The first Android Lollipop powered tablet aka the Google Nexus 9 is all set to land on Indian shores, a listing on the Play Store confirms. Google had earlier promised to get the device into the Indian market before the end of the year, and a listing on the only likely source of purchasing the device seems to suggest that Google’s going to be up to its words.
The Nexus 9 was launched alongside the 6-inch Google Nexus 6 a couple of days back. The event also witnessed the announcement of the much awaited v5.0 of Android, now known as Android Lollipop. This latest iteration of Android gives the dark-ish UI a miss for a more vibrant, joyful Material Design UI, which will be standard across all Android Lollipop devices… unless they’re OEM forked. The Nexus 9 comes from HTC’s facilities, and sports a decent set of specifications that include an 8.9-inch 2048 x 1536 pixel display, 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 CPU, 2 GB of RAM, an 8 MP camera at the rear, a 1.6 MP snapper on the front and lastly, a 6,700 mAh battery. The device comes in WiFi and LTE avatars, both of which are expected to be made available for Indian consumers according to the listing, which currently read ‘Coming soon’.
Besides WiFi and LTE connectivity variants, the Nexus 9 will be available in 16 GB and 32 GB storage versions. Prices start at 28,900 INR (US$470) for the entry-level WiFi-only 16 GB version, and go up to 44,900 INR (US$730) for the LTE-capable 32 GB Nexus 9. Along with the tablet itself, Google will be making available a cover for the device — the Nexus 9 cover — for 2,900 INR (US$48) in Black, Mint Indigo and Lime Stone colour variants.
The Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 are two of the most expensive Google Nexus devices ever launched. With competition heating up (read: Xiaomi Mi Pad), one would expect Google to make its devices more affordable rather than the other way round. Would you be happy to pay the asking price for say, the Nexus 9? Let us know in the comments section below.