The Nexus 9; the flagship tablet courtesy of the collaboration between HTC and Google might be known for its impressive hardware specifications, including NVIDIA’s formidable Tegra K1 chipset, but there are some aspects of the tablet that will leave a percentage of consumers thoroughly disappointed. The highly skilled ‘tear down’ aficionados at iFixit have finally taken apart the Nexus 9 and it looks like HTC and Google decide to cut some corners, particularly when the speakers and rear camera are involved.
The iFixit team also gave the slate a 3 out of 10 for repairability, which in other words means that if you don’t know how to fix a tablet, don’t attempt your luck with this one. So far the Nexus 9 is by far the hardest device in the tablet category of Nexus devices to be repaired. The Samsung-built Nexus 10 had scored a respectable 6 out of 10, while the Asus-made Nexus 7 was the winner; with its 2012 and 2013 models scoring a 7 out of 10 for repairability.
According to the iFixit experts, one of the perks of repairing a Nexus 9 will be the device’s easy-to-remove back panel. However, users who are attempting to repair a slate for the first will have to extremely careful that they do not end up damaging the rear camera while removing that panel. The battery of the Nexus 9 has been held together by glue, so its takes a lot of effort for it to be removed. Since the battery is not the only thing to be incorporated with a sticky adhesive to hold it down, it will make the device very difficult to repair.
The Nexus 9′s 2048 x 1536 pixel display provides a crisp resolution, but there is a catch. The LCD and front glass means have been fused together, requiring both of them to be fixed if the screen ever ends up cracking.
