Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 gets Android Nougat, becomes an even better deal
You'll have a hard time finding a better slate for $200, £170 or roughly AU$260.
I wouldn't blame you for forgetting all about the Nvidia Shield Tablet, especially after Nvidia had to recall practically every single slate when they became a fire hazard two years ago.
But the tablet's successor, the Nvidia Shield Tablet K1, could be a fantastic deal at $200/£170/roughly AU$260. Particularly because the inexpensive slate can now be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat, the latest version of Google's operating system.
Here's the full list of features that Nougat brings to the Shield Tablet, according to Nvidia:
- Updates to Shield controller support.
- Split-screen: Run two apps side by side in Portrait or Landscape modes (if apps support the feature).
- Quick switch: Double tap the Overview button to quickly switch back to the last opened app.
- Multiple notifications from the same app are now bundled for a streamlined experience.
- Reply to messages directly from within the notification (if the app supports the feature).
- Tap and hold on a notification to quickly silence or block notifications from the app.
- Improved power consumption with Doze on the Go: Doze is now smarter & kicks in even when the device is being carried around.
- Includes all-new Unicode 9 emojis.
- Display & Font size can now separately adjustable to improve readability or screenspace.
- Quick Settings can now be customized directly from the menu by tapping "Edit."
- The top Quick Setting tiles can now be accessed with a downward swipe from the lock screen.
- Settings now includes a Navigation Menu & Suggestions to improve usability.
- The "Clear all" option in Overview have been relocated to the top right.
- New Data Saver: when enabled, limits access to Cellular data for background apps.
- New JIT compiler: improves the speed of App & System updates.
- Update to Android Security Patch Level December 1, 2016.
Note that compared to the original Shield Tablet, the Shield Tablet K1 doesn't come with a stylus, a slot for a stylus to fit inside if you buy one separately, or even a power adapter and cable.
Left: Nvidia's old Shield controller. Right: The new one.
It's also got a somewhat slower, older Tegra K1 chip compared to the Tegra X1 in Nvidia's excellent Shield Android TV -- though both can connect to a television, pair with Nvidia's Shield controller, and remotely play games from either an Nvidia-powered computer on your home network or Nvidia's soon-to-be-revamped GeForce Now streaming game service.
Nvidia's actually been selling the Shield Tablet K1 since November 2015.