Which is Better for Students: a Tablet or a Laptop?
A computer has become an important educational tool now that most of the information a student needs can be found online. The main barrier to getting a student a laptop is the price, which is an important factor if they are to use the laptop for many years, and this is why many parents consider getting their kids a tablet. But, is a tablet the better option or is it better to get them a mid to high-end laptop they will use even beyond their school years? In this article, we will be weighing both options to see which suits your situation best.
Screen Size
A bigger screen is always a welcome option especially if they are going to be using the laptop for more than reading and researching. If they are to watch lecture videos or watch courses online, their experience will be much better if they have a larger screen.
Tablets usually go up to about 13 inches in size while laptops can be as big as 17 inches in size. Also, a bigger laptop means there is more space for the keyboard and trackpad, which makes it easier and more comfortable to use the laptop for typing and scrolling.
Versatility
Kids have different interests and a popular one these days is gaming. Mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets has become very popular over the past few years, but it cannot beat the gaming experience one can get out of their laptop. While a student’s laptop is not meant to primarily be a gaming device, the additional power that most have makes them well suited for that.
The good news here is that you do not have to go out of your way to spend too much for a laptop that can play games as there are lots of affordable Intel 11th Gen Lenovo laptops that are perfectly suited for both schoolwork and gaming.
Typing
Students type a lot. They may type during a lecture or be required to type out their assignments. Because of this, the device you get should enable this comfortably and without hassle. Some tablets come with keyboards, notably those from Apple and Samsung, but their keyboards are often cramped, making them a non-optimal choice for long hours of typing.
A laptop is meant to be a productivity machine first and this is why many of them have comfortable keyboards with keys that are spaced out for easier typing. Many of them also have feet that increase the keyboard’s angle to reduce strain on the wrists when students type for long sessions.
Portability
Both tablets and laptops are very portable options. A tablet is deemed more portable than a laptop because of how small and light it is. Laptops have gotten lighter over the years, with some 14-inch options weighing less than 1.5 kilograms.
This weight makes them very portable, and this becomes even more apparent when you consider students are always carrying backpacks anyway.
Conclusion
A tablet is a good option if a student will not be typing a lot and mainly needs a device that they can consume content on and use to catch up with their lessons. A laptop is a much better option as it is very versatile, making it great for use both inside and outside the classroom.
