Nexus 9 is the hottest Google tablet to hit the market and it is said to be tailored to knockout the Apple iPad Air 2. Many reviews have been all-out in declaring the Apple offering as the victor in the feud. But should buyers eyeing the Nexus 9 really go for the iPad Air 2 instead? A little showdown would not hurt.

The Nexus 9 comes with a plastic exterior. Its frame though, is metal making the tablet decent-looking, but definitely not enough to top the classiness of its rival. The iPad Air 2 flaunts a first-class streamlined aluminum body, an inevitable wow generator. A sleeker look is further materialized by the Apple tablet. Its slim body measuring only 6.9 mm makes the Nexus 9 look bulky with its 8 mm body.

The Nexus 9 is the smaller tablet between the two. It parades an 8.9-inch display while the iPad Air 2 is at 9.7 inches. Despite the big gap in size, the two deliver the same screen resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixels. However, Nexus 9 generates a slightly higher pixel density —288 ppi — than the iPad Air 2's 264 ppi. This only means that details look better and sharper on the Nexus 9 screen. However, as what Mac Rumors iterated, it always depends upon the buyer's requirement. Those who like a larger screen can always go for the Apple tablet. Those who give importance to resolution very much can easily grab the Nexus 9.

The iPad Air 2 is powered by a 64-bit tri-core A8X processor that clocks in at 1.5 GHz. The Nexus 9 is loaded with a 64-bit dual-core Tegra K1 processor that clocks in at 2.5 GHz. Both received 2 GB of RAM but Tech Radar concluded that the iPad Air 2 outperformed the Nexus tablet, especially when displaying 3D-intensive games. CNET added that the Nexus 9 gets hot when doing the task.

Moving on, both have 8-megapixel rear-facing shooters but Nexus has a 1.6-megapixel front cam, a notch better than the iPad Air 2's 1.2-megapixel FaceTime snapper. In addition, the Nexus 9 has a single-LED flash, which the iPad Air and every one of its kin lack.

Battery life is very comparable, too. Apple guarantees 10 hours of entertainment with the iPad Air 2 while Google and HTC promise 9.5 hours of usage for the Nexus 9.

The Nexus 9 makes movies more felt with the loud and clear audio emitting through its BoomSound front-facing speakers. The iPad Air 2 has its own perks like the security-focused TouchWiz fingerprint sensor and an anti-reflective display and anti-glare coating that reduce reflections.

The iPad Air 2 comes in three versions, 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB in Silver, Space Gray and Gold. The Nexus only offers 16 GB and 32 GB with color variants such as Black, White and Sand. The Apple iPad Air 2 is a great buy for just around $500, but the Nexus 9 is slightly more appealing money-wise as it costs $475.