When it comes to deciding on tablet vs laptop and which one could be better, it is no longer easy to answer the question. With advanced technology, each has evolved to become devices that suit the needs of gamers, writers, and leisure-seekers.
If you are one of those people who spend a lot of time at their desks, typing away, or even gaming, you will want to know which electronic devices work best. These days, you can still research tablet vs laptop, but there was once a time when you could only choose a laptop if you wanted a computer with a lot of portability.
Now, tablets have come into the picture and they are a viable alternative to laptops, depending on what you want to use a laptop or tablet for. Tablets have become popular because they are portable, have user-friendly interfaces, and can be used for a wide range of functions. In many ways, the best tablets can almost replace a laptop for someone on the go. But is a tablet really a better choice? After all, laptops can also be extremely portable and can be used for much more. Another consideration can be how long do laptops last and how long do tablets last. Let us find out in detail.
Tablets Have Only Recently Caught On
When you do research on tablet vs laptop, you will find that the tablet market has not been as large as that of laptops. And yet, the beauty of tablets is that they are amazingly portable and as a writer, you can always be writing on the go.
These tablets are lighter and smaller than your regular laptop. Having said that, even though tablets weigh less than laptops, you still get many super light, thin computers such as Apple’s MacBook Air series.
Some people can’t make up their minds between tablet vs laptop and they consider looking at a hybrid. This is a Windows tablet that comes with a keyboard dock that becomes a laptop once you connect it up. But you need to still do research because some of these hybrids may still not give you the storage, speed, and power that you are after.
Laptops definitely seem to come with some benefits over tablets in the long run. One of these is this power. Laptops have more powerful processing hardware and this means it is able to do more. Laptops are able to manage common tablet uses, such as media streaming and web browsing to other more complex tasks, such as photo and video editing.
The Choice Comes Down To Needs
But what about if you are a serious gamer? If you are looking for a suitable gaming device, then you will want to know which is better for gaming – tablet vs laptop. Everybody knows that desktop PCs are the ultimate best in terms of performance, but they do not really come into the equation when you are wanting something that is portable.
Both a tablet and a laptop have their own set of advantages, so your choice will ultimately be determined by your needs. Most people like the bigger display with a laptop, while other people are hung up on image quality and this is where the tablet scores more.
There are more pixels on the tablet’s screen. That’s because it is smaller. The screen images are brighter and clearer on a tablet when compared to a 15-inch laptop.
Also, with tablet vs laptop, tablets use Android or iOs operating systems while laptops have the same operating systems as desktops. This means that the games that you have on your desktop can be played on your laptop, while this does not apply to tablets.
However, those who have tablets, say they are great for gaming. Experienced gamers will tell you that if you need a device for more complicated, hectic gaming, then a laptop would serve you better.
How Long Do Laptops Last?
For starters, it will depend on how you treat your laptop as to how long it will last. Of course, there are cheap laptops that can surprise everyone the way they outlast some more expensive laptops. However, generally, the more expensive laptops do tend to last longer and they can last 5 years, possibly 7 – 10 years even.
But then again, different laptops have different uses, and the person who takes out their laptop to work 2 or 3 times a week will see their laptop lasting longer than the gamer who is pounding away at their laptop every day.
Asking the question how long do laptops last will get you an ‘it depends’ type of answer. Certain activities can take a heavier toll on a laptop’s hardware. The person who uses their laptop for heavy gaming will find their laptop would not possibly last as long as the person who uses their laptop for writing.
Are Gaming Laptops Worth It?
If you are a serious gamer, you will probably think that superb graphics and speed are the most important things for a good gaming service. A serious gamer would not settle on anything less and will want to know ‘are gaming laptops worth it?’.
No gamer wants to lug around a hefty computer if they are headed to a LAN party, but if a tablet could not give them the graphics and speed they required, they would have to start looking at laptops as a possibility. When asking ‘are gaming laptops worth it, they have discovered that yes, they are.
Gamers look at notebook computers like the MSI GS60 Ghost-003 15 inch one which is a smaller than usual gaming laptop with a 128GB solid-state drive for speed. With 1920 x 1080 resolution, and with 2GB of video ram, this kind of laptop was just what gamers wanted.
Laptop Screen Size Is More Important For Gamers
In terms of laptop screen size, gamers are happy because the laptop, while being compact, can still perform demanding applications, and notebooks are ideal for doing work or leisure activities.
When you start researching screen sizes of a tablet vs laptop, you will discover that, on average, most laptops have screen sizes that are about 15 inches. Nothing is set in stone and there are some laptop screen sizes that are 13 inches, while some are even smaller at 11 inches. You also get a bigger laptop screen size of 17 inches.
For most people who use their laptops for writing or other work, screen size might not be that big a deal, but it becomes very important for gamers. Mostly, it is the bigger ones of 17 inches that are sought after.
Normally, you will find that the best ones are 17 inches, and those two extra inches make a big difference. With tablet vs laptop, the hardware also makes a difference in the size of the laptop. For a 17 – inch laptop, it goes without saying that you can put in more parts.
When it comes to tablet vs laptop, the tablet is usually about 8 or 10 inches long, while a laptop is roughly 15 inches in length.
There are some tablets, though, that are as small as 5 inches and some larger ones that are 13 inches in length, while some of the high-end tablets, such as the Samsung have screens that are 18-inches in length.
So you can see that some tablets can be carried in your pocket, but most are too large. When you are doing research on tablet vs laptop, one thing that may sway your choice is how you use these tablets and laptops. Some of the smaller tablets can be held in your hand while a laptop is too big and it will have to rest on your lap, or on a surface, such as a table.
Laptops For Work – Tablets For Leisure?
People who have used both tablets and laptops say that tablets are more suited for leisure activities such as gaming or for just browsing the web. In fact, if you are looking for a good gaming device, you will be looking at a tablet vs laptop, but it can be difficult because both tablet and laptop have their own advantages.
Certainly, when it comes to storage, laptops win. Tablets can have just 8GB of storage compared to 500GB and this is just the storage from the cheapest laptop. If you were not satisfied with your laptop storage capacity, you can still swap the drive. Storage is an important factor when you are looking at tablet vs laptop and in recent years, more modern tablets have increased storage so that you can find tablets with 256 GB of internal storage.
Some of the more expensive models can even have as much as 512 GB or 1 TB of storage. The storage capacity of lots of these tablets can also be expanded with microSD memory cards – anything from 1 GB up to 1 TB. With a laptop, you can upgrade the internal storage drive, but this is not an option with tablets.
In the long run, when it comes to storage and tablet vs laptop, you can safely say that it is laptops that have the upper hand.
Laptops Have Additional Features
Modern tablets can do a lot more these days – just about as much as a laptop. However, some users do find the touch screen of the tablet to be a bit restrictive and most people opt to buy and to use a regular keyboard over the built-in one. That is where a laptop comes into its own. How easy is it to use the built-in keyboard or to simply buy what you describe as a comfortable keyboard and connect it up to your laptop?
Not only that, when it comes to tablet vs laptop, there are even some other additions to a laptop, such as a CD drive that just make it stand out more. True, CDs are fairly obsolete these days, but who does not appreciate the appeal of still going back to your CD collection or your DVDs and being able to select exactly what you want to watch or listen to.
Laptops are great for working on them, as they offer more features. If you were without a laptop or a tablet and you could only afford to buy one or the other, what would it be? Most people will choose a laptop.
Before you even considered a tablet, you were no doubt using a desktop or laptop for your writing. Yes, a laptop is pretty portable, but it still might not be portable enough to literally take everywhere with you.
Speed is always another issue that comes up with tablet vs laptop, and some of the high-end laptops are great when it comes to speed. Even when you consider speed, you have to get back to the question, what do you want to use your laptop or tablet for?
As already suggested, most laptops are more powerful than tablets and they have larger internal storage. There also happens to be more software available for laptops as compared to tablets and more file compatibility for documents.
Choose Based On What You Need
Before wondering which to choose between a tablet vs laptop, think about what your tablet or laptop needs to achieve for you. There are some people who want something merely as a need to an end. They require either a laptop or a tablet to do their work wherever they are. Their needs are basic – they want to basically check their emails and write or game.
When you start weighing up the pros and cons of a tablet vs laptop, you can’t give a definite answer. People are just too different and they look for different things in these devices that the next person may not bother about.
That is why once you know what you want to use your laptop or tablet for, only then can you weigh up the pros and cons of each and make your decision.
