Compare laptop and tablet with keyboard | What's better

According to tablet makers, in the age of modern technologies, their products can completely replace conventional laptops in the workplace, in the gaming, and in the domestic sphere.

At first glance, this is true: on the tablet you can watch movies, type texts, work in programs similar to those that can be put on a laptop. From it you can go online and play games, draw and animate videos.

But if you take a closer look and compare the key characteristics, everything starts to look not so simple.

Dimensions and compactness

The first and most obvious criterion by which a comparison can be made is size and weight:

Tablets. Small devices in this category have a screen diagonal of just 7 inches - that is, at 17 with a small centimeters. In practice, they are slightly larger than the palm of an adult male of medium height, fit freely in the inner pocket of a jacket, and rarely exceed 400 grams by weight. Larger tablets reach 10 inches - that is, 25 centimeters. Such a device in the bosom can not be removed, but in a normal backpack or bag it fits easily. Weight - 600 grams with variations, depending on what the body is made of (it can be both plastic and metal).

Laptops. The screen diagonal of the laptop is bigger, usually starts from 12 inches and accelerates almost to 20. The weight is also appropriate - quite recently a super-thin and super-light laptop weighing 840 grams was presented to the public. Ordinary devices weigh, as a rule, not less than one and a half kilograms. You can carry them in a backpack or in a special bag, which themselves have additional weight, because they have special linings to mitigate the possible impact.

Simply put, according to the first criterion, tablets unconditionally win: they are much easier to carry around with them, they do not take up much space and do not attract attention. Got - did what he wanted - removed.

Screen

The next criterion is the screen size and image quality. The correlation naturally persists:

1. Tablets. Diagonal from 7 to 10 inches. The image quality is good, sometimes even better than that of laptops, but at this size it is not too noticeable: in order to see small details, you need to keep an eye out or adjust the magnification.

2. Laptops. The diagonal is from 12 to 15 inches, although there are also giants of 17 inches. The picture quality is standard, sometimes inferior to the tablet. But on the laptop screen is much easier to work with small details.

According to the second criterion, it’s difficult to give a clear point to something. A laptop is best suited for working with small parts (it is also better suited for people with poor eyesight), in other cases, the portable device wins because its small screen is the key to compactness. The result is a draw.

In general, tablets are still leading.

Input Devices

If you compare a laptop and a regular tablet by the criterion of convenience of entering information, victory will be first. Because:

1. Tablets.Working with an on-screen keyboard and a stylus is still a bother. They are convenient to manipulate when you need to type a short post, view a photo, turn on a movie or draw something. But in photo editors, text editors, in software that helps to work with tables and presentations, and any similar programs that require precise movements, it is much harder to work with a portable device.

2. Laptops. They have a touchpad and built-in keyboard of a convenient size. You can connect a mouse to them - normal or wireless. In terms of work, it is much more convenient and familiar to most users.

However, when it comes to tablets, to which third-party devices can be connected, everything changes dramatically: the advantage of laptops is completely leveled, since you can also connect a mouse and keyboard to them, and work with convenience.

Often, the keyboard of such devices in the kit, and if not, it can be easily purchased. Special chic - such a keyboard, which is folded and worn in a tube. It takes up very little space, is quite convenient to work with, plus it looks interesting.

The third criterion is again a draw, but this time with a slight advantage in the direction of laptops - they have everything already included, no need to spend extra money on the keyboard.

Duration of battery life

Both tablets and laptops can be taken with you. But enough of them at different times:

1. Tablets. Usually have capacious batteries that are resistant to environmental influences. A fully charged device will work for 12 hours - and this time can be spent actively browsing the web, playing something, listening to music, watching movies or drawing something. If you leave the device in standby mode, with the Internet search turned off, it can take a few weeks to complete, since the battery is not wasted in the process.

2. Laptops. It's different with laptops: they require much more energy, and no matter how capacious a battery is, it lasts at most 8 hours. And often even less, especially if you unscrew the brightness of the screen to high values ​​and engage in active work: watch movies, play games or work. When the battery is slightly set, it will begin to miss him for three hours without recharging.

It’s better to go with a tablet. And it’s worth taking a laptop with you only in the city, where there are sockets nearby where you can recharge.

However, most people use a laptop as a stationary computer and do not suffer from low battery capacity.

Memory sizes

Memory is, in fact, the brain of a device. And, if we compare by this criterion, it turns out that laptops are much smarter than tablets:

1. Tablets. The amount of internal memory is usually from 2 to 32 GB. It is clear that very little information fits into it, because even a movie in its very average quality does not weigh less than 2 gigabytes, what can we say about games and programs. With RAM a little more joyful, but still not much - from 2 to 4, sometimes there are “monsters” with a memory of 6. Usually this is enough to provide at least some speed.

2. Laptops. The amount of internal memory is at least 256 gigabytes, and the maximum can reach up to a terabyte. Movies, games, music, and programs will fit in, and, if anything, you can even purchase an external drive, which will cost 3,000 for a volume of 500 GB. Operational memory varies depending on the brand and "tricked" from 2 to 16 gigabytes. Most laptops are more powerful than portable devices, although they are inferior in performance to desktops.

Of course, tablet manufacturers are trying to compensate for the small amount of internal memory, offering users to buy more flash drives, expanding it. But the price they have is significantly higher than that of external hard drives and can go up to 1000 for 32 GB and up to 10 000 for 256. The transaction is not profitable.

By this criterion, laptops cut tablets clean.

Ability to connect external devices

The ability to connect external devices to the technology is very useful:

1. Tablets. They cannot boast of such an opportunity: most simply do not have a connector to connect using wires. All that can be connected to them is connected via bluetooth, and this method is considered unreliable and the devices that work with it are usually more expensive.

2. Laptops. On the contrary, virtually anything can be connected to them: a printer, a TV, a DVD player, a speaker system, headphones, flash drives, and for all this it’s enough to plug a connector into a port that has more than one.

Recently, tablets are actively moving towards being able to connect with external devices, but for now this is only a movement, the results of which are not very impressive.

Software

Programs allow you to work, play, engage in creativity. If memory is a brain, then programs are hands:

1. Tablets. The software is actively updated, but there is one "but." First, most of the programs for tablets are adapted from computers, and this is often done clumsily. Secondly, it can not be found on the network for free - that Android, that iOs ensure that users do not engage in piracy. Thirdly, it is not very convenient to work on most of the programs needed for work on the tablet, even with the keyboard. For example, interact with a text editor, manipulate Excel or prepare presentations.

2. Laptops. The software is so extensive that most users will always find what they need for work and leisure. Under Windows, a huge number of utilities are sharpened, with it you can write, draw, play, make presentations and tables, build drawings.

In addition, in order for the tablet to pull the software available to the laptop at the same level, it must be similar in performance. This means that it must have a large operational memory, which means that it will be much more expensive than the budget segment.

In fact, it is quite possible to work on the tablet, but it will not be so convenient and you will have to spend both setup time and money to buy.

Important! Most of the games that have been released so far are for computers, not tablets. Therefore, the choice of gamers is obvious immediately. The rest may fluctuate.

Other criteria

Tablets have several specific advantages that a laptop does not have:

1. they are stronger - the case is often made of metal, the tablet that was dropped was not necessarily broken, the tablet on which it sat down, could well survive if it lay with the screen down;

2. there are cameras in them - and in the laptop there is only a front-facing camera;

3. they are mobile - with them it is easier to get out of the house and on the road, they can replace both the navigator, the book, the player, and partly even the phone.

In addition, the tablet can act as a fashion accessory. But laptops are usually used only for practical purposes.

Brief squeeze

To summarize, it will be clear that advantages and disadvantages depend largely on the point of view. However, it will still be useful to highlight them in the list.

Pros and cons of laptops

Laptops have the following advantages:

1. A large amount of memory that built-in that operating. Consequently, they can store more information, they process requests faster and are more likely to cope with the necessary software than tablets.

2. Large screen. It shows better small details and is easier to work in programs that require concentration. For people with poor eyesight, this is a definitive plus.

3. Ability to connect external devices. And much more convenient than tablets. You can connect a printer, TV, DVD, speaker system and many other useful devices.

4. Large selection of software and familiar users of Windows. On it you can put the program for every taste - for creativity, for work and for leisure.Under it is sharpened the most games, especially old ones.

But they also have disadvantages:

1. Dimensions and weight. The smallest of existing laptops weigh 840 grams, while regular models often go over 1.5 kilograms. The dimensions are such that you have to buy a separate bag for a laptop, which can be very heavy.

2. Low battery capacity. Enough for only 8 hours of battery life - and this is the maximum. The figure at 5-6 hours looks much more realistic.

3. Inconvenience of use. With a laptop you will not lie down in bed, you will not get comfortable in transport. It is cumbersome, you also need to find a position in which it will be pleasant to work with him, apart from the standard pose "sitting at the table."

4. Big power supply. In size, it is at least a couple of times larger than the size of the tablet's power supply unit and space is required for it in the bag.

5. In general, a laptop is a good replacement for a stationary PC for people who often move or from time to time go to friends in another city. Working with him is definitely more convenient than from a tablet with a keyboard.

Pros and cons of tablets

The following advantages are peculiar to tablets:

1. Compactness. The maximum tablet size is 10 inches, the maximum weight is 800 grams. In order to carry it with you, it is enough to have a cover for it and for the keyboard, you will not have to buy a separate bag.

2. Capacious battery. In standby mode, the tablet can lie for a week or two, and with active use it will discharge hours in 12. This period of time beats laptops lightly.

3. The convenience of use. It is easy to sit or lie down with a tablet, it is pleasant to get it in a transport and can be arranged as you like. And if you need to connect the keyboard, you can use the table.

Of course there are also disadvantages:

1. Poor fitness for work. From a small screen and a small keyboard, working with text, tables, or drawings is sheer torment. In addition, often the analogues of the necessary programs are not adapted well enough or the tablet slows down, because it does not have enough memory.

2. The inability to connect many external devices at once. And some of them will not work at all - for example, TV.

3. Less suitability for repair. In most cases, the tablet is easier to replace than to repair. And, of course, it won't be possible to upgrade it by adding a memory plate or replacing the processor - it is simply not suitable for this.

4. A small amount of memory. What is built, what is operating. Moreover, it is difficult and expensive to expand it - microSD flash drives are small in volume and price is high, and you won't be able to integrate RAM at all.

5. The tablet is good for hobbies and entertainment. It is pleasant to lie with him in bed or go hiking without fear of getting lost. But at the same time for serious work, he is little adapted, even with a keyboard.

Final choice

The final choice is worth making, focusing on your needs:

1. A laptop is good if you plan to work with it or play games designed for PCs. It is large, convenient, most programs run on it and it can be upgraded, if that.

2. The tablet is good if it is needed for hobbies, creativity and leisure. It is pleasant to listen to music, watch movies, lying on the couch, and play simple games like “pick up three in a row”. It is not suitable for work, even if you attach a keyboard to it.

3. But, of course, everyone decides for himself - you can always go to a computer store, touch there laptops, tablets, keyboards for tablets and, on the basis of empirical experience, make your own choice.