The Nexus 9 has barely trickled out to the public, but already there is a report of problems with the build quality of the device. One Redditor has posted pictures that show a Nexus 9 with a very poorly assembled frame. In the pictures you can see the frame doesn’t appear to fully meet and the edges look rough, scratched and heavily used. Barring something like the user dropping the tablet, it looks like this may be a quality control problem on the part of Google and HTC.
Nexus 9 Build Quality Problem:
So I received my pre-ordered nexus 9 today, had a brief moment of joy and excitement as I was waiting for it to charge. When I booted it up however, I quickly noticed that it looks like a rather sloppy and amateurishly assembled product. The edges looks all rough, like a low quality tablet that has been in in use for 2 years or something. will return it ASAP, with great dissapointment! Anyone got devices with same sloppy looks?
There is also a video of issues with the Nexus 9:
It doesn't look good for Google’s new Nexus 9 Android tablet... Reports are coming in about really bad build-quality, light bleeds, bent frames, bad tablet UI and bad performance. Watch this video!
The Nexus 9 problem with build quality is unfortunate, especially since HTC is generally regarded as making excellent, premium devices. Of course there are sometimes defects in mass produced products, especially in early production batches so it is somewhat understandable to get the occasional lemon. To Google’s credit it looks like they have resolved the users issue, “UPDATE: As expected, Google have responded that I may return the tablet with them paying shipping costs, and I can choose whether to get a new unit or the money back. Good on them :)”
Nexus 9 Backplate Problem:
Another Reddit user has reported the following problems, “Mine has a squishy back plate, and a ton of light bleeding. I tried to take a picture, but it turned out poorly. You can still see the edges here: Overall, pretty disappointed in the hardware. Software is better than I thought it'd be though.” The back plate problem in particular seems to be widespread with several Redditors reporting a back plate that pushes out, “Mine doesn't have that (32gb white), nor does it have any bad (there, but you can only see a slight bit during the boot animation) screen bleeding. However, my back plate does push it a little bit which is disappointing.”
Nexus 9 Light Bleed Problem:
The Nexus 9 light bleed problem has also been reported by users on the Android Central forums, “So I think I have pretty significant light bleed going on. I'm not sure if its just my unit or if its par for the course with anyone else. Anyone else have it this bad? I'm thinking about getting an exchange if this is out of the norm. I have the 32 GB White from the Play Store.”
Nexus 9 Wi-Fi, Battery, App Problem:
A few people have reported Nexus 9 issues with the WiFi and network errors, some have said the battery takes a long time to charge and others have reported that several productivity apps will not open. These problems do not seem to be widespread (yet), so hopefully these are just specific issues that can be fixed.
Fixes:
If you encounter a Nexus 9 with build quality problems or other issues, then your best bet is to contact Google or whoever you bought the device from, whether it is HTC, Best Buy or a carrier. There are warranties and return policies in place to allow you to return or exchange faulty devices.
