Tablets Versus Laptops: Three Important Differences
Tablets and laptops resemble one another in form and function, but they’re not yet interchangeable. If you’re deciding between these two types of devices, your choice comes down to how you plan to use your computer. Here are three things to consider before you make a purchase.
Do You Need Full-Featured Software or a Better Display?
The streamlined software and keyboards of a tablet are not as productive as those of a laptop. While you might not mind using a tablet to make quick revisions to a text document or spreadsheet, if you’re going to work for hours at a time, you’ll be more efficient on a laptop. However, if your work involves extended bouts of looking at a screen, with less need for keyboard and mouse functions, you might prefer working on a tablet. Tablets, on average, have a better display quality than laptops. A typical tablet has around 260 pixels per inch. Average laptops have fewer than 220 pixels per inch.
Do You Prefer Browsers or Apps?
Browsing the Internet with a tablet can be unpredictable. More and more websites are optimized for mobile devices, but there are still instances when a tablet can give unsatisfactory results. Text can be too small to read and some functions are clunky. If you prefer going online with a web browser, a laptop will be more consistent. On the other hand, the apps that are available on a tablet are often newer, less expensive, and simply more inventive than what you can get on a laptop. There are amazing drawing and photo-editing apps that can accomplish almost anything the average user wants to do. Some of them are free or available for just a few dollars.
Do You Want Easier Portability or a Bigger Screen?
Both devices come in an array of sizes, and both are relatively easy to carry around. In general, however, tablets are lighter and more portable. Slipping a tablet into a backpack or purse is easy, while a laptop often needs its own carrying case. When it comes to heft, a typical laptop weighs in at around 5 pounds, more than five times as much as the average tablet. What you gain in portability with a tablet, however, you’ll often give up in screen size. If you like a bigger screen, you’ll still find more choices in a laptop.
Tablets and laptops remain very different choices in several important ways. To a large extent, laptops still excel at productivity and power, while tablets remain the choice for those who value portability and innovative apps.
