Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook Speaks About The New iPad Air
IN PHOTO: Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook speaks about the new iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display during an Apple event in San Francisco, California October 22, 2013. Reuters/Robert Galbraith

With both the iPad Air 2 from Apple and Google Nexus 9 unwrapped last week, it's safe to bet that release dates of the flagship tablets will not be too far from each other.

That means an epic device battle will transpire over the new few weeks and the slugfest will surely boil down to the specs and features that really matter:

The build

Not much changed from the first iPad Air to the second generation build. The construction remains solid, which an Apple device signature, as the new tablet is a mixture of metal and glass panel that are designed to provide a beautiful and robust protection for the high-end components inside.

In short, the Air 2 is a premium kit inside and out which Google, with help from HTC, has obviously endeavored to match. The Nexus 9, like its chief rival, exudes irresistible sex appeal while convincing at the same time that it is a beast inside. True enough, published parts and materials of the Android slate - internal and external - are nothing short of high-end pedigree.

And like the Air 2, Google has unboxed and trimmed down and paperweight tablet profile in the Nexus 9.

The specs

As mentioned, both Apple and Google did not scrimp and stuff the best components available in putting together the iPad Air 2 and Nexus 9.

In the might department, the Air 2's combo CPU of A8X chip and M8 co-processor adhere to the 64-bit mobile computing standard that highlights muscle, speed and power efficiency. On the other hand, the Nexus 9 relies on NVIDIA's Tegra K1 chip, also 64-bit capable and will steamroll to a high of 2.3GHz.

In the camera shoot out, the competition is nearly in a stalemate as both toys sport rear cams with 8MP sensor.

But the Air 2 edges the Nexus 9 a bit in the storage tussle as the former boasts of up to 128GB internal memory while the latter is maxed at 32GB with no provision for space expansion.

The system

The mobile machines are both dressed by the latest that their respective platforms can offer. Apple is selling the Air running on iOS 8, which pretty much sustained the straightforward and uncluttered operating system interface that was introduced with iOS 7 last year.

Lollipop or Android 6.0 is debuting with the Nexus 9. Like iOS 8, this latest is mostly minimal in looks and functions but remains an eye-candy as Google underscored the impact of Material Design with the upcoming software.

Once the Nexus 9 and its smartphone cousin, the Nexus 6, are out, pure Android fans can expect a truly simplified software but with animation that blend physics and realism.

Bottom line is, while iOS 8 remains more optimised for tablet use Google is catching up fast and Android Lollipop is the solid proof of this underway gain.

The price

The Nexus 9 is ready to take home starting at $400 for the 16GB model or $480 for the 32GB variant. Initial asking for the Air 2 is $500 and the extra $100 was somehow justified by the device's metallic casing and Touch ID feature that are not found with Google's hero tab.

It should be noted too that the iPad Air 2 has a 128GB model that of course is priced higher. However, with users having the tendency to hoard and move around with large amounts of digital files, the Air 2 by Apple will surely get the better of Google's Nexus 9 in this respect.