LAPTOP OR TABLET?
Do you want the power of a ‘real’ computer, the superior portability of a slate… or a bit of both?
The lines between tablets and laptops have become awfully blurry of late: the latest iPad Air has the same processor as a MacBook Pro, while devices such as Asus’s Vivobook 13 Slate OLED offer a terrific tablet and a great laptop in a single device. So how do you choose what’s best for you?
The first issue is price. The very cheapest tablets are best considered toys: while at the time of writing Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is just £90, we wouldn’t want to use it for anything serious for any period of time. The sweet spot for tablets is £200 to £400, which is where you’ll find the entry-level iPad, Microsoft’s Surface Go 3 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A8. Decent laptops can be found for well under £500, rising to £1000 or more for larger, more powerful models; Chromebooks can be as cheap as £120 for very basic types, with more capable machines coming in around £250.