Nexus 9 unboxing and first impressions

The refresh to the Nexus tablet line is finally here, and just like the bump in size the Nexus smartphone received, the Nexus 9, as the name suggests, now boasts a larger 8.9-inch display. The Nexus 9 also brings HTC back into the Nexus fold, and is also the first tablet the company has manufactured in a while. With the best of HTC and a stock Android experience, what does the Nexus 9 have to offer? Before diving into a more comprehensive review, we take a quick a look at the unboxing, and give you our first impressions about the Nexus 9!

Unboxing

If you’ve watched our unboxing of the Nexus 6, you’ll notice that the Nexus 9 comes in a similar plain white box, this time with a large 9 up top. Opening up the box shows you the tablet in all its glory, and underneath, you will find the microUSB cable and the AC wall charging adapter. That is all that is in the box, but this is probably not the final retail packaging though, since there was no documentation in the box, including any user guides or warranty information.

First Impressions

When it comes to the design, the Nexus 9 features a sleek metal frame, and a soft touch plastic back that makes it feel very solid in the hand. HTC has always been committed to great build quality and design, and that certainly comes through here.

Up front is an 8.9-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which isn’t something you see very often on Android devices anymore. The display is very bright and vivid, with great looking colors. In terms of specifications, this is an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536, resulting in a pixel density of 281 ppi.

Being manufactured by HTC, a signature feature makes it over to the Nexus 9, and that is the front-facing BoomSound speakers. In the short time I got to spend with it so far, I am already very impressed by the audio quality. They are loud, crisp and clear, with a lot of depth, and sound as good as you’d expect from a current HTC device.

On the back is a 8 MP camera with LED flash, and at least on paper, this is the best Nexus tablet camera we’ve seen. It sounds like it could be promising, but once again, a tablet camera is likely not going to match up to its smartphone counterparts. A more detailed look at the camera will be done in the upcoming full review.

Great design and features aside, what makes the Nexus 9 special is the fact that it is the first tablet to feature Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. This is biggest overhaul to Android since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and brings with it all the Material Design goodness that we’ve all been looking forward to. Changes are obvious even from the initial setup process. Apart from the brighter motif that you’ll see throughout the UI, you now have the option to restore settings, apps, and data from other Android devices, making the process a whole lot easier that it has ever been before. Apps, menus, and every individual design element come together wonderfully in a smooth and seamless experience. There are numerous changes made in Android 5.0, including improvements to the lockscreen and notification center.

So there you have it – a quick look at the unboxing and our first impressions about the Nexus 9! Obviously, there is a lot more to talk about with the Nexus 9, including the performance with the Tegra K1 processor, the upgraded camera, and the many features of Android 5.0 Lollipop, so stay tuned as we bring you a comprehensive review of the Google Nexus 9.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1DJVWVL

Nexus 6 unboxing and first impressions

While leaks and rumors of the “Motorola Shamu” gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect with the Google Nexus 6, what took everyone by surprise was the massive upgrade from its predecessor in every aspect, including the price point. The Nexus 6 offers the best of the best currently available, is certainly far more in line with its flagship counterparts than previous iterations were, in terms of specifications, design, but unfortunately, price. Before diving into a full review, we take a quick look at the unboxing, and give you our first impressions about the Google Nexus 6!

Unboxing

The box itself doesn’t have anything to it apart from a large 6 at the top, but the final retail packaging may be a little different. Opening the large white box shows you the Nexus 6 in all its glory, and you don’t have to pick it up to see that it’s a big phone. Apart from the phone, inside the box is some documentation, including a start guide and warranty information, and a SIM tray unlock tool all inside a colorful orange packaging.

Also in the box are the microUSB cable and the AC wall charging adapter. What will certainly be very appreciated is the fact that the charger is the Motorola Turbo Charger that was introduced along with the Moto X (2014) with a price point of $34.99. With the Moto X, you get up to 8 hours of use after a charge of just 15 minutes, and it’ll be very interesting to see what kind of boost the battery life gets in the case of the Nexus 6.

First Impressions

When it comes to the design, the Nexus 6 is basically a blown up version of the Moto X (2014), including the metal frame, the significant curve on the back, the dual LED ring flash around the camera optics, and the front-facing speaker setup. Apart from the size, the only small differences that can be found are with the Motorola logo, that isn’t as prominent as is the case with its counterpart, and is in fact, similar to the logo indentation that was found with the original Moto X. And of course, there is a large Nexus logo on the back as well.

With its 5.96-inch display, there’s no denying that the Nexus 6 is a very large device, and the handling could take some getting used to, especially if phones of this size haven’t been your daily driver in the past. Anyone familiar with the Galaxy Note line and other phablets will feel right at home with the girth of the Nexus 6, but for others, including those planning to upgrade from the Nexus 5, are looking at a bit of a learning curve.

That said, the handling experience isn’t that bad. Motorola has always shown a lot of prowess when it comes to the ergonomics of their devices, and that continues with the Nexus 6. The curve on the back allows for the phone to comfortably nestle into your palm, and the thin metallic sides make it easy to grip the device. The volume rocker is found below the power the button on the right side, and doesn’t require any hand gymnastics to reach.

Under the hood are all the latest and greatest specifications you can find, currently matched only by the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Up front is a screen that has not only received a massive upgrade in size, but also in resolution, with the Nexus 6 featuring a 5.96-inch Quad HD AMOLED display with a pixel density of 493 ppi. We will further explore the display and other hardware aspects in detail in the upcoming comprehensive review.

The other big story with the Nexus 6 is, of course, with regards to the software. The Nexus 6 is the first smartphone to feature Android 5.0 Lollipop, and all the Material Design goodness that it entails. The differences are evident right from the start, even while going through the initial setup process. Every transition, while jumping in and out of apps, opening the app drawer, accessing the Recent Apps screen, and more are as smooth as ever and the more colorful elements make this one of the brightest iterations of stock Android yet. The notification dropdown has seen some changes as well, now taking on a translucent shade, with another swipe down opening up the Quick Settings menu.

So there you have it – a quick look at the unboxing, and our first impressions about the Nexus 6! We are certainly very excited to see how this large version of the Nexus stacks up against the rest of the competition. As mentioned, we will be diving in deeper into the various hardware and software aspects of this device, so stay tuned for the full comprehensive review that will be coming up shortly.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/1DJwvn7