be the one with the lower capacity battery after looking at its incredibly thin construction, but in fact, it’s packing along the larger one. To be precise, inside sits a 7340 mAh battery – whereas with the Nexus 9, it carries along a lower capacity 6700 mAh one. In our real world experience, the two are more than capable of lasting us through a solid one-day of normal usage, but our battery benchmark tests reveal something else. Despite its lower capacity, it’s the Nexus 9 that achieves a longer time with our test – 9 hours and 24 minutes to be precise. It’s a mark that beats the iPad Air 2’s time of 7 hours and 27 minutes.

These two couldn’t be any more different on the outside, as one impressively stands out for its premium design and svelte construction – while the other follows a more humble and modest path. Mainly due to that disparity, it makes perfect sense why the iPad Air 2 costs $500, versus the $400 price tag of the Nexus 9. Obviously, the difference in that chunk of change is profound, one that favors Apple’s achievement in producing its tablet.

Eliminating their looks and specs, these two tablets rival one another in a variety of key categories. For examples, they have stunningly detailed screens, they snap sharp looking photos with their cameras, and they even perform swimmingly with barely a hint of slowdown or lag. However, there’s the matter regarding their platform experiences – where the Android 5.0 Lollipop experience of the Nexus 9 proves to be more versatile and customizable when it comes to its core experience, the iOS's polished UI takes advantage of a richer app ecosystem that considerably widens its productivity and entertainment capabilities.

All told, if you’re looking for an excellent all-around tablet that has a stunning design to match its prowess, then stick with the iPad Air 2 – more so if cost isn’t a factor for you. Conversely, go with the Nexus 9 if you’re looking for a slightly cheaper tablet that’ll be used more in the home by multiple members, in addition to yourself.