As a society, we’re pretty obsessed with hit music, the newest TV episodes, movies and apps. Sometimes, staring into a small phone screen gets pretty annoying (unless, of course, you have one of those huge phablets). Because they combine the portability of a laptop and the ease of a phone in a light package, tablets are becoming more and more popular as portable media hubs, so in this Tech Corner, we’ll be taking a look at the Google Nexus 9 and the Apple iPad Air 2.

Nexus 9
The Nexus 9 is Google’s first foray into the larger tablet market in two years. Built by HTC (known for it’s critically acclaimed One series of smartphones), the Nexus 9 showcases Google’s idea of how their latest OS should run on tablets.

The 9’s screen size is 8.9 inches, which is right between that of the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini. The IPS LCD screen has a sharp resolution of 2048 x 1536, with a resulting pixel density of 288 pixels per inch. Behind the screen is a 6700 mAh battery that should keep the powerful Nvidia Tegra K1 processor going for a few days. Nvidia promises console class graphics performance, so games and apps should run smoothly.

The design is modest, with a metal bumper and soft-touch plastic back, following Google’s tradition of reserved designs with a premium hint. It reminds me of an oversized Nexus 5, Google’s 2013 flagship phone. Some early reports indicate some issues with plastic being pressable, though HTC has fixed that by now. Two stereo speakers grace the glass front; for a media centric devices like tablets, the importance of speakers cannot be understated. On the back is a 5mp camera, which should get you by for emergency shots.

The Nexus 9 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google’s latest OS, characterized by smooth animations and a new design language, “Material Design.” Running Android means it has access to the Google Play Store and its over 1,000,000 apps, as well as the over 240,000 apps in the Amazon Appstore. Being a Nexus, the 9 will quickly receive software updates directly from Google.

You can buy the Nexus 9 in Indigo Black, Lunar White or Sand from the Google Play Store, Best Buy or Amazon, for $399 as a starting price for the 16GB model.

iPad Air 2
Apple’s iPad Air 2 is its fifth generation rendition of the iconic iPad, and, in our opinions, its best one yet. It runs Apple’s new iOS 8, which first debuted with the iPhone 6 and 6+.

The front of the tablet is commanded by a large 9.7 inch Retina Display (IPS LCD) with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 (the same as the Nexus 9, in case you were wondering). The pixel density isn’t as high as alternative tablets, but the viewing angles and color production are still top of the line. Apple promises 10 hours of battery life for the Air 2. The processor is a powerful proprietary A8X triple core which Apple claims brings 40% increases in performance.

Apple focused a lot on design, even more than usual this time round. Like all iPads, this one is primarily constructed from premium aluminum. However, this one is 0.7 inches thinner and nearly a half-pound lighter than the previous generation; selling points of the previous generation were thinness and lightness. The iconic home button is on the front, equipped with a fingerprint scanner like the iPhones.

The iPad runs iOS 8, which adds widgets, swappable keyboards, an improved Siri and a slightly updated user interface to the table. The biggest feature of iOS 8 is Continuity, which automatically syncs webpages, texts, iCloud services (Calendar, Mail, Keynote, etc.) and even phone calls across your Mac devices so that transitioning from phone to tablet or tablet to computer (provided they’re all Apple products) feels seamless.

You can buy the iPad Air 2 from the Apple Store or other major retailers in Silver, Gold or Space Gray, starting at $499 for the basic 16GB model.