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Nexus 9 comes in at a good price, but there are slightly more expensive tablets to take notice of before dropping your $399 (£319, about AU$450). The aforementioned price drops help a little.
Apple, Samsung, Asus, Sony and even Microsoft have challengers large and small. It's really about which features you can't live without and how much you're willing to spend to get them.
iPad Air 2
You can't have a modern-day tablet comparison without immediately bringing up the iPad. Apple's newest slate is the iPad Air 2 and it's the 9.7-inch version of what the Nexus 9 so desperately wants to be. It has a nicer-looking laminated screen, sleeker design and better tablet app ecosystem.
It is a little more expensive than the Nexus 9 and it doesn't include BoomSound speakers. Audio is still projected from the bottom of the new iPad, while Google's tablet has the speakers front and center on either side of the screen.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
Samsung's latest tablet is a step forward for the Tab brand, but it's going to cost you quite a bit more than a Nexus 9. It includes the same 4:3 screen ratio as the Nexus 9 but you get the choice of an 8-inch or 9.7-inch screen here.
The Galaxy Tab S2 is one of the best looking tablets on the market right now and most would argue it's nicer than the Nexus 9, but it's up to you. Samsung's tablet is still running Android 5.1 Lollipop though and that's not as up to date as the Nexus 9 is.
Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet
If you like the look of the Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet, but want something a little larger – the Xperia Z4 Tablet is your choice.
It's thinner than the Nexus 9 and comes with a better set up under the hood as well. Plus it also has a beautiful 2K display that is much better than the Nexus 9. It'll cost quite a bit more than the Nexus 9 though, so you may have to dig a little deeper to get your hands on this tablet.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet
Sony makes an excellent tablet that fits in between the Nexus 7 and Nexus 9. At 8 inches, it's small, light and durable. It's both dust and waterproof with an IP67/68 rating.
It has a better camera (unimportant), and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.5 GHz Quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM (important). What it's missing is Android 5.0 Lollipop. Like all other tablets at the moment, it's still packing Android 4.4 KitKat.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft tries to market its Surface Pro 3 as a MacBook Air competitor, but it's still very much a tablet. That makes it ripe for a Google Nexus 9 comparison.
The newest Surface Pro comes with a fully functional keyboard, multi-position kickstand, and uses a pen. This 12-inch super-tablet runs Windows, Office and desktop apps. Nexus 9 with its own keyboard case seems as if it's posing as a productivity tablet, but costs a lot less.
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