Should you get a laptop or a tablet? As the gap between the two continues to close, we walk you through the differences to help make the right decision for you.

Portability

Will you be carrying your device often? Smaller, thinner, and lighter, tablets win on portability. Ultra-portable laptops are available with 11–12 inch displays, but they still won’t be as light as a tablet. For instance, while they both have 12 inch screens the Samsung ATIV Book 9 laptop is 27% heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro tablet.

Performance

Will you be using power-hungry applications? Laptops generally have more performance because they have more room for the hardware. Faster processors generate heat, and laptops have room for fans to cool them. This doesn’t mean that tablets are slow—far from it in many cases—but rather that laptops are better suited for intense tasks.

Battery Life

The same hardware that gives laptops a performance advantage takes a toll on battery life. And the smaller screens of tablets require less power, giving them another boost in battery life. While a mainstream laptop might have 6 hours of battery life, a slightly cheaper tablet might have 10+ hours. If you’re always on the move and away from power outlets, the tablet will give you a boost.

Hard Drive Storage

Laptops have greater storage capacities because they have room for inexpensive disc hard drives, but high-end tablets are available with the sort of capacities you will find on laptops.

However, tablets use a faster memory than the disc hard drives that laptops use. The device will turn on and boot faster, and applications will load faster. The most advanced laptops and tablets use solid-state drives (SSD) which are even faster.

Although tablets have lower storage capacities, you can upgrade the memory of Android-based tablets with inexpensive microSD cards.

Conclusion

Laptops are best for users who will be creating content. If you will be typing on a keyboard often and using desktop applications like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite, the laptop will be the better fit. View laptops

Tablets are best for users who will be consuming content. If you will be primarily surfing the Internet, watching videos, listening to music, and playing app-based games, choose the tablet. View tablets

The 2-in-1 That Solves Everything

 

The 2-in-1 is both a tablet and a laptop depending on your needs. When you are doing intensive work you use it as a laptop, and when you’re done it converts into a tablet. Mainstream models like the Asus Flip (as the name implies) flip the screen over the keyboard. Performance models like the Microsoft Surface Pro and Samsung TabPro S feature detachable keyboards, making them lighter and smaller when used as a tablet.