Freakmobs-China tablets geek: T-Mobile to offer 32GB Nexus 9 “early December” for $0 down, $24.99/month

11.19.2014

T-Mobile to offer 32GB Nexus 9 “early December” for $0 down, $24.99/month

Having just released the Nexus 6 (following a slight delay), T-Mobile is now offering a window into the release of the 32GB Nexus 9 LTE, or at least a window into the Uncarrier’s plans to do so. Releasing in “early December”, the tablet once known as Volantis will be available for $0 down and monthly installments of $24.99 over a 24 month period. That puts it at a total price of $599.76, which is almost enough to buy a Nexus 6, and significantly more than the 32GB Wifi-only 9 at $479.99.

While there is no clear indication yet as to the success, or lack thereof, of the HTC/Google partnership product, chances are pretty good that the Nexus 9 LTE isn’t going to be flying off shelves at an even higher price point. Then again, the zero-down option might be a boon for those who want to defer payments and not incur interest on their credit card statement.

Given this baseline, it’s a bit curious that Magenta is apparently selling the LTE tablet on its Underground website, billed as “T-Mobile’s online ‘backroom’ for hard-to-find limited quantity devices”. Could this mean the 9 LTE will be in short supply this holiday season? Or is it just a marketing tool to try and boost sales?

It’s also worth pointing out that T-Mobile is currently only stocking the Blue Nexus 6 variant; will the Nexus 9 LTE also see a single color variant? And what of the sand (gold) variant? When is Google planning to release it? And what of the battery life? While many claim the titanic tablet can get 9 hours of battery life, my own personal Nexus 9 (on which this was all typed!) seems to be averaging around 5-6 at best with heavy use. It’s still uncertain how the LTE radio will affect things.

Please feel free to check out all of our Nexus 9 coverage for more details on the Nexus 9.