Telstra has today announced on their Exchange blog, that they will add a variety of new tablets to their range. They’re offering a mix of Wi-Fi tablets (including the HTC built Nexus 9), as well as the LTE enabled Galaxy Tab S which is compatible with their LTE aggregated 4GX network.
The 10.5″ Samsung Galaxy Tab S will be available for $720 from the 25th of November, but they will also offer the Wi-Fi model of the tablet for just $599. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S contains an amazingly high resolution SuperAMOLED screen and is super light and just 6.6mm thin. It’s a great looking and operating tablet, which Jason has been looking at. The LTE version of the tablet should also offer great speeds on the Telstra network as well.
The more exciting – for many of us – tablet that Telstra announced is the newly released Nexus 9. The Nexus 9 from Telstra is strangely Wi-Fi only version of the tablet, with still no launch date for the LTE model showing up from Telstra, or on Google Play. Telstra will begin selling the 16GB Wi-Fi model on the 25th of November for $479, the same price as it’s selling for on the Google Play Store, but without the pesky delivery fee involved.
Also up for grabs is the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, which only just launched here in Australia. The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact offers an 8″ FullHD resolution display, with a body that has an IP68 dust and water resistance certification. The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact will be available from Telstra in only the Wi-Fi model from the 9th of December for $499.
Telstra is also going to offer two lower end tablets, offering the HP 8 and Alcatel Pixi 7 – two budget minded models available in Wi-Fi only for under $200. The HP will sell for $199 when it arrives in Telstra stores from the 25th of November, while the Alcatel Pixi 8 will cost just $99 when it arrives on the 9th of December. Specs for both tablets haven’t been made available at this stage and we’ll check with Telstra as soon as possible.
Availability wise the expanded tablet range will be fairly limited :
Availability:
VIC: Chadstone, Doncaster, Eastland, Frankston, Geelong, Highpoint, Southland
NSW: Bondi Junction, Liverpool, Macquarie Centre, Miranda, Elizabeth St, Top Ryde, Warringah Mall.
TAS: Hobart
WA: Perth Hay St, Carousel, Karrinyup, Morley,
QLD: Sunshine Plaza, Toowoomba, Pacific Fair, Mt Gravatt, Loganholme, Indooroopilly
From 9 December the range will also be available in these additional stores stores:
VIC: Geelong CBD, Greensborough
NSW: Broadway, Charlestown
WA: Rockingham
QLD: Cairns Central, Robina, Clarindale
ACT: Canberra
SA: West Lakes
There’s a decent list of tablets here, and Telstra has also added the Kindle Paperwhite e-book reader into this list for $174, just in time for Christmas. No details on whether Telstra intends to offer the tablets on payment plans but we’ll know more soon.
Telstra’s updates are slower than other Australian carriers including for the Nexus 5. Don’t be tempted to purchase products from Telstra. They do not care about their customers.
Do not buy anything from Telstra! Your updates will slow if ever, your customer support will be non existent & you will be sent to Mumbai to speak to someone who you can’t understand & will have no idea what your talking about. Buy your products separately and never put a Telstra sim in an unlocked product. Their sims contain information that screws up systems. This is a sad but true fact. Ask any Nexus buyer that made the mistake of using a Telstra sim.
I’d have assumed the Nexus 9 would still receive updates straight from Google.
Please people believe me! If you buy anything from Telstra they have already put their fingerprints on it. Telstra’s sim cards have information on them that converts your product into something different! Ask Any nexus 5 owner who bought their phones from the play store and made the mistake of putting in a Telstra sim on boot up. We now have a different build number to all other nexus devices. We now have the q build which is still waiting for ota lollipop while all others who use other carriers who don’t fuck with things have the m build which… Read more »
Umm…just flash the factory image if Telstra have an alternate build.
That’s what I’ve done with the Nexus 5. Factory Image, Telstra Sim.
I’d do the same if i buy a tablet too. AOSP right away.
Yeah mate that’s what I do but others not in the know of such things are stuck with a device theu thought and rightly so was a pure Nexus & that updates would come quickly. Again Telstra are a law unto themselves!
Nexus 9 is wifi only. No need for a Telstra image, it’ll be stock.
I had a look at the N9 in Telstra shop today and no Telstra crapwear on it or Telstra apps etc.
You talk about it like it’s a big conspiracy theory. Relax.
This is rubbish, even if you have had a Telstra sim in from day one, just pop in a Optus sim and you’ll get the update straight away.There was another 4.4.4 build rolled out for Nexus 5 who are using a Telstra Sim, but it wasn’t some special firmware for Telstra only, it was also for a carrier in NZ and India, and no Telstra isn’t rolling out the update, it is still done by Google, but Telstra does have to test it and approve it as they carried the Nexus 5.
Tired of noons like yourself.
You’d assume wrong based on what happened to the Nexus 5 that was Telstra branded.
Nexus 6 pls Testra, pls.