GizBot Guide: Should I Buy a Tablet or Laptop? Pros and Cons of Each Device

We're often asked this question: should I buy a laptop or a tablet computer. The answer is damn simple: maybe. To be honest, it really depends upon your needs.

The Apple iPad is not a replacement for a laptop. Yes indeed, tablets are good at many things, but they still can't replace a laptop.

Here's a quick breakdown of what you should consider before deciding to buy a laptop or a tablet device.

Recommended: 8 Stylish, Funky and Cool USB Pen Drives You Should Have in Your Bag

Tablet: Pros and Cons

A tablet device is so much lighter and more comfortable to carry than the bulky laptop. Unlike most laptops, an iPad doesn't get too warm because there are no fans.

Basically tablets are ideal for consuming content. They are tailor made for surfing the web, playing light games, reading magazines and enjoying music and movies.

With an iPad, you'll definitely get an all-day battery life. Even if you pick up an ordinary Android tablet, chances are, the device should last anywhere between 7 and 8 hours on a single charge.

The average tablet weighs less than 400 grams that is less than half the thickness of a standard laptop. So yes, there is a big advantage to own a tablet device over a laptop computer.

Another big advantage to get a tablet is that it doesn't take ages to boot up. And when you press the power button, it goes into standby mode instantly, but remains connected to the internet.

The popular tablet size is 9 to 10-inches. You can also find tablets with 7-to 8-inch screen sizes. These smaller sized tablets are more portable, and can easily fit inside a pocket.

Talking about the productivity, tablets are increasing becoming more versatile than ever. More and more developers are making business-centric apps for tablets. Microsoft's MS Office suite is now available on the iPad. Similar options are available for Android-powered tablets.

As far as their price goes, tablets are more attractive because they're more affordable. An average android-based tablet starts at Rs. 4,000 and goes up to Rs. 50,000 for the top-end model. Meanwhile, the iPad Mini, Apple's cheapest tablet - will cost users upwards of Rs. 15,000 or maybe less.

Conclusion

Despite many advantages, a tablet shouldn't be looked as a replacement of a laptop computer. That's because the laptop is good at multitasking. You can quickly switch between applications and see all of your open apps at once. Another big area where laptop computers win is software. Of course, tablets have millions of apps, but laptops have more productive features built-in. For instance, you cannot write codes or edit photos using Adobe Photoshop. If you buy a laptop, it'll probably come with a fitted at least 500GB of hard drive. What's more, you can also use an external hard drives for cheap. The Apple iPad has no way of adding storage. Unlike tablets. traditional laptops are better at video editing with the help of professional tools.

Laptop

Pros

Sharper & larger Screens

Easier to multitask

Professional software support

Keyboard support

Customizable hardware

Cons

Expensive compared to tablets

Missing apps

Battery Life