Tablet Vs Laptop Vs Smart phone - Which is better? This is a question that I find many people asking. Should I buy a Tablet or a Laptop or a Smart phone? I did not choose one over the other. I have all three of them. Not everybody needs to own all three of them like I do. So, you need to choose. But I can help you understand where each one of them scores and you can choose between a Tablet, a laptop or a smart phone depending on your requirements. Read the entire analysis or just go to the bottom part of this post and read my verdict. Note that all the analysis can contain a fair bit of my personal bias. Feel free to disagree. Content consumption: If you want to watch videos or read books, a tablet scores over a laptop or a smart phone. The screen size is small on a smart phone and that makes it difficult to view the videos or read books. But a laptop has a higher screen size but the convenience of holding a tablet in your hand and lying on a couch and reading is so much more fun than consuming that content on a laptop. The touch screen of tablets makes it easier to scroll the pages than with a ‘non-touch screen’ laptop. Winner: Tablet Runner-up: Laptop Voice calling Though some tablets do have SIM card slots, voice calling still is not as easier as it is with a Smart phone. With a laptop, you have no voice calling option. The advantage with a smart phone is that you can hold it in one hand. People who want the best of a tablet and smart phone both have started to opt for phablets. Winner: Smart phone Runner up: Tablet Processing power If good computing power is important for you, then you need a laptop. A tablet or Smart phone will not work for you. If you are a programmer, then you need a laptop. If you are an accountant who works on large excel files with micros etc, you will need a laptop. If you are graphic designer or an animator who uses photo editing and video editing tools, you need a laptop. Most tablets have better processing power than Smart phones but are not as powerful as laptops. Winner: Laptop Runner-up: Tablet Storage A laptop offers much more storage than a Tablet or a smart phone. While you have many laptop models that offer over 100 GB storage (or even 1 TB), most tablets in India offer 8Gb or less storage. Some mid range tablets do offer around 16GB. Tablets and Smart phones also provide a microSD card slot with up to 32 GB external storage, but not all apps can be installed on the external storage. Winner: Laptop Runner-up: Tablet Office computing: If you are using for office computing, you will have most of your office software well integrated with the Windows operating system. These office applications may not be compatible with Android or iOS at all. Along with Microsoft’s Surface tablet PC, many manufacturers have launched or about to launch Windows Tablet PCs, but these are more expensive and it will take more time before Windows 8 gains market. Laptops with Windows operating system are not as expensive as Windows Tablets. I am sure the number of people using a Smart phone for office computing is negligible. Winner: Laptop Runner-up: None Mobility Nothing beats the smart phone in mobility. Mobility along with voice calling is what made this device ubiquitous. The tablet is a mobile device but not as mobile as the smart phone. You can’t carry a tablet in your pocket. Winner: Smart phone Runner-up: Tablet Internet browsing This is very similar to content consumption mentioned in the beginning and the convenience of a Tablet beats the laptop and Smartphone. Winner: Tablet Runner-up: Laptop Games With sensors like G-Sensor and Gyroscope, a Tablet offers a wonderful gaming experience. The touch screen enhances the gaming experience. Even if the Smart phones are provided with sensors, the screen size is too small to have a good gaming experience. Laptops can be better than smart phones for some games, but you may not find them to be better than tablets for any games. Typing If you are like me who has to do a lot of typing, then a laptop is better. Tablets have touch screen typing which is not great for typing a lot of content, like writing this post. Sure, some tablets do provide a keyboard dock which gives a laptop like experience to the Tablet. But the very need to convert a tablet into a laptop proves that a laptop offers a better experience. Winner: Laptop Runner-up: Convertible tablets with keyboard docks. Camera Though Tablets and Smartphones, both come with cameras, I am more inclined to use Smart phones for camera. This might be my personal bias, but I just find it easier to hold a mobile phone still while taking a photo or capturing a video. Winner: Smart phone Runner-up: Tablet Durability Laptops can last for years though they would be considered outdated. A smart phone might last for a couple of years. We are not yet sure how long a tablet can last since not many people have adopted tablets until a couple of years ago. Winner: Laptop Runner-up: Not sure Upgradability On a laptop, you can upgrade the software, processor, RAM etc. Yes, they are not as easy as desktops when it comes to upgrading. In Smart phones and Tablets, you cannot upgrade. My Verdict You can’t choose one over the other, without being clear about needs. So, if activities that you can do while walking, like voice calling, listening to music are important for you, then you should buy a Smart phone. If activities that you can do while sitting at a desk like writing, programming, working on large excel files, image, video editing etc. are important for you, then you need a laptop. If activities that you can do while lying on a couch like browsing the internet, watching videos and reading e-books are important for you, then you should buy a tablet. Most people who use a laptop for watching videos, reading email, browsing internet, reading e-books will have more fun with a tablet. For such people, a laptop can be overkill and is not as much fun as a tablet. So what do you think? Which is better: Tablet, Laptop or Smart phone?
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 08:51:10 +0000
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