Good Day!
I'm sure this will be worth your time. I've been hearing this question "Tablet or Smart Phone"? lot of confusion in the decision making. Well if you ask me its obviously the smart phone, assuming you want to upgrade your old phone or if your primary purpose is making calls that is!
But that doesn't rule out the possibility to go for a tablet which can be a great company along with your smart phone. So this blog talks about planning your budget to accommodate both a smart phone and tablet rather than spend all your money on just one.
Disclaimer: Treat this blog as just an opinion. This is not a recommendation. You can call it a suggestion. And most importantly this blog is aimed at budget conscious consumers. Punt now if you are rich!
The word smart phone is kind of an exaggeration. The difference between today’s so called “smart phone” and an ordinary phone is mostly about better hardware and software. A tablet and a smart phone are two totally different gadgets although both can perform similar tasks each having its own advantage and disadvantage. It is a bit tricky to differentiate both these gadgets based merely on their specifications.
The decision maker in this regard is your budget and your need (usage). Well one obvious difference, that is again a decision maker, is size.
The choice depends on your usage pattern; if you are into making a lot of phone calls a tablet is definitely not an ergonomic solution, (of course you can use a Bluetooth headset, but still you have to carry it around) similarly if you are into lot of internet browsing or chat, you need a big screen. A phone screen may be too small and so is not ergonomic. If you are expecting hard core gaming on a tablet or smart phone, both won’t satisfy you.
You can’t expect that performance for gaming with just a 1.5GHz processor and 1Gb of RAM (this is the limit on today’s tablets and smart phones. beyond this speed and memory there is battery backup issue, you need more power meaning bigger battery which adds to weight and cost)
Assuming your budget is Rs 30000 INR, which is a lot of money and investing such an amount on just a smart phone or tablet is of no value!
That’s because, six months down the lane there is going to be a better smart phone than the one you buy today; better software, better hardware, better speed, better security features and more. (If you look at the trend, smart phones keep upgrading every six months) The sad thing is we don’t have an option to upgrade, and we are forced to buy a new one. And the software upgrades that manufacturers usually promise to offer is in most cases some bug fixes, which they knowingly ignored, just because they are in a hurry to release their phone to grab some market share. It’s plain business, their idea is to sell and make money! Our money!
Ask yourself this simple question “How smart is my smart phone?” probably you will come up like this > My phone runs the latest Android/windows version, it has the latest Cortex processor, 1GB of RAM (is there a phone/tablet that says 2GB RAM, I haven’t seen one), GPS, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, USB host, HDMI, NFC, Wi-Fi … blah blah blah. That’s great but we have only listed a bunch of hardware, which doesn’t make a phone smart!
It’s only a more capable phone with better hardware. The word “smart” is a selling point which has worked really well. I am starting to wonder why they didn't call a tablet “smart” may be they are dumb? Obviously No!
Theoretically they are “smart phones” with larger display. Everyone, today needs a phone. It’s a basic necessity. And calling it “smart” along with better hardware and software makes sense.
If you are confused whether to buy a tablet or smart phone, I would say you may need both!
Given that there is no way to upgrade their hardware. Don’t spend a fortune on either of these devices, they are not worth it. Be wise in your spending. If you really want to upgrade to a “smart phone” go for a descent one which has all those features you are looking for and it should not cost a bomb!. You may have to compromise some features if you really don’t want to spend much. Of course it should be a reliable brand just to make sure all that hardware we listed above works well!
You may need a tablet to replace your netbook or laptop while on the move. Tablets offer that, much needed mobility, it turns on faster, goes on for a long while and easy to slip in your shoulder bag. A decent tablet with a “good display resolution” is what to look for. Again it should not cost a bomb!
So rather than spend all your money on just the “latest and greatest high end smart phone of today” look for options to fit a decent tablet in that budget.
Here’s a prediction: more and more smart phones are going to make their way to the scrap. Tablets will be keepers and for a long time! A few years from now, when technology has changed we could still be able to use the tablet for displaying pictures and watching videos!
Cheers
Vn.
