Android Tablet Wars: Nokia N1 vs. HTC Nexus 9

Nokia’s Android-powered N1 tablet announcement last night set the whole tech world up on their feet, and some are even comparing it to recent devices sporting the latest Android software as well. How did it fare against Google’s flagship tablet, the HTC Nexus 9? Find out after the break.

Specs of both tablets deal with almost same numbers right off the sheets. Both have the same amount of RAM, so multitasking wouldn’t be a problem. Both sport quad-core processors: Nexus 9 has NVIDIA’s mighty Tegra K1, and Nokia has Intel powering the device. A few apps have compatibility issues with Intel processors, and there are some that fully maximize the power of the Tegra chips.

Display comes as a huge factor too. Despite the same resolution present in both tablets, the N1 packs more pixels (324ppi) compared to HTC’s Google tablet (287ppi), mainly due to the smaller display size at 7.9 inches.  If you’re keen on bringing a larger tablet, then the Nexus 9’s 8.9 inch display is for you. The N1, on the other hand, possesses a smaller screen, similar to those of smaller tablets such as the Apple iPad Mini 2/3, making it more portable to carry around.

Both come off with Android 5.0 Lollipop right out of the box, and Nokia’s got its own Z Launcher on top of the already visually tasty mobile software to give it a more personal look. The Nexus 9 is stuck with pure Android software without any additional visual enhancements.

Each has its own pros and cons too. The N1 beats the Nexus 9 in a few aspects as it sports a bigger front facing camera (5 megapixels versus Nexus 9’s 1.6 megapixels) and a smaller price tag to boot — $250PHP 14,671INR 21,187EUR 238CNY 1,820 or estimated Php11,100USD 189INR 16,035EUR 180CNY 1,378 — compared to USD479PHP 28,110INR 40,595EUR 456CNY 3,486 for the same Nexus 9 model, which converts to an estimated Php21,600USD 368INR 31,203EUR 351CNY 2,681. The N1 is one of the first tablets to use the newly developed reversible USB-C connection, a new standard aimed to solve plaguing plugging USB problems.

On the other hand, the Nexus 9 packs a larger battery capacity due to the bigger size, an LED flash for its rear camera, a LTE variant for those who want cellular connectivity; not to mention that Google is keeping the software up to date up to date. Its BoomSound speakers are deemed one of the best as well, and HTC’s reputation as it is known for building premium devices.

Which of these two power tablets is better? Leave your comments below.