Google announced the Nexus 9 this morning, a new 8.9-inch tablet built in partnership with HTC.
Google will start taking pre-orders for the Nexus 9 on Oct. 17, and then the tablet will be more broadly available in stores on Nov. 3. The Nexus 9, which is HTC’s first tablet in three years, comes in black, tan and white and three configurations: 16GB for $399, 32GB for $479, and an 4G wireless-enabled 32GB model for $599.
The device has a 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.6 megapixel front-facing camera. An optional Nexus 9 keyboard will magnetically attaches to the tablet, folds into two different angles and can rest on your lap like a laptop.
Google’s planning to launch Nexus 9 in 29 countries over the coming weeks, reports The Verge. In the U.S., it’ll be sold through Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop, Google Play, Office Depot, Office Max, QVC/HSN, Radio Shack, Staples, and Walmart.
HTC has had a long-standing relationship with the Android-maker, reaching back to the very first Nexus smartphone, which came out in 2010. But manufacturing a tablet is a little out of character for the company. In 2011, disappointing sales of the “Flyer” led HTC executives to swear off tablets until they found a good reason re-enter the market.
Clearly, it looks like the Taiwanese handset maker has found its reasons to do it again.
The Nexus 9 comes with brushed metal sides and 8.9-inch screen. Google says it’s small enough to carry in one hand, yet big enough to accomplish work. (Seems like you should also be able to get a lot of work done on the all-new Nexus 6, which will have a 6-inch display making the phone even larger the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4.)
The Nexus 9 runs on Lollipop, the latest Android release that Google previewed back at Google I/O. It says Lollipop is designed for multitasking, not just between songs, photos and searches on one device but across multiple devices running Android.
Google announced two other devices today, including a phone, called the Nexus 6, and the Nexus Player, the first device running Android TV.
The Nexus 6 was developed by Motorola, has an aluminum frame, a 6-inch Quad HD display and a 13 megapixel camera. There’s dual front-facing stereo speakers and it comes with a Turbo Charger, so you can get up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge. It will be available for pre-order starting in late October and stores in November. Customers can buy an unlocked version though Google Play store, or a monthly contract or installment plan through carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.
The Nexus Player is the first device running Android TV. Built in collaboration with Asus, the device is a streaming media player for movies, music and videos. It’s also for playing Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad. It will be available for pre-order on Oct. 17 and in stores Nov. 3.
More coverage: Android 5.0 is here, and it’s one slick-looking Lollipop
