Here’s how Google’s Nexus nine stacks up against Apple’s iPad Air Two

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Executive Editor, Greenbot | Oct 16, two thousand fourteen 12:20 PM PT

In the span of two days, the two best tablets of the fall have been announced. On Wednesday, Google took the wraps off the Nexus 9, a spectacular fresh high-end tablet manufactured by HTC. Thursday, Apple announced the iPad Air Two, a modest upgrade to last year’s stellar iPad Air.

Naturally, one runs iOS eight and its associated apps, and one runs Android Lollipop and its apps. For many users, that’s difference enough to choose one over the other. If you’re not married to either ecosystem, and you want to know where to dive in, consider these points of comparison.

They both feature prompt, dual-core 64-bit processors

The Nexus nine is based around the fresh dual-core 64-bit version of Nvidia’s Tegra K1 chip, running at Two.3GHz with 2GB of RAM. Early leaked benchmarks suggest it is even quicker than the very rapid quad-core version of the Tegra K1 you find in products like the Shield Tablet. Android Lollipop is the very first 64-bit capable version of Android, so you can love the enhanced spectacle and efficiency of native 64-bit apps, in addition to all the 32-bit apps out there already.

Of course, Apple has been shipping a 64-bit mobile chip and OS since last year. The A8X in the iPad Air two is also a 64-bit dual-core powerhouse, and however Apple hasn’t confirmed it, rumor says the A8X is Apple’s very first mobile chip to include 2GB of RAM.

Both processors have utterly rapid graphics processors. The Tegra K1’s GPU is far and away the fastest we’ve ever tested in an Android device, but Apple consistently offers utterly rapid and sturdy graphics in its mobile processors. Without running some head-to-head benchmarks, it’s hard to say which is swifter. Suffice it to say, these two tablets are likely to have the best graphics spectacle of any ARM-based tablet to date.

The Nexus nine is a bit smaller, but thicker

Google’s fresh tablet is 8.98 inches tall and 6.05 inches broad. The iPad Air two is thicker, at 9.44 inches tall and 6.67 inches broad.

However, while the Nexus nine is a reasonable 0.31 inches thick, the iPad Air two is only 0.24 inches thick.

That gives the Nexus nine a total volume of 16.85 cubic inches, while the iPad Air has a volume of only 13.22 cubic inches. That thinner profile indeed makes a difference!

The iPad Air two has a fatter display

At 9.7 inches, the Apple’s tablet gives you almost an extra inch’s worth of display compared to the 8.9-inch Nexus 9.

Interestingly, the displays on both tablets are IPS LCDs with a resolution of two thousand forty eight x one thousand five hundred thirty six and a Four:Three aspect ratio.

They weigh about the same

The Nexus nine weighs 0.93 pounds. The iPad Air two weighs 0.96 pounds. I doubt you’ll notice the difference in weight inbetween the two. You’re more likely to notice the substantial difference in thickness.

They both suggest quick 802.11ac Wi-Fi

No matter which tablet you choose, you should get awesome speeds from your advanced 802.11ac router with MIMO. Both tablets have broad support for carrier frequencies in their cellular versions, so you can very likely use either tablet on whichever carrier you wish.

Interestingly, the iPad Air two only features Bluetooth Four.0, while the Nexus nine has Bluetooth Four.1. That’s not going to make a difference to you as an everyday user, however. All those fancy battery-saving "low energy" Bluetooth devices require only the Four.0 version of the spec.

The Nexus nine is cheaper

The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Nexus nine starts at $400, and you can bump that up to 32GB for $80 more. The LTE-enabled 32GB version is $600.

The iPad Air two starts at $500 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. Apple doesn’t suggest a 32GB version, but the 64GB version is $100 more. The LTE-enabled versions costs $130 more, so if you want cellular connectivity on your tablet, you will spend at least $630 and get only 16GB of storage.

Only the iPad Air two offers more than 32GB of storage

Neither tablet features expandable storage, so if you plan on loading up with a ton of hi-def movies or large games, you may want more storage. Only the iPad Air two offers 64GB and 128GB options. Unluckily, if you think 64GB is too much and 16GB is not enough, you’re out of luck—Apple makes no 32GB version.

They both have 8-megapixel rear and 1.2-megapixel front cameras

Both the Nexus nine and iPad Air will have an 8-megapixel rear camera with an f/Two.Four aperture. The front-facing cameras on both tablets are indeed made for movie talk more than high-res selfies, and they’re both a mere 1.Two megapixels.

Specs are one thing, but megapixels alone don’t make for a excellent photo. The quality of the photos and movie taken from these cameras is still unknown. We’ll have to get our arms on each of them to do a decent comparison.

The iPad Air has a fingerprint sensor

Apple has eventually brought its Touch ID sensor over from the iPhone to the iPad. The Nexus nine has no similar capability.

You can get a keyboard case for either one

Google is suggesting an official keyboard cover for the Nexus 9, making it lighter than ever to get some work done on your Android tablet. While Apple doesn’t make an official keyboard cover for the iPad, several third-party companies do, and they’re sure to make updated versions for the iPad Air Two.

The Nexus nine will have better speakers

Apple doesn’t want to mess up the clean front of its tablets with speakers, so it plunges them down along the bottom edge. The Nexus nine has a pair of front-facing speakers on opposite sides of the screen. You’ll most likely notice a hefty difference when watching movies or playing games.

Android tablets suffer from a bit of an ‘app gap’

When it comes to phones, Android has almost all the major apps the iPhone does. Developers simply can’t disregard Google’s ecosystem, and with a few exceptions, most of the best apps launch on Android either right when the iOS version launches, or very shortly thereafter.

When it comes to tablets, the situation isn’t as rosy. The Android tablet app selection is growing quickly, but it’s still far behind the iPad’s. Many Android tablet apps are just the phone apps, half-heartedly tweaked for the larger display, while iPad apps are more cautiously optimized for the format.

Android tablet sales are improving, and with it, the selection of truly tablet-optimized apps. But right now, the iPad has a clear lead in this area.

Jason has written professionally about technology and movie games for almost twenty years. His aim in life is to figure out how complicated technology works and explain it in a way anyone can understand.

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