The initial units of the HTC made Google Nexus 9 were criticized for their poor build quality, including a back that flexed easily in the middle, excessive backlit bleeding in the display, and hardware volume/power buttons being extremely hard to find and providing little to no feedback when pressed.
Now, it looks like HTC has silently fixed these issues in the newest batch of the Nexus 9 tablet. According to a picture posted by a Reddit user, the difference between the volume buttons between his original Nexus 9 and the one built in November is pretty substantial. The latter is easier to find without looking at the edges, and provides more feedback when pressed.
Top: Old Nexus 9 unit. Bottom: New Nexus 9 unit.
Even though not shown in the image above, Sebianoti says that the flexing in the middle back of the device is also non-existent, which plagued his older unit. The excessive backlit bleed, while still present, is still better than his original unit.
However, reports from other user on the Reddit thread are mixed. While some say their November built units are fine, other report of a flexible back and/or excessive backlit bleeding.
OEMs making slight revisions to the design of their devices after its initial launch is nothing new. LG had done something similar with the Nexus 4, when it updated the design of the device mid-cycle to add little nubs on its glass back to prevent it from scratching and cracking easily.
