While everyone was highly anticipating a new line of Kindles, Barnes & Noble released their newest NOOK device – a 9″ Lenovo tablet that runs on Android. It’s beautiful.
I’ve never owned a NOOK before, being so deeply embedded in the Amazon ecosystem. Being open to new experiences, I decided to try a new device. One of my favorite books ever, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy had recently been released an illustrated edition, and I wanted to experience the illustrations on a screen with more detail than the standard e-ink reader. I already own a Samsung Galaxy Tab 6, so this purchase wasn’t technically necessary, but being priced at $149.99, plus free shipping, I thought I’d give it a go. Want to save 10% on the Lenovo NOOK? Click here to join Rakuten first so you can earn cash back on that purchase, and more, from Barnes & Noble. (Rock that free shipping!)
Here are the stats:
- Premium tablet in Metallic Blue finish (I always go for blue!)
- Fingerprint resistant 9” display
- 64 GB of storage with up to 13 hours battery life
- Books, magazines, newspapers & manga in vivid color with the pre-loaded NOOK app
- Grayscale, Chromatic & Immersive reading modes
- TÜV Rheinland-certified eye protection
- Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®
- No pesky ads, plus in-app purchasing enabled
- Members save 10% on NOOK devices & accessories—including a Clear Case that lets the blue shine through
Other things I really like about this tablet, right out of the box:
- USB C charging port, with charging adapter and USB-C cord included
- Fast charging
- Relatively light (12 ounces)
- 3.5 mm headphone jack built-in to the tablet (haven’t we all missed the headphone jack?)
It’s a really sleek device. Just taking it out of the box is a great experience. It arrived two days after its official release, and as is often the case, it had to be updated right away. That didn’t take long and setting it up was pretty simple as well.
The first thing the tablet tells you is to hook it up to your Android or iPhone smart phone to copy your settings over to the Nook. You can opt out of this, however, if you do choose to transfer your settings, your Google account (calendar, email, etc) will automatically load on the Nook.
The good: Since it’s basically a Lenovo tablet, you can download the Kindle app, the Kobo app, Audible, Hoopla, Libby, just about any reading platform you can think of. You can also download Netflix, YouTube, or your favorite streaming service.
I’m currently listening to an audiobook through the NOOK app. The dual stereo speakers are pretty good. They should be. Dolby Atmos prides itself on providing a spatial experience, drawing you into the sound experience. My Samsung earbuds pair seamlessly with the tablet via Bluetooth. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, a welcome experience on a device these days. If you have a pair of noise-cancelling headphones gathering dust on a shelf, they will shine paired with this tablet.
No ads! No ads! No ads! One issue with a Kindle is the ads that pepper the device; or, if you don’t want ads, you pay an extra $20 to have them removed. That’s ridiculous when you’re already paying for the device.
The bad: If you’re someone who likes choices when it comes to device protection, you’ll have to do some searching. There is one dedicated plastic case for this device, with no cover., available from Barnes & Noble. You’ll have to resort to shopping at B&N’s biggest competitor if you’d like something more robust. As I’m looking at the tablet at the moment, it’s sitting on top of my A5 Filofax Malden, and I think it would slide nicely into the back slip pocket. But if you want to toss this in your bag, or hand it to a youngling, you’ll want to have something that protects both the back and the front, as well as the corners from drops and banging around.
When powering on, it takes a few minutes to load. This makes sense, since this tablet offers more than an e-reading platform. However, in my opinion, Lenovo devices have typically taken longer to load than other, say, Samsung or iPad devices. Once it’s running, the processes are a lot more swift. Keep in mind that keeping multiple apps and browser tabs open will slow down your NOOK tablet. It happens to the best of us; we just let the device lead the way, and discover that every link we’ve opened from email has opened a new browser window. Handing the tablet to the kids will guarantee at least 5 opened apps and new downloaded games they’ve discovered from ads. Keep this usage in check and the tablet should be a workhorse for everything you need it to do.
Testing: One test I was anxious to run on this NOOK tablet was one of my grandson’s favorite games: ABCMouse. This is a learning game, and it’s heavy on graphics, sounds, and animation. The game needs to be fast to keep the attention span of a 5-year-old. The NOOK tablet keeps up admirably, and the speakers are bright and clear. You can hear the instructions from the game very well, on par with more expensive smart phones, without turning the sound up too loud. I would rather have the kids play on this tablet with a sturdy case, than hand them my 2025 S25 Galaxy Ultra.
The battery life claims up to 13 hours, and I would say that’s pretty accurate when reading. You can always extend your battery life by lowering the brightness (if conditions permit) or using Bluetooth headphones for the sound, rather than 3.5mm aux or the built-in speakers. Running games and other apps will also use up battery life. The tablet will hold information from your apps in memory, so close them fully to extend battery life.
Reading Books by State
If you like participating in reading-themed challenges, here’s a fun one for you! Find a book that takes place in […]
About this article: This website contains links to outside sources, and some of these links may be affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link, you have the opportunity to purchase an amazing item from a reputable retailer at no extra cost to you. This will allow me an opportunity to further fund my book hoard library.