Tablets have taken the technology world by storm. There is now a real influx of devices in a variety of sizes and price categories. If you have your heart set on buying a tablet, you’ll be spoilt for choice. We can help you with the choice and show you what matters when it comes to tablets and for which applications a device needs to be able to perform.
Buying tablet
When the first iPads were introduced in 2010, the triumphal march of the tablets began. The thin and light devices are versatile and mobile, easy to operate and durable — they really are fun to use! But not every device is suitable for every purpose, and fun can then quickly fall by the wayside.
Therefore, before making your purchase you should think carefully about what you would mainly like to use your tablet for and check whether the device you have in mind can really do what you want it to.
This means you will protect yourself against having to fork out unnecessary money because it’s not always necessary to have a top-of-the-range tablet at a correspondingly high price.
To surf on the move or not, that is the question
One of the most important questions before you buy is: How mobile do you want to be with your tablet? If you’re only going to be using your device at home, then a model with just WiFi access should suffice. Devices that you can use to surf the Internet via the mobile network (via UMTS or LTE) whilst on the move are more expensive and you’ll need a SIM card with data plan. This incurs extra costs.
If you want to use your tablet on the move, you need to pay particular attention to battery run time. You will not be able to use the mobile function if the battery runs out after a couple of hours. A battery run time of approximately six hours is a decent amount of time for watching videos.
Furthermore: You can also use tablets that just offer WiFi access to go online via the mobile network. This works via a smartphone with a tethering feature that is paired to the tablet. You should bear in mind that surfing the Internet will incur smartphone data charges.
Display size: From compact to XXL, anything is possible
Would you prefer your tablet to be easy to handle or opulent? Tablets now come with screen sizes of 6 to more than 20 inches, the most popular devices have displays between 7 and 10 inches. Apple’s tablet flagship iPad Pro even comes in 12.9 inches, i.e. 32.8 cm.
The bigger the screen, the more fun it is to watch films or play games. But the larger the device, the more unmanageable it gets and the more power it consumes. Both are negative factors when using on the move.
Good image quality for pure video enjoyment
Do you mainly want to use your tablet to watch videos? Then good image quality is a must! There should be at least full HD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. A large screen is also an advantage when watching films, of course.
We recommended checking the screen quality of the tablet you’ve got your eye on in the shop before making your purchase. How sharp is the picture? What does the contrast and brightness look like? You can also buy the device from an online retailer.
Processor, memory, storage and operating system
The processor is at the heart of every computer and, of course, of every tablet. There must be enough power to allow high-resolution videos or complex game apps to play without a glitch. Very cheap tablets usually contain just single-core processors which quickly lose power when demanding applications are running.
A modern multi-core processor (dual-core or better still quad-core) provides sufficient capability. Memory is also important for performance. It should never be any less than 1 GB. There are no maximum limits: the more the better.
If you want to save a lot of videos, photos and music on your tablet, you should ensure you have sufficient memory on your device, 32 or even 64 GB. Alternatively memory can be expanded by means of an SD card, provided there is an appropriate card slot provided. However, the iPad, for example, does not have one.
Last but not least: Which operating system should you choose? There is nothing more convenient than when your computer, smartphone and newly-purchased tablet have the same operating system. This means you’ll be treading familiar ground and it’s easy to sync your devices.
Image: Adobe Stock
