HTC Nexus 9 tablet officially unveiled by Google

Google has taken the lid off its widely rumoured next-gen tablet PC, revealing the Nexus 9 which is to be manufactured in partnership with HTC, and it will be running the latest version of Android, confirmed to be named Lollipop. Google also unveiled its Nexus 6 smartphone.

The Nexus 9 tablet will be available for pre-order from October 17 and in stores starting November 3, according to Google. No price has been announced.

The Nexus 9 features an 8.9-inch screen powered by a 64-bit Nvidia chipset, brushed metal sides, a soft-grip rubberised rear, and curved design aesthetic. It is small enough to easily carry around in one hand, says Google.

The device comes in colour choices of black, beige, or white, and HTC has built in a pair of front-facing HTC BoomSound speakers.

A standout feature of the device is actually one of its peripherals. Google has announced an accompanying keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles, and rests on the user's lap like a laptop.